TSN 2004 NBA awards

Sporting News, The, May 24, 2004

PRESENTED BY GMC[R] WE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE[TM]

PLAYER OF THE YEAR Kevin Garnett

There are no doubts about Garnett now

It's difficult to remember that, at one time, the choice of Kevin Garnett with the fifth pick in the 1995 draft was controversial. Back then, the Timberwolves were a wayward expansion team that had tried (and failed badly) to build around the likes of Pooh Richardson, Christian Laettner and J.R. Rider. Garnett was a high school kid, and one who came with baggage--he had moved to Chicago when he was tagged with an assault charge stemming from a fight in South Carolina. But Minnesota saw in Garnett a foundation for the franchise. So, despite the chorus of doubts around the league and around the sports world, Minnesota made Garnett its man.

Nearly nine years later, straight-from-high school prospects are as common in the NBA as high-tops and tattoos. But Minnesota has been rewarded for its bold choice of Garnett, who has become the franchise player the team desperately needed. He led the Timberwolves to their first No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and for his efforts, he was chosen the SPORTING NEWS' Player of the Year in a vote by NBA executives. Garnett received 20 of the 22 votes cast; Spurs forward Tim Duncan took the other two.

The averages posted by Garnett, 28, this season were astounding: 24.2 points, a league-best 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists. He shot 49.9 percent from the field and had only 2.6 turnovers per game. He is more than 7 feet tall (though he wants to be listed at 6-11), yet he has the ballhandling, shooting and passing skills to run the offense from the high post. He is a demon on defense, too, as capable of shutting down shooting guards on the perimeter as he is bodying up on power forwards in the paint. He averaged 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals.

Ever the team player, Garnett does not take credit for his stats--rather, he credits his teammates, particularly newcomers Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. In fact, when Garnett was awarded the NBA's MVP trophy, he brought the entire Timberwolves team on the floor with him.

"I don't see where I have done anything special or different," Garnett told reporters. "I'm playing the same as always."

Garnett claims his teammates have boosted his output, but ask around the Minnesota locker room and you'll find a reverse analysis. Several Timberwolves had the best seasons of their careers--because of Garnett. Cassell averaged 7.3 assists after averaging 5.8 last year. Fred Hoiberg shot 46.5 percent after shooting 38.9 percent last year, and Trenton Hassell shot 46.5 percent, up from 36.7 percent. With major injuries to expected rotation players such as Troy Hudson, Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi, the Timberwolves still were able to excel.

"Playing with Kevin makes everything easier for the other guys," Hoiberg says. "The defenses focus on him so much, it leaves you with a lot of opportunities. But he is still able to do what he needs to do to help us win."

And he has done what he needed to do to make those 9-year-old doubts seem silly now.--Sean Deveney

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR Jerry West

A change helped West do some good

For fans of the heretofore hapless Grizzlies, Jerry West says the 2003-04 season was "fantastic." About Hubie Brown's coaching, it was one of the "best jobs I've been around." For the players, it was "a miracle year."

And for West, it was "one of the most gratifying things in my life." This from a man whose career as a player, coach and executive for more than four decades is unmatched in NBA history.

It was a special season, indeed. After finishing last or next-to-last in their division in all of their eight seasons, the Grizzlies were 50-32 and broke the franchise record for victories by 22. They also made the playoffs, playing with a selfless style not often seen in pro sports.

The man most responsible for this success story is West. Brought out of retirement two years ago by Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, West proved again why many regard him as the best executive in the business. His peers agreed by voting him the SPORTING NEWS Executive of the Year. West, the team's president of basketball operations, received 16 1/2 of the 35 votes cast by league executives (he also won the award in 1995 with the Lakers). Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale received five votes and Jazz vice president Kevin O'Connor got three.

"I really am low-key about individual awards. I like those (championship) ring ceremonies," West says, "but I feel thrilled and honored to be thought of in this way by my peers."

When running the Lakers, West built teams around superstars. With no stars in Memphis, West focused on depth. Brown wanted to use a 10-man rotation; West found him 10 good men. He signed James Posey last summer in a move that was questioned by some in his own front office. Posey thrived, averaging 17.2 points after the All-Star break. West fortified the front line by trading for Bo Outlaw and Jake Tsakalidis. When the Blazers wanted to unload troublesome Bonzi Wells, West gladly took him, and Wells caused no problems in Memphis. Most important, West put this year's team together with an eye toward the future. The Grizzlies will be significantly under the salary cap when the free-agent period begins, and West promises he will be busy.