Author: David Shama

Fred Hoiberg, recently named a Timberwolves assistant general manager, said the team receives inquiries about trading Kevin Garnett.  “He’s talked about a lot,” Hoiberg said. “People call and say, ‘is he available?’ And we say, ‘no,’ and we move on.” 

Rumors of a Garnett trade have increased this year as the team struggled on the court.  At 30 and with a mega contract, speculation the Wolves will trade their super star is understandable.  In theory such a trade might not immediately return the Wolves to the playoffs after a two year absence but would help to build a title contender with young players and draft choices. 

“He’s not going anywhere,” Hoiberg said.  “Hopefully, he will retire as a Timberwolf.  You just can’t get equal value back for a player like him.” 

It’s no secret Garnett was frustrated with the team’s disappointing 33-49 record last season.  Someone said he looked like a player “carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.”   

Now as the Wolves ready themselves for their season opening game Wednesday night at Target Center, Garnett is rejuvenated.  Hoiberg said Garnett “had a great summer” and he talked about how the Wolves’ leader brought teammates together in August to practice for three hours a day.  Then he would host the players for dinner at his house.  Garnett was working at building team unity. 

“He’s in great spirits,” Hoiberg said.  “Right now he has a smile on his face again.  He looks like he is having fun playing basketball again. …I really see a good year out of him.” 

A Wolves player for two seasons, Hoiberg, 34, announced his retirement earlier this year.  He has had heart problems and he will use a pacemaker for the rest of his life.  “I have a 100% heart block so every time my heart beats it’s because of my pacemaker,” he said.  He can live a normal life except he can’t lift weights (concern with his aorta.)

Mark Parrish, an eight year NHL veteran in his first season with the Minnesota Wild, compares his new team with the two past Stanley Cup champions, Tampa Bay and Carolina.  Parrish admired the team unity, skating and work ethic of the Lightning and Hurricane.  “I see so many similarities between those teams and this team,” Parrish said.  “It makes me real excited to imagine what this team can do.” 

No NHL team started better than the Wild, 8-1 after the first nine games.  The team made good on the opportunity to play its first five games at home, winning all five, then winning two of three games on its first road trip and returning home to win again on Wednesday night.  Still, Parrish knows with so much winning comes a challenge, too. 

“One of the biggest things, especially when things are going well early on when we seem to be getting all the (right) bounces, is (that) almost a complacency starts to set in,” Parrish said on Tuesday. “A confidence that we don’t have to go out there and play the same hard working game that we have been playing the last eight games.  It’s important to remember how we won those games.  Yea, we have some more skill than they have had (here) in the past, but it’s still (necessary to have) that determined defensive minded Wild hockey.  We have to keep that mindset through 82 games.” 

Parrish said coach Jacques Lemaire works at keeping the team focused.  Parrish, 29, also said as one of the “older guys” on the team he has a responsibility to keep teammates “on board” (focused).

Despite missing the playoffs last season and high profile players Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss being long gone, the Vikings’ local TV popularity remains impressive.  For the first five Sunday games this season the Vikings are averaging a 30.5 rating, better than last year’s 28.8.  (A rating point is a percentage of households watching a particular program).  

The best rating among the Sunday games is a 35.1 against the Bears (27.4 in first Bear game in 2005).  The second best rating came last Sunday against Seattle, 33.7.   

With around 500,000 households watching each game, the Vikings blow away the TV popularity of other teams in town.  On Sunday, October 1 when the Twins were playing for the Central Division championship, they had an 11.8 rating compared with the Vikings’ 23.6 (Buffalo game).  The Twins’ audience did impact the Vikings’ rating because it was the lowest of the season and about six points below the second smallest rating. 

The Twins’ playoff games at the Metrodome had 9.2 and 10.8 ratings, while in Oakland the rating was 11.3.  The third game had a better rating because the telecast started later in the day and continued into early evening. 

Last Saturday’s Minnesota-North Dakota State football game produced a 4.5 rating (cable telecast).