※ [本文轉錄自 Timberwolves 看板] 作者: jerod (KG4MVP) 看板: Timberwolves 標題: [外電] Taylor says he might be interested in Iverson 時間: Mon Dec 11 08:42:03 2006 http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16208531.htm Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor softened his stance on the possibility of acquiring Philadelphia 76ers all-star Allen Iverson on Saturday, saying it could be something to consider. Speculation is swirling that Iverson could be traded to the Wolves, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons and are off to a 9-9 start this season. Iverson, a four-time NBA scoring leader, is one of the league's most exciting players. He is averaging 31.2 points a game and could take some of the load off Wolves all-star Kevin Garnett, who on Saturday reiterated his desire to play with Iverson in the wake of Friday's news that the 76ers guard had asked to be traded. After Saturday's win against Chicago improved the Wolves to 10-9, Garnett said Iverson is "an unbelievable talent" who would fit in right away. On Friday, Taylor said there would be no trade because pairing Iverson's big salary with Garnett's would be prohibitive, but on Saturday he eased off his initial reaction. "I just think Allen Iverson on any team probably makes it better just because at any time, he's hard to stop," Taylor said. "You get towards the end of the game, he's a difficult player to stop. If you had some other guys around him and a guy like K.G. around him, it gives you some strong options at the end. He's a very unique player. A guy like him, (Phoenix's Steve) Nash, maybe (New Jersey's Jason) Kidd, these guys are very creative and probably would be helpful to almost any team with any combination around them." But Taylor emphasized economics remain an issue. Iverson is one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, and Garnett is the highest-paid player in the league. Taylor is cost-conscious. The Wolves' payroll is about $1 million over the NBA's luxury tax threshold of $65.42 million, and exceeding the limit requires a dollar-for-dollar tax penalty. But if money is a factor, acquiring Iverson could be an intriguing move. There's no doubt "The Answer" would sell tickets, and the Wolves began Saturday ranked 24th out of 30 NBA teams in average attendance. "The only reason to do something like that would be to see if you had a better chance of winning the championship," Taylor said. "I don't think you want to just go out there and do it if it won't help you win a championship, even though initially there might be some fan interest to watch him play. Would adding him and deleting other people on your team, do you have a better chance of winning the championship? If people made a proposal to me, that's the only way I'd look at it, and no one's done that." At least not yet. Taylor said vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale and the Wolves would wait to hear from the 76ers. It wouldn't be surprising if the teams already were talking, and it just had not reached the level at which Taylor would need to get involved. Philadelphia 76ers chairman Ed Snider said Friday that Iverson had asked to be traded and that the team would try to accommodate him. Reports nationally have mentioned the Wolves as a possible destination. "First of all, it's really not up to us," Taylor said. "McHale would have to find out if this is something Philly wants to do, how bad they want to do it. I would assume a number of teams would have some interest (in Iverson). It's not something you could just do very easily. (Garnett's) contract is so large, you'd have a lot of money tied up in two guys." Although pairing Iverson's $17 million salary this season and Garnett's $21 million together would be difficult, it wouldn't be impossible. Iverson, whose contract runs through the 2008-09 season, co-existed with 76ers forward Chris Webber, whose $20.7 million salary this season ranks second to Garnett's. After a victory over Utah on Friday, Garnett said of Iverson: "Bring it on. I love 'The Answer.' We welcome A.I. with open arms. Where's Kevin McHale?" Taylor reacted to that comment by downplaying the situation. "You've got to do what you've got to do," Taylor said. "You can't force anything." So what would the Wolves have to give up to get Iverson? The 76ers probably would need a point guard in return, which means Mike James could be part of what likely would be a multi-player package. Because he was a free agent who signed this past summer, James is not eligible to be traded until Friday. Other players would need to be included to make the salaries involved come within 15 percent of Iverson's pay to comply with league rules. Troy Hudson and/or Marko Jaric could be added. Both have complained about their lack of playing time this season on a team overloaded with guards. It's been widely reported that the 76ers coveted Randy Foye, a former Villanova guard, on draft night this past June. --

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