normally, i try not to pick on sid hartman too often– or, at least as much as he deserves. being overly negative to grandpa sports and other very old, nearly dead people (like carl pohlad) seems like an invitation to bad karma. however, sometimes i need to call el sid out. sid is famous for painting overly rosy pictures of local sports teams. which, as a regular listener of dan barreiro, i can appreciate– a little yin to my typical yang. but his sunday column, featuring the almost onion-like headline of \”Garnett Deal Looks Better All the Time\”– deserves some analysis and, well, ridicule. (and, yes, i take kevin mchale to task below as well.
he deserves just as much ridicule.)
The Timberwolves are fortunate they were able to sign Al Jefferson to a five-year, $65 million contract extension before the season started. Otherwise, his great performances recently would cost team owner Glen Taylor a lot more money
er– yes. but wouldn\’t you kinda expect that for *any* young player on the upswing, in any sport? were they thinking about not signing him in the anticipation that he would suck and therefore be cheaper?
\”Well, you know, I\’m just glad we got it done,\” Wolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale said. \”I think when I saw Al play every day in October, I just said, \’This guy\’s a lot better than I thought he was.\’
whaa? mchale having an inaccurate take on a player\’s talent level? when\’s the last time that happened?
\”I mean, he\’s got to be averaging high 20s [points], 15 rebounds, and shooting at such a high percentage.\”
yes, you really need to guess at season averages for your players. that information is pretty hard to come by. it took me multiple seconds to find out that jefferson is averaging 21.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, and has a .500 field goal percentage, good enough for 31st in the league.
He scored 18 points Sunday in a 105-82 loss against Toronto, and had scored 40, 20, 26, 25, 33 and 18 points in the six games before that.
perhaps a more important data point about those games? the wolves\’ record, which was 2-4.
McHale also sang the praises of Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair, who like Jefferson came here from the Celtics in the Kevin Garnett trade.
really. yeah, it\’s good to get his objective take on the deal.
The word is Theo Ratliff, the veteran of the group coming over in the trade, is practicing daily after having knee surgery. He is expected back in a couple of weeks, and once he returns, his shot-blocking ability will make the Wolves much better.
the team\’s record when theo went out after six games with a bum knee? 1-5. he\’s certain to make the wolves much better.
Over the years, McHale has taken a lot of criticism from the media, but without a doubt the trade with the Celtics was one great deal, and paved the way for the team to improve.
a great deal? a fine enough deal, maybe. an inevitable deal, more than likely. but great? jefferson is clearly a star in the making, albeit one who needs to work on his defense a bit. gomes is a good role player, but one the wolves apparently gave up on by not offering a contract to last month. bassy telfair is young and is having a promising season, but no one is thinking that it\’s actually steph marbury out on the point. winston garland is more like it. gerald green continues to underwhelm in anything that isn\’t a slam-dunk competition, and ratliff is only here for contract expiration reasons. so, a great trade? no. but don\’t confuse sid with the facts.
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