ESPN Insider 作者 Chad Ford 昨天的專欄 灰狼有可能偷到2003年自由球員市場最棒的便宜貨--Juwan Howard 兩名聯盟人士向ESPN透漏,灰狼名列Howard最想去的兩個球隊之一,另一支球隊 應該是湖人或魔術.Howard已經表示願意接受490萬元的中產階級條款,而加入 一支能贏球的球隊. (既然湖人要Karl Malone,Howard你就乖乖來灰狼吧 :p) 如果成真,灰狼的陣容也許會變成下面的樣子 : PG Sam Cassell SG Wally Szczerbiak SF Juwan Howard PF Kevin Garnett C Rasho Nesterovic 阿,這陣容真是灰狼史上少見的暴力,除此之外,還要加上Brandon可能交易來的好貨. Brandon交易目前傳的最大的謠言還是與溜馬隊,Kevin McHale想一口氣要到Ron Artest 與Al Harrington,但溜馬只願意出Ron Artest與Austin Croshere. (不知道McHale怎麼回事,居然獅子大開口直接點名Harrington ^^") 相較於去年暑假的衰運,今年到目前為止,McHale的行動可真是令我感動的痛哭流涕. 最後附上這篇文章的原文 : 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. --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.csie.ntu.edu.tw) ◆ From: 61.224.243.122