Author: David Shama

Two organizations benefited immediately from this week’s trade sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics and bringing two future No. 1 draft picks and five players to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Guess who those organizations are? 

The Celtics?  Hard to find anyone except for perhaps Al Jefferson’s family who disagrees with that.  If your second guess is the NBA, take a seat at the front of the class.

In recent years the NBA’s mega east coast teams in Philadelphia, New York and Boston have been lousy.  That’s bad business for the league since those areas offer huge upside in merchandising and TV ratings.  Among the reasons this spring for the NBA’s dismal television ratings was the absence of large market glamour teams such as Philly, New York, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The league will jump start its marketing next season with a Celtics lineup that includes three superstars–Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.  The Celtics, who won 24 games last season, are possible future NBA champions.

Perhaps one day the Garnett trade will be a win-win-win for the Celtics, NBA and the Wolves.  For the Wolves to ultimately be in the winner’s circle, a couple of acquired players, led by promising 22-year-old forward Al Jefferson, plus a draft pick or two, must become star players.  That’s speculation, but spinning a promising future for the Celtics and an upswing in NBA popularity is based on past performance.

I wanted to see a Timberwolves lineup (at least occasionally) with Garnett starting at center, forwards Craig Smith and Corey Brewer, and guards Ricky Davis and Randy Foye.  That’s a small but athletic lineup with ability to push the ball up the court, cause mismatches on offense and pressure teams on defense.

That lineup would win more games than the one the Wolves will offer up for the 2007-2008 season.  The Wolves roster is now loaded with inexperienced players, plus veterans who have been unproductive.  The Wolves have 10 players 25 years old and under including Jefferson, Gerald Green, 21, Sebastian Telfair, 22 and Ryan Gomes, 25, all who joined the team as part of the Garnett deal.

More youth is coming, likely to include a top pick in the 2008 NBA draft.  The Wolves will probably have one of the league’s worst records next season and could luck into a top three pick in the draft. 

That can be seen as a positive and so is the result of freeing up more money on the team’s payroll by unloading Garnett’s big salary and eventually that of Theo Ratliff, the one veteran player who came here in the trade.  Next year the Wolves will have the opportunity to add free agent talent to mix with their youthful players.

The Wolves were in a rut with Garnett and the situation was screaming for change. The Wolves have missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons with Garnett.  Management hadn’t been able to improve the team.  The last gasp at moving this franchise out of despair probably was the failed attempt to bring Allen Iverson from Philly to Minneapolis last winter.  Two superstars would have brought the Wolves closer to the other contenders in the Western Conference and boosted box office interest in the team. 

 Now the Wolves are searching for one superstar. 

Almost 365 days ago, on August 10 of last year, the Twins lost the best young pitcher in baseball, Francisco Liriano.  The 22-year-old left hander made the American League All-Star team as a rookie, producing a 10-1 record with a 1.83 ERA.  On August 10 he was placed on the disabled list with a strained ulnar collateral ligament on his left elbow.  He came back to pitch two innings in a September game and finished the season 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA. 

Then came major surgery in November on his left elbow and a long rehab process that likely will end with Liriano able to pitch next season.  Liriano, who will be 24 in October, is living in Fort Myers, Florida and throwing as part of his rehabilitation.

 “I hear he’s ahead of the game,” Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson told Sports Headliners last month. “He’s headed where he should be in his rehab, but again we’re not going to push him to even think about this year. …We’re fully expecting him to be ready come spring training.” 

The Twins have promising young starters in Matt Garza, 23, Scott Baker, 25, and Boof Bonser, 25.  Kevin Slowey,23, now back in Rochester, can be included in that group.  Plus, the Twins have a franchise pitcher in Johan Santana and another veteran Carlos Silva (both 28).  Presuming Liriano is ready next March, there will be sharp competition for jobs in the five-man starting rotation.

Does Liriano receive preferred consideration for a spot based on 2006? “Absolutely, it’s probably his to lose,” Anderson said.  “As long as he’s healthy, I am sure it’s a pretty good assumption that he should be in there.”

Anderson said he will be looking less at stats and more at form when Liriano is in spring training.  He will want to see how his second potential franchise pitcher is throwing and how he feels. 

Confusion:  At least one radio station stumbled earlier this week when rumors of the Garnett trade surfaced and on-air talent speculated about KG having to rejoin Wally Szczerbiak  in Boston.  Szczerbiak was traded to Seattle in June.

Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson was asked whether divisiveness develops in the clubhouse when a team’s pitching is good but hitting poor, or vice versa.  “You know, you never point fingers in here. If someone were to point a finger, they probably wouldn’t be here long because that’s not the way we work. …”

Senior Gopher receiver Ernie Wheelright has teased fans with his big play ability but has too often made mistakes including dropped passes.  “He’s had a great summer and worked extremely hard,” Gopher football coach Tim Brewster said. 

New Twins third baseman Brian Buscher got his first major league hit last week.  He told listeners on WCCO Radio’s sports huddle on Sunday he has the ball and will give it to his parents for a Christmas present. 

Twins reliever Joe Nathan has made good on all 10 of his most recent save opportunities.  For the season he is 24-26.

Fast start? A successful Vikings season probably means winning both (or at least one) of the team’s first two regular season games.  Playing Atlanta at home without Michael Vick is appealing and at Detroit is another solid opportunity, although the Lions probably figure they can beat the Vikings with extraordinary rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson and the optimism of playing in their home opener. 

Former Gopher Marion Barber III could emerge as a Dallas Cowboys starter this season for the first time in his three year pro career.  That storyline could be decided about the time the Cowboys play in Minneapolis on August 30 in the Vikings last regular pre-season game.  Barber is known for his physical running and blocking.