longstrangetrip wrote:Yep, those are the two biggest unresolved issues that it would be nice to more about soon. Here are my thoughts.
Garnett: It's frustrating that there has been such limited contact with KG this spring/summer. I understand they are dealing with his mother-in-law's illness, but that doesn't preclude Thibs and KG meeting somewhere in a gym for a workout and discussion. Although I'm frustrated, I definitely want KG back if he is near the health level he was at at the beginning of last season. Even at 39, he was easily our best plus/minus player in the few games he played in, and both our offense and defense looked more effective when he was on the court. If he could give us 15-20 MPG, we would be a better team. Maybe Thibs knows more about KG than he is letting on, but if not, he needs to hop on a plane and have some face-to-face contact.
Pek: I have been optimistic about Pek playing this year because of the positive comments Arnie Kander made last February...he was confident Pek would not be hampered next year by the injury that sidelined him most of the past two years. But I heard something from a friend (not connected in any way with the Timberwolves) last week that has me thinking otherwise. Thibs was looking for a downtown condo a month ago, and was introduced to my friend who lives at the Carlyle (the same building Pek lives in and where Love lived when he was here). My friend is a big sports fan, and he and Thibs talked for a hour...said he was a great guy. Most of what my friend heard was the same as we have all heard (best young core in the league, need to be better defensively, etc), except for one thing. When my friend asked him what he was expecting from Pek, Thibs said "Pek is done"...that's it, nothing else. It sounded surprisingly definitive coming from a guy who has mastered the art of revealing little. I actually wasn't too disappointed, because Pek was terrible last year in the few games he played in. There are only 2 more years left on his contract, and I don't think that $24 million is going to limit the Wolves' plans. Eat the contract and be happy to have the cap space in 2018-9.
Great information on Pek. Thibs is a pretty conservative guy so I don't think he'd say that if he wasn't sure. If that's the case, you have to hope Pek retires on the assumption that he has an insurance policy that could cover the amount left on his contract. But I doubt he'd have that kind of full coverage so I don't see him retiring. And I don't think a buy-out makes much sense since I doubt we'd save much. Pek has no incentive to settle for less than 100%.
Therefore, I think the best approach for the Wolves is to simply keep him on the restor unless/until he retires. If he doesn't retire, then he'd have trade value as an expiring contract a year from now. In the meantime, he would just occupy the 15th roster spot at the end of the bench. No real harm. The key is knowing that he's "done" because then there's no reason to shy away from pursuing another big in the draft or through free agency.
