Why Not Send Garnett to Portland??

Zach Randolph is an offensive/rebounding beast. But he's also a discipline case, as evident by his latest stunt (strip club bereavement). They're gonna want to trade him, so they've gotta showcase him. Who would want him now? I'm looking at you Minnesota.
If KG forces a trade, ZR could become an appealing prize to the TWolves. Also considering their point guard woes, a KG for Randolph, Jack, and Miles deal might look awfully sweet. Granted, they're in some sort of rebuilding mode, but Randolph has to be considered the most underrated 25 and 10 guy to ever play the game. Think about it this way, his numbers at the time of the all star break were as good, if not better than, Chris Bosh's in a lot of ways. And at the time of All Star voting, Toronto was not doing a heck of a lot better than Portland. Yet Bosh was a starter for the East and Randolph got snubbed for Josh Howard. Plus Randolph is still young and could compliment guys like Ricky Davis, Randy Foye and Craig Smith better with his offensive tenacity. Jack would be a nice addition and would either light a fire under the collective ass of Jaric/James/Hudson, or walk on and take their jobs. For Portland, obviously, getting KG has got to be considered hitting the jackpot.
The question is; does KG like the feel of Portland more than Minnesota or, for that matter, LA? I actually feel like this could be a very nice fit for him. He's gotta like Nate McMillan, and he's gotta like Roy, Aldridge, Rodriguez, Webster and Outlaw. That seems like exactly the young core he's looking to help him make a march on the finals. Granted, right now they look farther from contention than the TWolves, who aren't even close. But the way Roy and Aldridge have been playing, they could both be serious contributors, if not all stars, next season. Now clearly Garnett is also looking for a vet presence who can "finish." Obviously this is a euphemism for Kobe. But I don't see why he needs that, per se. Brandon Roy is the kind of exciting young guy who has the abilities to become that finisher. And moving for KG doesn't mean the Blazers can't also make overtures for some other type of veteran presence who can help them. For instance, a move for a guy like Jerry Stackhouse (his contract ending), who the Blazers could probably lock up for something in the 2 years at 4-6 million per year range, could make all parties happy, KG, Roy, Wolves, Blazers, et al. And Stack would be exactly the kind of guy Garnett needs; he could fill the same role Sprewell used to: hit open shots created by KG and Cassell (or in this case, Roy).
And Blazers fans, just try and come up with a more lethal starting line than this: C-Aldridge, PF-Garnett, SF- Udoka/Webster/Outlaw, SG- Stackhouse, and PG- Roy. I could see that crew threatening for the West right away. And Portland's the kind of town KG could warm up to; a rabid fan base, a young exciting future, a "player's coach," and it's just gotta be better than Minnesota in terms of... everything except ice fishing.
Plus, assuming the Blazers miss the playoffs again, they'll be in line for another sexy lottery pick in a class that's got some gems. Now is the best time for Portland to make a move for Garnett. For Garnett, he's still got time to take a chance on another long shot before packing it in and headed to LA for the guaranteed domination of teaming up with Kobe. What do you think Blazers fans? Why not KG to Portland?

Smoketown Beat Down

I just got back from the Warriors Wolves game tonight, to which I had 11th row tickets. Golden State looked better tonight than I've seen 'em all year. They exhibited something I haven't seen from them... ever: defense. They held the Wolves to 36% from the field tonight, including an embarrassing 16% from downtown. I can't imagine what a quiet plane ride the Wolves are gonna have tonight. KG looked scary. It wasn't that he was pissed, or fired up, or disappointed. KG looked like he didn't give a shit anymore. After all the years he's put into this team, it was just heartbreaking to see the warrior, KG, broken. He's checked out, and I for one can't wait to see him in LA next year. He and Kobe will be flat out unstoppable.
For the Wolves, there were few bright spots. Foye had maybe his best game of the year, but it was mostly garbage numbers. KG was the only pulse on the court, save for rookie Craig Smith, who I was very impressed with. Even though his numbers don't show it, he far outplayed Foye. Mike James barely made it off the bench, logging 11 minutes that didn't start until late in the 3rd quarter. It's clear that honeymoon is long over. But the worst performance award has to go to Wrong Rim Ricky Davis, who had a humiliatingly awful night, exacerbated by my non stop heckling. If this game was televised anywhere, I bet I made it on TV. I was yelling for RD to screw up so hard I lost my voice.
For the Warriors, J Rich, BDiddy and SteJax all had nice outings, but Monta Ellis stole the show. I've seen him before, but until you see him in person, you just don't understand. This kid is the future of the NBA. And the future looks bright. He hit jump shots, cut through the TWolves defenses, passed, dunked, he did it all tonight. Some of his drives to the hoop looked like LeBron moves, being done by a guy half his size. He had no trouble dropping soft kisses off the glass against everyone on Minnesota, from KG to RD and he even played a little defense. But the run of the night goes to Mikael Pietrus, another dude with an extremely bright future. In the middle of the second quarter, he hit back to back threes and then got an alley-oop from Jason Richardson that brought the house down. Then he came right back 2 plays later and drained another 3.
I also had a good night, as I cavorted with 2 of the sexier Golden State cheerleaders. I didn't catch their names, so I'll just refer to them as my first and second wives.

Don't Drop the Soap

Some Isiah "JR" Rider moments for you.