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JuX · 10-20-2006, 04:32 PM

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

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Kevin Garnett has been one of the league's best players over the years, but as the miles continue to pile up on his aching knees, one has to wonder if an NBA title is ever in the cards for him.

The Minnesota Timberwolves completely went into the tank the last two seasons, missing the playoffs after eight consecutive trips with Garnett leading the way. But the departure of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell stripped the Wolves of their firepower, and Garnett has found himself having to shoulder the load for a very thin roster. Despite being incredibly versatile and talented, Garnett has been overburdened with the responsibility.

As he enters the backside of his career – can that really be? – K.G. has two reasons for hope as he enters his 12th season.

First, he figures to get plenty of help from Randy Foye and Mike James. The two guards just might provide the scoring and firepower that Sprewell and Cassell offered. Second, the Wolves play in a weak Northwest Division that appears wide open. If everything falls into place, perhaps Garnett and the Wolves can begin an ascent towards the league's elite. But that's a long ways off, and Garnett may be running out of time.

For the Wolves to actually win the Northwest, things will have to go wrong elsewhere in the division.

The Utah Jazz, who on paper look very talented, will have to run into their usual health problems. If Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring can stay on the floor together, the Jazz will be able to reestablish the home-court edge they've enjoyed for so many years at the Delta Center. But when was the last time Utah stayed healthy?

The Denver Nuggets, for their part, are much more talented than the Wolves from top to bottom. If they can gain some maturity, grow together and improve their outside shooting, the Nuggets should be able to defend their Northwest crown. However, George Karl faces a difficult job trying to deal with a unit that imploded in last season's playoffs. And with some strong personalities on the roster and only one ball to go around, Karl will have to be at his best to get this team headed in the right direction. I'm guessing the job will prove too difficult.

The Seattle SuperSonics won the division in 2004-05 before faltering last season, but they have an imposing offensive lineup led by Ray Allen. A high-powered team that can run and shoot with anyone, the Sonics must defend and rebound better to be a division contender. That makes Chris Wilcox an important player – he'll anchor the interior.

And the Portland Trail Blazers? This is Year 4 of the rebuilding project for the Blazers, who are trying to regain favor with their fans in Portland. Rookies Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge add hope for the future, but Nate McMillan's squad appears to be the only team in the division without a real shot at winning the Northwest crown.

I can read the emails now: "Minnesota winning the division? What are you, crazy?" Maybe I am. Or maybe it's wishful thinking, having admired Garnett's unselfish game and professional style over the years and hoping he can lead his team back to prominence.

One thing is for sure, though. Nobody is running away with the Northwest. And if the Wolves can hang around, K.G. will give them a chance.

Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send Steve a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Well, any thoughts?

JuX · 10-20-2006, 04:34 PM

Quote:

First, he figures to get plenty of help from Randy Foye and Mike James. The two guards just might provide the scoring and firepower that Sprewell and Cassell offered. Second, the Wolves play in a weak Northwest Division that appears wide open. If everything falls into place, perhaps Garnett and the Wolves can begin an ascent towards the league's elite. But that's a long ways off, and Garnett may be running out of time.

Foye's not a starter, not for now.

**OneBadLT123** · 10-20-2006, 11:03 PM

I have been saying it all offseason to a ton of people. The Wolves are in a division that is up for grabs, and really it boils down to how Denver plays, and MAYBE Utah...

I think you guys will make the post season this year. Now as for getting somewhere in it, thats probably not going to happen.

**Avalanche** · 10-22-2006, 02:43 AM

i think talent wise the wolves are the best team in this division... they just need to gel, foye needs to adjust quickly and we need to stay injury clear... hopefully we see results this season

abwowang · 10-22-2006, 08:09 PM

yea its up to denver and minny. im not a big fan of utah.. and i really dont think they will win many games this year... as for seattle... i dont think they can either... portland will win some big games but will lose a lot of others... being consistent will be portlands main thing this year.

**Avalanche** · 10-24-2006, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abwowang

yea its up to denver and minny. im not a big fan of utah.. and i really dont think they will win many games this year... as for seattle... i dont think they can either... portland will win some big games but will lose a lot of others... being consistent will be portlands main thing this year.

i definately agree about portland... due to them being a very young team they pose a problem for any team on one given night, but wont have a good record by seasons end.
if we end up behind utah or seattle this season something has gone seriously wrong

JuX · 10-24-2006, 10:39 AM

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Originally Posted by Avalanche

i definately agree about portland... due to them being a very young team they pose a problem for any team on one given night, but wont have a good record by seasons end.
if we end up behind utah or seattle this season something has gone seriously wrong

Portland's such a young team, it may need to take them a while to mature. They might be a better team, but they got to fight for with 4 different teams in NW Division. Utah needs to be injury free in order to have a better season than us.

**unluckyseventeen** · 10-25-2006, 12:06 PM

Hm... I see that Utah isn't getting much love around here. Nevermind that we're entering this season healthy, dumped a lot of our trash from last season and got quality pickups, and are still a young, fluid team.

Oh well. They don't get much love anyway. The play on the court will tell the story. I think Minnesota is still a year out from the playoffs. The West is too stacked. Minnesota really doesn't have a quality player at every position, unlike every other playoff team in the West.

**Avalanche** · 10-26-2006, 12:01 AM

utah doesnt have a genuine number one option to rely on game in game out...
they are solid, but thats how memphis' team was built and teams without strong star (s) leading the way will always be decent, but never quite push over the top.. where as with KG, the wolves always have a shot at the playoffs, its a matter of his supporting cast stepping up.

JuX · 10-26-2006, 09:01 AM

Like Portland, Utah's got a lot of young players. It'll take them a while to adjust to the newer level as a team. Like Avalanche said, Boozer isn't exactly the leader so it might be a little bit harder on the team.

Again, they got another reason to prove first as why they should nab the division.

**unluckyseventeen** · 10-26-2006, 09:39 AM

They're not THAT young. Fisher is 32, Harpring is 30. Most of the guys on the team are in their mid-20's and have a few years under their belt.

Though, it could be said in the same light for any other team other than Denver... why do they deserve to win the division? At this point I would say because Utah has more depth and overall talent spreaded over every position, as well as a great coach.

I really can't see Minnesota taking off that quickly. They have talent that complements one another well, but I still would like to see their team defense (always takes players a while to get used to new rotations or schemes), new wrinkles of offense, as well as just learning how to play with one another.

These days in the West you have to practically build momentum to get into the playoffs. The Jazz have had a solid core for 2-3 years now, so I would expect them to play more like a team than just a group of talent this year.

abwowang · 10-26-2006, 03:52 PM

talent wise i like denver..

camby, kmart, miller, boykins, jr smith, melo, najera... thats a good lineup... they still have nene right?

JuX · 10-27-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abwowang

talent wise i like denver..

camby, kmart, miller, boykins, jr smith, melo, najera... thats a good lineup... they still have nene right?

They had Nene signed to another many years, and he's injury-free now. Nuggets looked real good last night against the Lakers. Maybe is it because the Lakers were without Kobe? Ah, it didn't matter anyway.

**croco** · 10-27-2006, 09:46 AM

Well, I wouldn't be shocked if the Wolves win the division and get that fourth seed. But I wouldn't be shocked if you didn't make the playoffs either, it depends on James and Foye, I guess and maybe even Eddie Griffin can contribute.

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