ESPN Insider 作者 Chad Ford 昨天的专栏 灰狼有可能偷到2003年自由球员市场最棒的便宜货--Juwan Howard 两名联盟人士向ESPN透漏,灰狼名列Howard最想去的两个球队之一,另一支球队 应该是湖人或魔术.Howard已经表示愿意接受490万元的中产阶级条款,而加入 一支能赢球的球队. (既然湖人要Karl Malone,Howard你就乖乖来灰狼吧 :p) 如果成真,灰狼的阵容也许会变成下面的样子 : PG Sam Cassell SG Wally Szczerbiak SF Juwan Howard PF Kevin Garnett C Rasho Nesterovic 阿,这阵容真是灰狼史上少见的暴力,除此之外,还要加上Brandon可能交易来的好货. Brandon交易目前传的最大的谣言还是与溜马队,Kevin McHale想一口气要到Ron Artest 与Al Harrington,但溜马只愿意出Ron Artest与Austin Croshere. (不知道McHale怎麽回事,居然狮子大开口直接点名Harrington ^^") 相较於去年暑假的衰运,今年到目前为止,McHale的行动可真是令我感动的痛哭流涕. 最後附上这篇文章的原文 : T-Wolves GM Kevin McHale is howling at the moon. Coming off his seventh straight first-round playoff defeat, McHale knows he has one last shot at convincing Kevin Garnett that he should retire in Minnesota. He's off to a good start. McHale got the ball rolling by performing an exorcism of sorts on the Wolves. He kicked Joe Smith -- the guy that cost them three first-round draft picks and a $3.5 million fine -- to the curb one day after the draft. In return he landed mercurial veteran Sam Cassell -- a slick, sweet-shooting point guard who, if nothing else, can keep up with Garnett in the trash talking department. And the team appears to be close to locking up center Rasho Nesterovic to a long-term deal. And now for the kicker: Insider has learned the Wolves may be on the verge of grabbing one of the most coveted free-agent bargains of 2003 -- Juwan Howard. Last summer, McHale's attempt to turn things around was an unmitigated disaster. He let Chauncey Billups slip away without a solid backup plan at point guard, watched the Cavs match an offer sheet for Ricky Davis, couldn't get Nesterovic signed to a long-term deal, and then, in frustration (he was spurned by every major free agent including the likes of Devean George, Jeff McInnis and Rodney Rogers), spent his offseason cash on the likes of Troy Hudson and Kendall Gill. That's ugly, folks. McHale vowed that this summer would be different. It had to be. Garnett began balking over an extension last summer just about the time McHale panicked and overpaid Wally Szczerbiak to spend the rest of his career in Minnesota. He saw a team with no cap room and dwindling assets that had just sentenced him to a lifetime of playing next to a guy he couldn't stand. Garnett's departure looked like more than a possibility -- it appeared inevitable. But with the addition of Cassell and the likely signing of Nesterovic, the karma in Minnesota appears to be changing. If they can lock up Howard, Garnett will have to think twice about walking away from the Wolves. A starting five of Cassell at the point, Szczerbiak at the two, Howard at the three, Garnett at the four and Nesterovic at the five would give the Wolves their most potent lineup since Starbury and Googs were running with KG. Can McHale seal the deal with Howard? Two league sources told Insider on Wednesday afternoon that Howard had significantly narrowed his choices and that the Wolves were in his top two. The other top teams appear to be the Lakers and Magic. Howard has been saying for months that he wants to go to a team with a chance to win now -- essentially ruling out his current team, the Nuggets. Howard's stock, which used to hover around the same place as Enron's, took a dramatic upturn last season after he endured a nightmare in Denver without so much as a peep. Instead of complaining, Howard worked with the team's young players and drew rave reviews from everyone, including Coach Jeff Bzdelik and GM Kiki Vandeweghe. When Howard's $100 million contract expired on July 1, he went from being the most overpaid guy in the league to an instant free-agent bargain. While Howard wouldn't mind pocketing more than the mid-level exception if a team like the Spurs or Jazz came calling, he has made it clear that he'll take a pay cut, up to the $4.9 million exception, to play for a winner this year. If Howard does spurn the Wolves, they have other options. Karl Malone, P.J. Brown, Derrick Coleman, Tyrone Hill, Robert Horry, Stephen Jackson, Jim Jackson and Jumaine Jones could all fill holes in Minnesota. However, none of them has the upside Howard has. Moreover, the Wolves still have the option of trading Terrell Brandon, who is expected to retire this year, and acquiring a good player or two that way. Players such as Jalen Rose and Eddie Jones are believed to be available in such a trade. However the ideal situation has the team signing Howard, hanging onto Brandon and saving roughly $22 million in salary and luxury tax fees this season when Brandon's contract comes off the books. McHale can only get away with that if he can land a big-name free agent -- their first in many years. His future, as well as the future of the franchise, depends on it. --

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