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T-wolves must be smart shoppers

Sporting News, The, Nov 15, 2004 by Sean Deveney

Words can be taken out of context, and Timberwolves guard Latrell Sprewell says that's what happened when he talked to reporters just before the season began.

"Why would I want to help them win a title?" he was quoted as saying about his employers. "They're not doing anything for me. I've got a lot at risk here. I've got my family to feed." This comes from a man making $14.6 million this season. Knowing that, it's hard to find a context in which that statement makes sense. Children are eating more these days--perhaps $14.6 million does not go as far as it used to.

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Sprewell's complaint is a potential problem for the Timberwolves, who have several potential problems. Traditionally, Minnesota's problem has been the quality of the talent on the roster, but these days, talent is not a problem. Contracts and personalities could be.

Sprewell's contract is up at the end of the season, and he wants Minnesota to give him a new one, at nearly the same money he is making now. Point guard Sam Cassell wants an extension to his contract, which still has two years left. Small forward Wally Szczerbiak wants a trade if he doesn't maintain his starting job, though defensive stopper Trenton Hassell might be a better option. My abacus is a bit rusty, but that looks like issues for 60 percent of the starting lineup. That's not a good start for a team with championship dreams.

Chemistry matters, of course, but in the Timberwolves' case, it does not matter much. The Timberwolves and Spurs figure to be neck and neck as the top two teams in the West, and public spats are not going to torpedo that. The only way that could happen would be if Cassell and Sprewell gave less-than-full efforts and if Szczerbiak plays so badly he is forced to the bench. That's not going to happen.

One reason is the watchful eye of Kevin Garnett, who has a stare that's harder than calculus. On the court, one way to get that stare from Garnett is to not play hard. If you play with Garnett, you play hard, no matter your contract situation.

Another reason is that it's backward logic for Cassell and Sprewell to prove they deserve big contract extensions by playing poorly. Besides, there is no great shock in their complaints. Both players carry reputations for this, and the Timberwolves knew that when they traded for them. Sprewell running his mouth? Cassell complaining about a contract? This is not news.

The Timberwolves are loaded, with the Big Three (Cassell, Sprewell and Garnett) back and healthy versions of Szczerbiak, backup guard Troy Hudson and center Michael Olowokandi. Hassell, Mark Madsen and Fred Hoiberg are reliable role players, and Flip Saunders is one of the league's best coaches.

The team has entertained trade possibilities--Jason Kidd remains at the top of the list, though Shareef Abdur-Rahim probably is off of it--but it is a title contender with the current roster. The Timberwolves still will play full-throttle. Remember the 2001-02 season, when Cassell, then in Milwaukee, spent the first three months whining about an extension? He went on to have a brilliant season and established a career high in scoring (which he topped last season).

The worst thing the Timberwolves can do in this situation is overreact and start handing out big contracts. Management must recognize that this probably is the last season this aging group will contend for a championship. By extending Cassell and Sprewell, the franchise would limit its ability to put a winning group around Garnett in the future.

Cassell wants two years added to his contract and would be 38 at the end of such a deal. Sprewell wanted three more years but has relented to two; he would be 36 at the end of that contract. Cassell's deal almost would make sense because he is the rare player who has gotten better with age. But Sprewell's game has dipped, and generally, big contracts for guards in their mid-30s are risky.

If anyone should know to be conservative here, it's the Timberwolves. They're dealing with overpaying Szczerbiak through 2009. They watched Tom Gugliotta bolt in 1999 for a six-year, $59 million deal with the Suns, then watched Gugliotta fizzle in Phoenix. They signed Terrell Brandon to a six-year, $60 million contract, then saw him forced into retirement because of knee trouble.

Players will vent about money, especially if those players happen to be Sprewell and Cassell. But the Timberwolves still have as good a chance at a championship as any team in the league. In the short term, the discontent is not a big problem. But if the franchise reacts to the complaints by doling out new deals, it's going to create a problem in the long term.

SPEED READS

* Commissioner David Stem defended the decision to open the season on the same night as the presidential election by saying he thought the league could provide a diversion from more serious matters. Instead, many simply ignored opening night. The diversion could have waited a day.

* 76ers coach Jim O'Brien has been winning respect in the Philadelphia locker room, and his decision to start rookie Andre Iguodala--who had an excellent preseason--instead of Glenn Robinson at small forward helped in that regard.

T-wolves must be smart shoppers

Sporting News, The, Nov 15, 2004 by Sean Deveney

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