April 2004: After watching the Timberwolves decimate the Nuggets in the first game of the 2004 NBA Playoffs, I shake Kevin McHale’s hand and gush like a school girl as I thank him for assembling an unbelievable team.

April 2007:  A fan is ejected from the Target Center during the last game of a 32-50 season for displaying a “Fire McHale” sign.

ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons posted his NBA Lottery Karma Index today.  I couldn’t believe how skewed his view of the Timberwolves was.  He felt that the Blazers, Bucks, Grizzlies, Celtics, and Sonics were all far more deserving of the picks than the Wolves.  Has our front office made some incredibly awful decisions that have gotten us to this point?  Yeah.  Did we probably tank a little to get where we are?  Yeah.

Mark it down on your calendars Wolves fans - March 25th, 2007.  That’s the day the Timberwolves lost Greg Oden. 

Ever since the #7 envelope was opened to reveal the Timberwolves’ logo, I’ve been constantly running trade scenarios through my head.  Because while the Wolves will probably be able to snag a decent player at the #7 spot, it’s going to take a really, really good trade to turn this franchise around. 

I mentioned in my semi-controversial Kevin Garnett for Greg Oden post that I had a few trades for the T-Wolves that didn’t involve KG.  This trade above involving Vince Carter could be a possibility if the right circumstances played out.  I realize that this trade is a bit of a stretch if you just look at it straight up, but depending on how things go with free-agency it might not be too far-fetched.  Here’s the scenario which I envision for this trade:

When the #7 envelope was opened to reveal the Timberwolves logo, it was the equivalent of putting a bullet through this franchise’s chest.  Landing one of the first two picks seemed like the Timberwolves only hope of salvaging the dream of Garnett winning a title as a T-Wolf.  At that point, Wolves fans were left grasping for straws…

After racking my brain for days and days, trying to come up with a way to turn this team around, I think I may have found it.  Sure getting Kobe or Vince Carter would definitely help the Wolves’ cause.  But Kobe’s a pipe-dream, and while Vince Carter is a big name that would draw fans, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t do wonders for our team.  So after scouring all the “big name” players out there who could help out KG and coming up empty, I finally stumbled upon the man who could potentially clean up the Wolves mess.

And so begins Kevin McHale’s attempt to pull the Timberwolves out of the NBA cellar and back into the playoffs…

I’m not one to put much stock in internet message board rumors.  In fact, having a trade from a “source” on a message board nearly guarantees that the trade isn’t actually going to happen.  How do I know this?  Because I too have “sources” and I don’t post the information they give me on my websites or anywhere else on the internet.  I know that the second I post is the second the information stops flowing.  “Sources” aren’t going to share secrets with blabbermouths.  And I like getting my information, so I keep my mouth shut. 

NOTE: This article was started yesterday.  By the time the final touches and proof-reading were done, a lot of new developments had taken place.  There’s an update at the end addressing the new information.

By now we’ve all heard the rumors: Kevin Garnett to the Celtics or KG to the Suns.  The Wolves’ front office keeps telling us that those trades are exactly just that: rumors.  They’ve told us that they’re willing to listen to offers for Garnett but haven’t seriously considered any of them.  They’ve told us they have no interest in trading KG. 

Sorry, but I just don’t believe that’s true.