It's Not Easy Seeing Green

In 1996, Freelancer and I went to a Target store somewhere way off the beaten path to see Kevin Garnett in person. The line stretched halfway around the store by the time we got there, which was fairly late, but we got our stuff signed (a photo for Freelancer, media guide for me--I still have it). We'd seen the Wolves earlier that year, and Freelancer, who has forgotten more about basketball than I know, said, "That kid can play." Seeing him in person, up close, was weird in the same way it's weird to see any professional basketball player up close. They just seem to be built on a different scale (I once saw David Robinson in an airport--same deal. You never ask "is that a basketball player?" You ask "which basketball player is that?").

Garnett was huge, not only in person but for the state of Minnesota. He became, like Kirby Puckett, the face of a franchise. When he went silent the summer of the salary negotiation that would soon change the collective bargaining agreement, the state held its breath. He wasn't committing to staying, but he wasn't signaling his departure, either. It felt difficult to get at the truth: he was a 21-year-old kid, still, who was doing the best thing a kid can do in that situation. He was letting the professional he'd hired to represent him do just that.

The huge contract he signed was worth it. I was living in Minnesota when Kirby Puckett entered free agency for the last time, and the suspense was similar, the relief even more pronounced this time, because while Puckett was just sliding off the edge of his prime, Garnett had yet to reach his, and this was a guarantee that it would be spent in Minnesota.

Sadly, it became clear after several years that "wasted" might be a better word than "spent." Apart from one run to the Western Conference Finals, the Wolves got to the level of "first-round playoff team" and stayed there. Things deteriorated, but Garnett was always the face of the Timberwolves. I don't think it's possible for anyone who hasn't lived in Minnesota to realize how much he represented that franchise. He carried them for years, overcoming McHale and Taylor's borderline-incompetent management until recently.

I discovered about a month ago that I can't watch him in Celtics green. It's a painful reminder of what the Wolves could have been, what they gave up, what they are now. Maybe I'll get over it later this year, but right now, it just seems wrong, like the hue is wonky, and I need to adjust a dial on my set to get that uniform back to blue or black. It's not that I hate the Celtics or anything; just seeing Garnett in a different uniform hurts. I don't begrudge him the chance to go somewhere where he has a chance to be winning a title, nor to start over with new management. I'll be rooting for him to get that ring someday, somewhere. But I won't be watching.

Perhaps He Is Speaking In Some Kind Of Code

Here at Three and Out, we like to dig up stories that are under the radar because they are unsurprising or unimportant, but at least are connected to our favorite teams. You might have heard of a little deal two of our teams made a little while back, in which Sebastian Telfair was sent to his third NBA team at the ripe old age of 22. He struck the right note in his new city, telling the Minneapolis press that he accepts responsibility for his previous problems and is taking steps to correct them. Well, that sounds promising! What kind of steps?

"I've taken myself out of New York City and moved to Vegas so I can concentrate on basketball."

Wait, what?

I mean, come on. I realize he's bounced around a lot, but if he'd picked a city with an NBA team, at least he'd have a 1 in 30 shot at landing there from year to year...

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

I have to say up front that I like Mark Madsen. He went to school at Stanford, and plays for my favorite team. What's not to like?

He is joining the ranks of pro athlete/bloggers with a well-written blog that is an enjoyable look at life as a pro basketball player. The funny thing about the blog, though, is that it has Google ads on it.

I'm sure Mark didn't set up the site himself--he probably just posts. But there's very little traffic to the site (and not likely to be more as a result of this post), so the revenue he's getting from Google can probably be measured in dollars over months. Considering he made over $2 million this year, does he really need the extra ad revenue? Maybe he's just jealous at all the endorsements those other athletes are getting.

Taking the fall

No team likes to fire a coach at mid-season. Usually it happens if a team, say, starts 6-24 in a season with playoff expectations. Minnesota has now fired their coach in the middle of two of the last three seasons, first the most successful coach in franchise history, with a team record of 25-26, and now his replacement, with the team sitting at 20-20.

The thing is, when Saunders was fired, the Wolves had started 13-6 and then gone 12-20. Under Casey, they'd started slow, gotten to 20-16, and then lost four straight. Four straight is worth a firing, with the team definitely in contention for the playoffs? How does Doc Rivers still have a job?

Much has been made of Kevin Garnett's increasing frustration with the franchise's mediocrity, so of course a move like this would not have been made without his approval, if not his outright encouragement. Randy Wittman, longtime Wolves assistant and former Cleveland head coach, was brought in at the beginning of the season, in hindsight clearly for just this eventuality.

Casey didn't deserve to go. But at this point, as a Wolves fan, I'll take whatever keeps Garnett happy and motivated. The one who really needs to go is McHale. We need a GM who can make good evaluations of talent, smart trades, and good drafts. The wins will come from that, not from anything the coach can do. If Wittman continues to have to try to win with McHale's decisions, look for another update in this space in about a year or two, when the Wolves are again around .500 at the All-Star break.