And the big loser of the Kevin Garnett trade IS...

*drumroll*

... The Lakers. Duh. DUH! You're telling me that the marquee team in the league with the marquee player in the league couldn't throw expiring junk at Kevin McHale and gotten away with it?!? Surely, you jest.

Look, Al Jefferson is going to be a star in this league, but even a mensa like Danny Ainge knows that Kevin Garnett, now, is better than Al Jefferson, now. All of a sudden, Boston, with KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, looks like the best team in the league... if the year was 2004. Regardless, I think it's more than fair to compare Al Jefferson and his promise to someone like... oh... Andrew Bynum. I'll state, clearly, that I think Jefferson will be the better of the two, but there's no denying -- even from an unbiased point of view -- that Andrew Bynum is going to be a stud in a couple years' time. So what you're telling me, now, is that Andrew Bynum's potential has once again derailed a monumental trade that would've vaulted the Lakers back into the throws of title-land...

...

...

... my God...

Again, look at how little Boston actually gave up in return for one of the league's best. It's ridiculous. In effect, the Lakers could've parted with Bynum, Sasha Vujacic, the rights to Sun Yue, Phil Jackson's chest hair, and a gift certificate to Starbucks and landed KG. I'm sorry, but all I want to do is pull my hair out and shove it down Buss' and Kupchak's throats. That's right, I'm going to make them choke on my hair... The Celtics? Really? Them?!

Who am I kidding. We're not making any big moves any time soon.

Even further proof that baseball is a crap shoot

The Kansas City Royals just swept the Angels in Anaheim. This is just stupid. Baseball is ridiculous. Just ask the '06 Cardinals.

Oh, and to everyone geeked about the KG-to-the-Lakers nonsense, three words: Told. You. So.
No way that mess was ever going to happen.

"Don't count on it."

Thank you, John Paxson for finally laying to rest the myth that Kobe is heading to Chicago. Again, the LA Times was ahead of the curve on that one. But check out this tease. Holy smokes! I don't quite believe it and don't think I will until the deal actually goes down and the players involved pass their physicals, if only because that is one giant carrot to dangle in front of Laker Nation and if KG doesn't end up coming here, I'd rather not be crushed about it. So, no point in pinning my hopes on it, now. If I'm going to survive this Mamba Drama, it's going to take some expert emotional control. And as Paxson told Kobe, "Don't count on it."

But let's just say that Odom and Bynum leave town to make way for Garnett. We'd be looking at a Laker lineup that ran the floor something like this (keeping in mind that we're losing Mihm and Smush is as good as dead to us):
Starters
C Kwame
F KG
F Walton
G Mamba
G Farmer

Bench
F/C Turiaf
F Radmanovic
F Cook
G Vujacic
G/F Mo Evans
1st round pick
Mid-level exception

The bench is left a little thin and we could definitely use some help at center, but, my goodness, Mamba+KG = Contender

Now, would Garnett fit with Kobe? If it's a matter of ego, it's been well-established that Kobe's will rise to the top, while KG will keep any dirty business to himself. Both recognize in each other a common goal and matching intensity. This is also the exact scenario that makes Phil Jackson an invaluable coach. The guy built a legacy off of managing egos on championship teams. It's when his teams didn't have the talent that his efforts (or lack thereof, depending on how much stock you take in his sideline demeanor during games) went for naught. Again, Jackson is great at turning teams from good to elite, not bad to good.

So, for now, fingers crossed. But I remain cautiously realistic.

Bouncing into the weekend

Because it is Friday and things are a little slow at the moment, some quick bullets on the hot (and not so hot) issues this week. Everything aside from Kobe, that is, because he still isn't going anywhere before next summer.

Pacman Jones
Let's just drop the whole issue, shall we, and just fire him already. People don't seem to be aware that this suspension imposed by the league doesn't just apply to the coming season, it spans forever. So let's just accept that this guy isn't going to play golf or watch daytime TV in his spare time and cut our losses. Whaddya say, Roger?

Sammy Steroids
It wasn't long ago that 600 homeruns meant you were a baseball immortal. But as Jayson Stark said in an interview, last night, this is the price we're paying for the steroids era. The numbers -- particularly the power numbers -- have been devalued to such an extreme that when a scumbag like Sosa finally does hit 600, it barely illicits a response. By tacitlly allowing rampant steroid and growth hormone abuse, Major League Baseball has sacrificed the very lore that makes people sentimental over the sport in the first place. Without the numbers -- 755, 61, 191 -- what does baseball have left? I'll be very curious to see how people react to Ken Griffey Jr. hitting 600, which will probably happen by season's end. Griffey deserves all the accolades coming his way. It's pretty fair to say that Sosa does not. And while we're condemning one of baseball all-time shadiest characters, a message to all the baseball writers and media personalities absolving Sosa of the past while still condeming Mark McGwire: PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS. If Big Mac only received a HOF vote in the low 20s, then damn it, Sosa should, too. All or nothing. If anything, Sosa was an even bigger cheater (corked bat), more deceitful (left the country, forgot how to speak English in front of Congress), and was never at any time considered one of the best to play right field (not that the Hall of Fame values "excellence" anymore. You just have to be "good and well-liked"). The Baseball Hall of Fame: Becoming more irrelevant by the second.

Kevin Garnett
If one superstar is getting traded, this summer, it's him. And it will be to the Suns. No one else has a chance. Is Chicago going to mortgage Hinrich/Deng/Gordon? Not likely. Phoenix isn't budging when it comes to keeping Amare off the table, either. Just the thought of a Nash/Amare/KG trio should be enough to make everyone else concede their games against the Suns and just play for second place.

Thierry Henry
Unfortunately for Gunners supporters, there will be no miracle. Henry is off to the Catalan. Surprising? No, not at all. Re-read the part where I said there will be no miracle. What does it mean for Arsenal? Well, they were without Henry for a large chunk of the season and still managed fourth place in the table. I'd say that no longer having the distraction of whether or not he'll play could be advantageous. While I maintain that there's no better striker in the world than a healthy Thierry Henry (that includes Drogba), Arsenal should recover rather quickly. Adebayor needs to work on his consistency, though.

Wimbledon
I'm a sucker for Grand Slam Tennis and it doesn't get much better than this one. Federer's gunning for Borg's record of five consecutive Wimby titles. He's going to get it, too. Can't imagine he's too happy about just missing out on the French... again. Watch out.

Gold Cup
Not many people even know it's going on and, really, they don't need to. It's been some miserable, miserable soccer. But -- and there is a big but -- the US and Mexico have managed to sleepwalk their way to the final. USA v Mexico? Count me in. Prediction? Please, how could I possibly offer anything other than 2-0 to the Americans? Copa America is right around the corner... By the by, terrible luck for Canada in the semi against the US. That equalizing goal in the dying seconds definitely was not offside. I'm rather amazed that Paul Stalteri didn't murder the ref on site.

NBA Draft
Less than a week away. Strong crop of talent, too. At least at first glance. However, is it just me, or has there been so much attention focused on why Oden will go ahead of Durant that people haven't bothered to ponder what will happen between picks 3-58?

Tri-Nations
Springboks host the All Blacks tomorrow in Durban, 5 a.m. PST. COMME BOKKE!