And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

Well, so much for my stealth KG trade idea. Wolves owner Glen Taylor announced today in an interview with the Pioneer Press that Garnett "expressed a preference to remain in Minnesota" for the coming season. So no KG in Oakland, Monta and Andris both probably stick around, and the Warriors still have a hole at the four next year.

This move makes a ton of sense for Garnett. Every trade scenario involving him took a substantial hit out of the team he was moving to, so it's unclear if his presence alone would shift the balance of power in the West. Now he can wait a year and sign with a contender at a reduced rate, virtually ensuring himself of a championship at some point in the next few years.

Not sure where the Warriors go from here. The lack of activity in the free agent game now appears to be nothing more than a lack of activity. A few trade options probably exist, but I'm not convinced if it's worth moving one of the young studs for an aging player who won't make much of a difference.

One familiar name will keep popping up in Golden State trade rumors: Yi Jianlian. With the announcement today that the Guangdong Tigers (Jianlian's Chinese club) will block any deal with Milwaukee, his trade value will only get lower. Trouble is, I don't think he's better than Brandan Wright, and I imagine it would take at least him to pick up EEE. I also don't believe he adds anything to the team that isn't already here. I was for the J-Rich trade at the time, but I don't want to see it turn into someone who's so hit or miss. You could make the same criticism of Wright, but at least that's a more known unknown. Yi's problems could come from anywhere.


A fair NBA comparison (not a ceiling) for Jianlian seems to be Al Harrington, and I guess I wouldn't mind a straight up trade there. It would dump salary, and the potential-soaked combo of Wright and EEE would be pretty damn exciting. But I highly doubt Milwaukee would go for that right now; they'll likely try to convince themselves that Yi will decide Milwaukee is truly "The Good Land."

Short of waiting out the Bucks until they have to make a terrible trade, I'm not sure the best idea isn't just to largely stay put and hope to make a big splash next offseason. It seems counterintuitive to go with a youth movement the year after finally making the playoffs, but I'm not convinced this team can't make it again. Next offseason will be a busy one anyway (Baron, Monta, Biedrins all up for new contracts), so it might be worth betting everything on next summer.