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A look back at what should have been

Sporting News, The, Oct 21, 2005 by Sean Deveney

Kevin Garnett is not particularly charming. He's as cuddly as a cactus. Garnett is so intense it sometimes seems he has blood vessels the size of garden hoses. Before the seventh game of a 2004 playoff series against the Kings, Garnett noted that the game would be war, adding, "I'm sitting in the house loading up the pump; I'm loading up the Uzi; I've got a couple of M-16s." The assembled reporters nervously chuckied, mostly sure Garnett was kidding. Mostly.

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Garnett is under no obligation to be a softie. His job is to play basketball, and no one on the planet is better at that than Garnett, a player envied by shooting guards (for his athleticism) and centers (for his height) alike. He has been in the prime of his career for the past three years, averaging 23.1 points (on better than 50 percent shooting), 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists during that span. The only thing that has kept him from widespread recognition is the Timberwolves' failure to put a championship-caliber team around him, thanks to some managerial fumbles (most notably the Joe Smith fiasco). Judging by the current shape of Minnesota's roster, Garnett's ringlessness is not about to change.

This week, after four years on the job, I am packing up my NBA media guides and changing my role. I'm not leaving the SPORTING NEWS, of course--who else would have me?--but I'll be handling different stories and no longer will be on the pro hoops beat. That's what has me thinking about Garnett.

Of all the things I wish I had seen in the four short years I handled this beat, No. 1 is Garnett winning an NBA championship. Oh, but I have a whole list of other things.

2 Jerry Sloan clones on every bench. It is one of the great mysteries of my profession that Sloan has managed to coach in Utah for 17 years without being voted Coach of the Year. He has a system and demands every player stay within it, contract size or draft position be darned (which, believe me, is not the word Sloan would use). Sloan has the luxury of job security, which enables him to coach his way, but it sure would be nice if every coach in the league took the same approach.

3 The Jerry Buss girlfriend calendar. At Staples Center, it's always fun to have a peek at whichever wonder of modern cosmetic surgery the good doctor is sitting with. Why not put them in calendar form?

4 A Tim Duncan, ratings star. Ours is a country that extols the virtues of hard work and humility. But we don't like to watch those virtues on TV. Duncan is a magnificent player with three championships and career averages of 22.5 points and 12.2 rebounds. He is also, basically, a dork. Duncan once was so upset over a call by referee Dick Bavetta that he bet Bavetta a hamburger he had blown the call. A hamburger! Because Duncan does not so much as jaywalk, fans don't tune in to watch him.

5 Larry Bird, a Celtic again. Danny Ainge is doing an excellent job running the Boston organization. He has added youth and created a style that defines the Celtics. But, deep down, every Celtics fan knows it should be Bird calling the shots.

6 Being Jeff Van Gundy. Why doesn't this guy have a reality show--just about Van Gundy doing everyday things? Something would go annoyingly wrong at every turn, causing Van Gundy to furrow his brow in frustration, like Paul Giamatti in American Splendor. Think of the possibilities: Jeff Van Gundy watches game film, and the VCR starts eating the tape. Jeff Van Gundy is out mowing the lawn, and his shoelace gets stuck in the blade. Jeff Van Gundy goes for a haircut and. must listen to the barber drop a string of jokes along the lines of, "Well, this shouldn't take very long!" Hilarious.

7 The Charles Oakley Celebrity Poker Bonanza. OK, another reality show. But the best part of an Oakley poker tournament would be watching Chuck collect his winnings from the losers after the tourney. Ask Tyrone Hill how that would feel.

8 The Bulls playing out the string. One of the great things about the NBA from 1980-98 was the cycle of dynasties--the Celtics, then the Lakers, then the Pistons, then the Bulls. One of the pleasures was watching the new dynasty lose to the old a few times before finally toppling it and winning a championship. But we never got to see that with the Bulls, never got to see the transition from a Bulls dynasty to a Lakers dynasty. That was a blow to the league.

speed reads

Bernie Bickerstaff is doing a tremendous job putting the Bobcats together. He is protecting the team's cap space for next summer, but at the same time, he is acquiring players who will be with the team over the long haul. Past expansion teams rarely have done that.

If anyone in the West truly challenges San Antonio, it won't be Phoenix, Minnesota or Dallas. It will be Houston. The Rockets have the youth, depth and defensive capability to match up with anyone in the West, as long as Jeff Van Gundy gives them a bit of freedom.

The Nets have quickly rebuilt themselves into a contender in the East, and there's no question the team will have the run of the Atlantic Division. But if the team is thinking championship, as both Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter suggested last week, it should think again. The Nets still are well behind the Pacers, Heat and Pistons in the East.

A look back at what should have been

Sporting News, The, Oct 21, 2005 by Sean Deveney

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