Kahn is starting to become more and more classic as the days go by. The whipping boy of the NBA. I find it all hilarious and dare I admit it: fantastic. Stop whining about the guy "shutting up" or "keeping his mouth shut." This is the stuff of comedy legends. Just remember one thing: this is sports and entertainment, not filing your annual tax return. Let's all stop taking this stuff so seriously.
NEW YORK (AP) -The NBA has fined Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn $50,000 for his comments about forward Michael Beasley's marijuana use.
The league also fined the Timberwolves organization $50,000 Friday for what it called inappropriate comments.
In an interview with a local ESPN Radio affiliate, Kahn called the recently acquired Beasley "a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana" while he was playing in Miami.
UPDATE
I also want to take this opportunity to emphasize the below quote from the ESPN 1500 interview.
"He has developed a really good support system around him this past season in Miami," Kahn told 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. "He has hired people to help him grow up. He is growing up -- he's not grown up. He's 21 ... and if you think back, as I do all the time, to when I was 21, and if you had given me this kind of money and put me in this kind of world with these kinds of pressures attached to it and some of the demands, I don't know how well I would have handled it, any easier than, say, he has."
"I think that if Michael was 25 or 26, maybe I would have felt differently," Kahn said. "Some of these kids simply deserve the opportunity to make mistakes and grow up."
In Kahn's defense, that is a very well put, articulate and sensible thing to say as follow up to the much talked about pot comments. Of course, this will never be talked about nor published, nor ranted about on sister sites. Give the guy a break. And again, have a good weekend and never take life too seriously.
Ummmmm... what? Why would Kahn say this? At least he has apparently stopped. Hopefully. I will add that this doesn't exactly appear to be the greatest thing for Beasley's image.
Rumors about Michael Beasley's drug use dogged him during his two disappointing seasons with the Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn didn't overlook the issue when he traded for Beasley earlier this month.
But Kahn continues to speak highly of the former No. 2 overall pick's potential -- in part because Beasley has assured him he's done with dope.
"He's a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he's not smoking anymore, and I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case," Kahn said this morning, during an interview that will air at 1:40 p.m. on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities
Oh boy, I hope the Michael Beasley T-Wolves era goes well. I really want to like him. Seriously, I do. On the bright side, I guess Kahn's honesty in addressing this should be noted. Overall, I don't see Kahn speaking out to be a problem, although a players influences/friends/environments can really have quite an effect on some athletes... so who knows if Beasley has truly changed?
Here's to a fresh start, and for (hopefully) Beasley's dominance as a T-Wolf!
David Kahn, the enigma wrapped in a mystery sandwiched in a riddle with a side of conundrum...
Much has been written about the Timberwolves GM over the past year, particularly this summer. The general consensus in the media is that he's a fool with all the charm and class of a used car salesman who's in completely over his head. The general consensus among Wolves fans seems to be split between between the optimists who believe in his "plan" and, well, "KAAAAAAAAAAHHHHN!" So what is it about the Kahn Man that has everyone so fired up? When Kevin McHale was running the show, he clearly had less vision. For eleven years, he failed to build a winning team around a bonafide Top 5 talent. And while McHale wasn't necessarily given a free pass, he was never met with the venom being spewed in Kahn's direction. In all actuality, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Wolves fan who preferred McFail over the Kahnster. So what gives? Are we simply more frustrated six years into the re-re-re-re-re-rebuilding process than we were three years ago? Is it easier to to mock and degrade someone who looks like he probably got daily swirlies in high school than it is to rag on a legendary NBA World Champion?
I'll admit, I've done my share of Kahn-bashing. I hated this year's draft, I'm highly suspicious of the Big Al trade, and, there's no way I could pass on the comedic potential of the David Kahn Interview (Part 1 and Part 2). However, I can't say that I've lost all faith in the man. A lot of the things he does certainly make me scratch my head, but if you stop, take a step back, and look at the puzzle he's piecing together, you can almost start to see something that resembles a legitimate NBA team.
So is David Kahn the idiot most people think he is? Is he the genius we all desperately hoped he would be when he first took this job? Or is he simply your prototypical NBA GM who tends to make dumb long-term moves to save his job in the short-term? That's the question I'm going to attempt to answer as I review Kahn's moves over the past 13 months.
Item #1 - The 2009 Draft
By far, the biggest rip on Kahn is his selection of Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn back-to-back in 2009. Here's where I start to lie and say that I adamantly believed that Kahn should've drafted Curry at #6 when a look back through my archives clearly show that I wanted DeRozan at that pick. (Oh wait, I'm confusing myself with another Wolves blogger. Nevermind.) Actually, I'm not going to rip Kahn for the Flynn pick at all. Hindsight is 20/20 in the draft and you can always find a player that should have been drafted earlier. Honestly, Kahn should be praised for putting us in the position to draft Rubio in the first place. Randy Foye and Mike Miller to Washington for the #5 pick was an absolute steal. As far as all the late-round shenanigans go, I'm going to put them on the back burner as well.
The bottom line is that in 2009, the #1 player that we as Wolves fans wanted was Ricky Rubio. We got him. Yes, we have to wait for him, and yes, it's still possible that he decides to stay in Spain and never come to the NBA. However, chances are, he'll be a Timberwolf at some point. In the NBA, you can make 50 good small moves and it won't necessarily make you an "elite" team. It's nailing the big moves that matter. Walking away from that draft with Ricky Rubio was something that we had no business doing, given our situation. David Kahn deserves a lot of credit for that.
Click "Read More" below for the rest of this article
David Kahn is quickly becoming a household name after the flurry of moves he's made in the past year. It seems the general consensus among non-Wolves fans and the media is that he is a bumbling idiot who is quickly on his way to challenging Isaiah Thomas for the title of "Worst GM of the Millenium". While he initially caught some flak for drafting Rubio and Flynn back-to-back, this summer he's really started smacking the hornets nest with a stick with the way he's drafted, traded, and signed free-agents.
Whether these accusations are valid or simply the product of a mis-informed national media that doesn't pay close enough to the Timberwolves to make a fair assessment is an argument for another day. Today we're focusing on the fact that we are smack dab in the middle of David Kahn's 15 minutes of fame. After the moves he's pulled this summer - drafting 4 small forwards, signing the Darko Milicic, and trading his team's best player for essentially nothing - I think it's safe to say that David Kahn's notoriety will never be greater than it is this summer. So like the saavvy trader he is, the Kahn Man is going to take this opportunity to expand his brand.
Everyone knows that in today's world, you need to be more than just one thing. It's not enough to be just an actor, or a musician, or an athlete, or an NBA GM. You have to crossover. You have to play the lead in this summer's blockbuster AND record a platinum album. You haven't arrived until you've EGOT'ed.
So with that in mind, our very own Mr. Kahn has collaborated with rapper, T-Pain, to produce some of the phattest rhymes the Land of 10,000 Lakes has ever seen!
I'm in Love with a stripper Euro
(Cuz I'm in luv wit a Euro) he poppin, he pick'n, he rollin he gaining the fame and (I'm in luv wit a Euro) he dribblin, he playin, he playin He's not leaving Spain, he's stayin
I Can't Believe It I Signed Darko
Darko make me feel so good Better than I would by myself Or if I gave a contract to somebody else He make me say yeeeaaahhh yeaaaaahhh
I can put you in a log cabin Somewhere north of Hennepin I Ain't trickin if u comin, what kinda money are ya askin for
Put you in a mansion Just west of Wisconsin Like I said ain't nothin to the KAHN We could make another trade, whats happenin
Cause you look so goooood. Tell me Darko, you wanna work here I put you on the front page of the Wolves magazine Just dont get hurt here
Dave Lee I brought you over just to have a conversation I really think you need a change of situation Lets talk about yooouuuu, and meeeeee
oh I cant believe it Bill Simmons all on me Dave Lee denyin me oh man I thought he wanted me And now he left me lonely nawwwww
Luke Ridnour, u look so gooooood Make me wanna spend it all on ya Get out of Milwaukee, come slide with the KAHN We can do what ya wanna yeeaaaahhh
Chopped Kahned and Screwed
Have you ever been in the conference room Of your favorite basketball club (club club) And you got a free agent with you Talking your team up Making you feel like he so in love (love love) Now you done grabbed you a couple a pens And you feeling like it's about time to sign up (up up) And you said Nikola what's really up And he tears up your contract And he said it'll be 9 million bucks
Now you've officially been kahned and screwed screw-screwed kahn-kahned and screwed You've officially been swap-swapped and screwed and ewed-ewed kahned screwed-screwed (Peko-Peko) You've officially been kahned and screwed
Special Thanks to Bonk and Roundhouse for their lyrical contributions and Flash for his photoshop skills.
Michael Beasley hoisted his new No. 8 Timberwolves jersey for display Thursday afternoon at Target Center and declared himself eager for a new beginning only two years after Miami selected him No. 2 overall in the NBA draft.
Dismissed by the Heat for a blue-light special price so it could complete the most sudden, glamorous franchise makeover in league history, Beasley introduced himself during a funny, seemingly honest news conference with an opening hello and happy-to-be-here and a closing, "I just want to play basketball. That's it."
"I feel there's a lot that the world don't know about me," he said. "A lot of my game hasn't been shown, a lot of my personality hasn't been shown. I'm just ready to start my life."
Michael Beasley has a passion for kids, dogs and long walks in the park. He also doesn't mind giving driving tips.
At the end of Beasley's introductory news conference Thursday at Target Center, he advised members of the media to "drive home safely." That was the lighter side of Beasley, one of several new players who will wear a Timberwolves uniform next season.
The serious side of Beasley was just as evident. He promised to be a better "professional" on and off the court and become one of the Wolves' leaders, though he doesn't turn 21 until January.
Traded to the Wolves on Monday for two future second-round picks, the former Miami Heat forward and No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft seemed determined to reshape his troubled career.
"I'm excited to show my drive, my will and winning attitude," Beasley said. "This is a new beginning for me. A lot of my game hasn't been shown. A lot of my personality hasn't been shown. It's a fresh start."
The 6-foot-10 forward, who had a tumultuous two seasons with the Heat, including being benched for the second half of the Heat's final playoff game against the Boston Celtics, was cautious in his comments.
"I don't want to say anything I'm going to regret," he said during the media session in Minneapolis. "Miami, they have special way of doing things, and just didn't need what I had to offer at the time, with Dwyane Wade on the floor and guys like Jermaine O'Neal. You've got established NBA All-Star on the floor. I guess it just wasn't my turn."
Beasley said he appreciated that the Heat had greater priorities.
"Miami had to do what they needed to do to accomplish their goals over the summer," he said. "They wanted one big free agent or two, they got all the free agents. You've got to clear some small things to get the big things in. And I'm OK with that."
MINNEAPOLIS -- David Kahn delivered a clear message to newly acquired forward Michael Beasley in their first face-to-face meeting on Thursday morning.
Beasley is a rare talent. He has the skill, athleticism and drive to become one of the NBA's best.
"I told Michael today that today is the first day of the rest of his life, which I really do believe," Kahn said later, with Beasley sitting to his left at an introductory media conference in the bowels of Target Center. "That what's important to me, is how he plays and conducts himself and operates here as a Minnesota Timberwolf."
Acquired on July 8 for a pittance, Beasley will start that process in earnest next week, when he heads to Los Angeles to work out with Wolves coach Kurt Rambis and some of his new teammates.
Here are some highlights from what Beasley had to say during his time with reporters on Thursday:
What was your immediate reaction when you found out the news? "A new beginning. I feel like I did good my last two years in the NBA playing for Miami, but I feel there's a lot that the world don't know about me. A lot of my game hasn't been shown. A lot of my personality hasn't been shown. I feel like this is a new beginning and a fresh start, and I'm just ready to start my life."
Are there reasons they didn't see that in Miami? "Um, no. I don't want to say anything I'm going to regret. Miami, they have a special way of doing things. They just didn't need what I had to offer at the time with Dwayne Wade on the floor and guys like Jermaine O'Neal. You got a lot of NBA All-Stars on the floor, and I guess it just wasn't my turn."
If there is one thing that seems to be here, it is opportunity ... "Oh, definitely. Like I said, it's a young team. We got great young players in Wesley Johnson, Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love. Darko Milicic, a big banger on the inside. We're young. We got all the room in the world to grow. We got a lot of room for error. We'll learn, and we just gotta make the best of it."
Do you feel you'll be afforded more freedom to be yourself as a person? "Definitely. I feel like being such a young team, forcing me to grow up and become one of the leaders on and off the court."
What does that mean, leadership to you? "Just means doing the right thing on and off the court. Whether it's being early to practice or early to a dinner. It doesn't matter -- it's just conducting yourself in a professional manner."
Do you look at yourself as the go-to guy on this team? "No. I talked to Coach (Rambis), and we really don't have a go-to guy. We don't have a (number) one, two or three option. We just want to get out and play team basketball, and whatever happens, happens."
When you talk about joining a rebuilding team, how do you prepare yourself mentally? "You gotta work. You gotta rebuild. It's gonna be hard and we all know that it's gonna be a lot of work. But it's gotta be done."
Do you think the new roster can win a lot more games than they did last year? "Definitely. I mean why not? That's the goal, right?"
Looks like the T-Wolves are about to sign Milwaukee's Luke Ridnour for 4 years and $16 million. Yay? Per Charles F. Gardner from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online:
League sources have indicated that Milwaukee Bucks point guard Luke Ridnour is close to signing a multiyear deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the contract is a four-year, $16 million deal that is similar to the contract signed by former Bucks point guard Ramon Sessions in September 2009.
The 29-year-old Ridnour is an unrestricted free agent. The Bucks wanted Ridnour to return but knew it would be a difficult task to accomplish after signing free agents John Salmons and Drew Gooden to multiyear deals.
I guess that means Sessions will/should be traded? Rumors I'm seeing are that the Pacers and Bobcats are interested. How about Sessions + whatever for Rudy Fernandez? Pretty please? Ricky + Rudy = Sweet, sweet synergy.
With Pekovic most likely NOT SIGNING WITH THE TWOLVES and staying in Europe; good thing we just traded Al Jefferson, and didn't draft Cousins or Hassan Whiteside.
/sarcasm.
P.S. Check out Whiteside's put-back dunk about 22 seconds into the game recap video HERE.
Darko + Ryan Hollins as our Centers this season = Fail. Don't get me wrong, I like Darko and all... but Hollins should never see the court. I'm also not entirely sure Darko can (or should) play more than 30 minutes per game. Pekovic returning to Europe puts us in a VERY precarious position. On top of that, Love and Beasley are both very undersized power forwards. Hopefully Kahn has some moves up his sleave to get another big man for the Wolves before the season starts. If not... well, let's try not to think about it.
Well the trade went down. We get two heavily protected future first round picks and Kosta Koufos to dump Al Jefferson's salary of $42 million over the next three years. Multiple sources reporting all over Twitter, and here:
The source said the trade will be completed sometime Tuesday. The Jazz will take on Jefferson by using the trade exception they obtained in their sign-and-trade deal that sent Carlos Boozer(notes) to the Chicago Bulls.
The Jazz also expect to send the T’wolves a protected first-round pick they acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies last season in the Ronnie Brewer trade and another future first-round pick. More than anything, the T’wolves are making the deal to get off the remaining three years and $42 million on Jefferson’s contract. They have been looking to trade Jefferson for some time after deciding to build around forward Kevin Love.
Some people are thinking we are getting a "Trade Exception" in this deal. Well... not really. I'll let John Hollinger explain:
If I'm not mistaken Minnesota will be more than $13M under cap anyway, so TPE would be a non-factor. For those who are asking, no, you can't use the TPE and the cap space. It's one or the other - if you use cap space you renounce exceptions.
And to make things worse (better???) the Wolves are closing to signing Luke Ridnour to a 4 year $16 million contract, says Adrian Woj from Yahoo:
Free agent guard Luke Ridnour is close to accepting a four year, $16 million offer with Minnesota, a league source tells Y!
So if all this stuff goes down, in total we swapped out Big Al and 2 future second round picks for Michael Beasley, Luke Ridnour, Kosta Koufos two future heavily protected first round picks, and about $8 million dollars in cap space. I guess you be the judge regarding the merits of these moves. I like the Beasley trade, but I would have liked to seen us get at least one player for Jefferson though. I hope our Front Office doesn't try to spin this as one big trade (to cover up for dumping Al), because that would be disingenuous and weak.
Kahn has already said Koufos will be moved somewhere that he can play, hence probably another salary dump.
Here's to hoping that Ramon Sessions now gets moved for Rudy Fernandez, as has been rumored.
Amidst the speculation of Al being moved to either Dallas or Utah, the following Tweet from Jazz CEO Greg Miller may tell the tale:
"I just approved a Jazz roster move that I'm very excited about. Planning to share details tomorrow."
Yikes. Looks to me like a trade exception and perhaps future considerations involving draft picks or the rights to foreign players. Let's wait to see what happens tomorrow before we irrationally trash Kahn on anything. With that said if we trade Al for nothing all I can say is: terrible move. Dreadful move. Especially to a division rival. Goodnight.
UPDATE from Jerry Z:
"Hearing major move Jazz CEO sez it'll make is Big Al's $13 million salary for a protected 1st-round pick from Mem and more."
This is on Kahn to turn this TE into something worthwhile and quickly.
***UPDATE: Looks like this is going down. It's being reported all over the web/twitter. Here's Marc Stein:
Sources told ESPN.com that the Jazz and Timberwolves are on the verge of completing a trade that would slot Jefferson's contract into the $14 million trade exception that Utah created earlier this week in its sign-and-trade deal with Chicago for Carlos Boozer.
The full extent of the package that Minnesota would receive in return was not immediately known, as one source told ESPN.com that the two teams were still discussing the terms of draft picks that Utah would send to seal the deal.
But because its trade exception is large enough to absorb Jefferson's $13 million salary next season, Utah can complete a trade for Jefferson without sending back any players to the Wolves. Sources with knowledge of Minnesota's thinking said Monday that the Wolves' main aim in shopping Jefferson in recent weeks has been securing multiple future first-round picks and taking back as little salary if possible.
Via his Twitter account Monday night, Utah CEO Greg Miller wrote: "I just approved a Jazz roster move that I'm very excited about. Planning to share details tomorrow.
Here are the protections on the Memphis 2011 1st round pick we'd get in the deal:
Here are the conditions on the Memphis first-round pick owed to Utah: Top 14 protected in 2011, top 12 in 2012, top 10 in 2013, top 9 in 2014 and 2015. If a first-round pick isn't conveyed by 2015, cash considerations will apply.
Sounds like we are just dumping Al Jefferson for cap space, and Memphis Grizzlies 2011 (very heavily) protected 1st round pick. Not a fan of this trade one bit.
KAHN just gave away Al Jefferson for cap space. Now it's up to KAHN to maximize this newfound raw cap space we'll have... approximately $17 million under the cap, with at least 3 roster spots to fill. Rumor has it the Wolves are likely to sign Luke Ridnour for 4 years at $16 million. WTF? The Ramon Sessions for Rudy Fernandez rumor better be damn legit! Why didn't we sign Shaun Livingston last year for a minimum contract? A lot of us wanted that to happen. Now the Wolves might potentially pay him much more (if Ridnour doesn't sign with us.) Epic Fail.
Lucky for Big AL... he goes from a cellar-dweller to a perennial playoff team. Will Big Alco regain his pre-injury form? It usually takes about two years for that to happen (See: Amare Stoudamire, among others), so conventional wisdom is that we traded Jefferson at the very LOW POINT of his trade value. If he returns to health, he could average 25 and 12 playing with Deron Williams. Ouch, that would hurt. He'll torture and dominate the Wolves for years.
Could Jefferson's trade value have increased if we didn't trade him now? Hard to tell, but that's on KAHN nonetheless, for doing his damndest to lower his value in the first place, by basically offering him to every single team in the league, and talking about how they have been trying to trade him for a month. He should have kept his mouth shut, or traded him before/during the draft.
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