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Garnett's all doesn't

seem to be enough

by Terry Brown

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Also Below: Cuban still has plenty on his mind | Peep Show

Flip Saunders may have been looking in the mirror when he said it. Maybe Joe Smith joined him, along with Wally Szczerbiak, Terrell Brandon and a host of Minnesota Timberwolves fans.

"KG has to play an almost perfect game a lot of times," Saunders told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "You need some other players to step up and give some help in that situation."

Are they killing Kevin Garnett?

Kevin Garnett

Small Forward

Minnesota Timberwolves

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

24 20.9 13.2 6.0 .446 .735

The phenomenon who turned high school basketball into an NBA jumping board back in 1995, before Tracy McGrady, before Kobe Bryant, before LeBron James, is beginning to look like a very old man.

"We can't rely on KG to come out every night and score 25, 30 for us," Smith said.

Over the past five years, he has averaged his trademark 20 points, 10 boards and five assists. In fact, this season, he's averaging 13.3 boards and six assists to go along with 20.9 points.

Has it really been eight years, already?

Saturday night, he was tired. His shot was off. Entering the fourth quarter, the manchild with the $20 million paycheck had scored a total of eight points on 3 of 14 shooting.

But the Timberwolves needed more.

So he scored 10 points in that final regulation period, including a fallaway jumper, to tie the game and push it into overtime.

"We needed the other guys to make some shots to take some of the pressure off Kevin," Saunders said.

And you could almost see it in his eyes. Who deserves to make $61 thousand a night, an amount most people would kill to make in a year, for playing a game? Who deserves this kind of money, this kind of adulation, for never winning a playoff series in his career?

The Timberwolves needed more.

"Even when KG's struggling with his shot, you can still go to him because he has the ability to get others involved and get them easy shots," point guard Troy Hudson said. "Teams are going to double him whether he's struggling or knocking shots down."

But with no time left in overtime and the scoreboard saying that the Portland Blazers had won, 98-92, the Timberwolves realized that, maybe, there was nothing left except a 13-11 record and a 26-year-old man wondering why his best isn't quite good enough, anymore.

"My teammates help me out a lot, but you just have to tell yourself to stay aggressive," Garnett said. "Just because you're not hitting in the first [quarter] doesn't mean you're not going to be hitting in the fourth."

Twenty-one points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block.

Inability to pick up struggling KG frustrates Wolves

Chip Scoggins / Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Cuban still has plenty on his mind

Don't let the 20-3 record, the best start in the entire NBA, fool you.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn't done yet.

"Unfortunately, there are still some officials who think the game is about them, and try to impose their personality on the game," Cuban e-mailed to Mike McAllister of the Dallas Morning News. "They will call technicals if you look at them or respond to them in a way they don't like."

He has three legitimate all-stars in Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash, on his team, but there was more.

"I always think there is room for improvement in any business. I would love to see them bring in some fresh people and ideas. We have some very smart people at the NBA, but sometimes you need differing viewpoints and approaches and to be challenged to get the best results. I think hiring [former Sixers owner] Pat Croce to be a marketing catalyst would be a great start."

He has one of the deepest benches in the game and a raucous home crowd that almost any GM would envy. But there was much more.

"The luxury tax is calculated based on two variables, cost and revenue. If revenues are high enough or costs low enough, there is no luxury tax. The problem is that if a team doesn't carry its weight on the revenue side, rather than being punished, they are actually rewarded with a bigger share of tax money. That's crazy and not good business."

And we haven't even reached the all-star break, yet.

Cuban quiet, but not content

Mike McAllister / Dallas Morning News

Peep Show

Magic: Grant Hill was hobbled and Tracy McGrady hurting, so Mike Miller decided that strep throat wasn't going to keep him out of Sunday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. "I thought he was going to pass out in practice, and he didn't do anything," Magic coach Doc Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. Miller finished with zero points on 0 of 8 shooting while Hill played a total of 29 minutes and McGrady left shortly after halftime to finish the game on the trainers table.

Iverson

Sixers: Allen Iverson can count, thank you very much. "I wish I had an answer," he said, his game-high 32 points little solace given that the Sixers had dropped to 15-9 in a loss to the Indiana Pacers Sunday night. "I don't have an answer for you. I don't know why. We lose four games in a row, there's no reason you don't come out with a lot of energy. I don't know. I don't know. I'm baffled by it. That's five games now -- and counting. We've got another one tomorrow. It's important that we shake this one off." This Sixers are at home tonight against the lowly Denver Nuggets.

Cavs: Darius Miles is trying to make a point. A 6-foot-9 player not named Magic Johnson can run an NBA offense. "Darius creates such mismatch problems," Cleveland coach John Lucas told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He has not played much point in the past, but he will be before he is through." He began running the point for the Cavs last Saturday in a win against the Nuggets and will continue to do so according to team officials.

Artest

Pacers: Ron Artest may be putting up all-star numbers but that isn't all. Sunday night while guarding Iverson, he picked up his third flagrant foul of the year. Once a player reaches six, he is suspended a game and so on for everyone after that. "This guy's coming to the hole like he's Shaq," Artest told the Indianapolis Star of Iverson. "I'm not trying to hurt him, I'm just trying to let him know I can't let you keep coming to the hole. Somebody has to do it. I don't want to be the only one getting flagrants, but if nobody else is going to step up and give a hard foul I guess I'm going to get suspended. I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

Raptors: Antonio Davis can hardly wait. "It's coming along slowly but surely," Davis told the Toronto Star Sunday of his swollen right knee. "I'm just trying not to push it too much. I have a goal of maybe 10 days or so, but I don't know." That would mean he would miss the next four games for the Raptors but hopefully join teammate Vince Carter, also out with knee problems, when the team hits the road.

Miller decides to give it a go

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Bleeding continuesas Sixers fall again

Ashley McGeachy Fox / Philadelphia Inquirer

Miles will see time at the point

Burt Graeff / Cleveland Plain Dealer

Flagrant fouls start adding up

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

Davis pines for return to action

Doug Smith / Toronto Star

[Traceman]

Listen to this:

Pacers: Ron Artest may be putting up all-star numbers but that isn't all. Sunday night while guarding Iverson, he picked up his third flagrant foul of the year. Once a player reaches six, he is suspended a game and so on for everyone after that. "This guy's coming to the hole like he's Shaq," Artest told the Indianapolis Star of Iverson. "I'm not trying to hurt him, I'm just trying to let him know I can't let you keep coming to the hole. Somebody has to do it. I don't want to be the only one getting flagrants, but if nobody else is going to step up and give a hard foul I guess I'm going to get suspended. I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

Too bad none of our guys (with the exception of Ira) take offense to people repeatedly attacking the rim against us. Amare Stoudemire punked our whole front line the other night and Marion was flying in there with no fear. Somebody should have stood up and knocked somebody down but instead, we cowered when they got aggressive. That has to change or we will never be anything more than a mediocre team.

[cyman3]

hes one of those guys that does more than the STATS show...

i would love to have him in ATL...

[Diesel]

We need..

Brent Barry, Jon Barry, Penny, or any OG who can play some point and hit the open shoot from three.

[capstone21]

I agree, Ira is a great defensive stopper. The player we need is a Brent Barry type player who can handle the ball and hit the outside shot from the off guard position.

THis team does not need to make big changes but our lack of ball handling from all positions other then PG is a glaring weakness.

[cyman3]

a RON ARTEST type player and a BRENT BARRY type player... oh yeah, keep IRA too while we're at it

[Traceman]

Sure we need an off guard who can shoot and handle the ball but what I'm talking about is that we need someone with Artests' attitude. We need someone who won't just let guys go to the hole time and time again with no repercussions. Artest doesn't give a [censored] who you are, you are not going to punk him and you are not going to keep going to the basket with no repercussions. He broke Jordan's ribs and he half killed AI. NOBODY is going to punk him. I LOVE that! Also, while there is no question that Brad Miller and Ron Mercer have made positive contributions to the Pacers since the Rose trade, Artest is the one guy who I think has had the biggest impact on the team's attitude.

I read an article today where they are now saying that the Pacers play like the old Bad Boys in Detroit. Artest (and Zeke of course) is the biggest reason for that in my opinion.

I'd LOVE to bring in a guy who can shoot, handle the ball AND be tough. I think that would be great. Somebody who plays like Dumars used to play would be perfect.