Dan Barreiro

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 03:10:00 GMT

HIBBING'S FINEST STRIKES AGAIN _ Kevin Garnett soon will be gone, meaning a great, if flawed, player has been unconscionably wasted in Minnesota. Shame on the Wolves. It is nothing short of basketball sacrilege that Kevin McHale, the Ostrich, the miserable excuse for a basketball executive, the guy who drated him and then failed him, was the guy who got to trade him.

Ridiculous. In no other city, with no other franchise, would this trade opportunity have been afforded to a guy who never deserved the chance.

Worse yet, in return, because McHale does not know how to deal creatively with any other team than Danny Ainge's Celtics, the Wolves get, yes, five more Celtics to use in their brand new rebuilding program. Don't bother with the nonsense about expired contracts. I know all about that. The Wolves get five more players from one of the most dysfunctional franchises in basketball, to add to the two that still remain from the last deal _ one a certified 7-foot weenie (Mark Blount) and the other a certified coach-killer (Ricky Davis) _ that also included Justin Reed and the alleged key to that deal, Marcus Banks.

That alone was the trade that should have ensured that McHale never got another chance to do anything more substantial than go kill some animals up north. There, at least, he could do no more damage to the franchise.

Instead, here he is, back again and Wolves fans, many of whom had come to grips with the need for the Garnett Era to end, are supposed to be inspired by acquring a bunch of players who largely contributed to the systematic destruction of what was once considered a basketball dynasty. Repeat: The issue here isn't that Garnett should not be traded. (His own contribution to the Wolves' issues, though nowhere near as devastating as the Ostrich's, has been recorded here for some time.) The issue is just how little this team got in return, and more crucially, from a franchise which failed to successfully rebuild with the players the Wolves are now supposed to, yes, use to re-build. Jefferson has a chance to be good as a low-post scorer, though he is in for a rude awakening against some of the big men of the Western Conference. He also is a very mediocre defender, and his injury totals at his tender age are scary. And he's the only player in the deal who does anything for me.

Green can jump out of the gym but has the basketball IQ of Marlon Maxey. Gomes is a decent backup. Nothing more. Telfair has been an abject embarrassment, especially off the court. The money Ratliff represents looks nice, but the Wolves will soon learn that having cap space will not necessarily mean convincing players this is the place to play. The draft choices are decent chips, but not as sexy as they sound, given the Wolves' pick that stupidly was sent to Boston in the last Celtics trade was going to be protected for a while.

A Warriors deal that reportedly included Brandan Wright and other young Golden State Warriors interested me more. So did a Suns deal involving Shawn Marion and a series of No. 1s that would have included another Atlanta pick. The Celtics deal is horrendously worse than what the Bulls offered a year ago _ Luol Deng, Tyson Chandler and the No. 2 overall pick.

But if I'm a Celtics fan, I'm thrilled by this deal. Ainge _ and the Brain Doctor _ finally did something right, and leave it to an old Celtic, McHale, to conspire to help him do it. You get a star player who in Boston should be reinvigorated, and with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen at his side to take fourth-quarter shots, Garnett can go back to doing what he does best: Using his all-around skills to influence a game, rather than have to grab it by the throat, which has never been his strength. Matter of fact, with two scorers with him, Garnett might actually find himself in better position to also do some vital scoring. In return, all Ainge had to give up was one promising inside player and a bunch of his garbage.

All this deal does is cement the symmetry: The Ostrich didn't know how to support and complement his (flawed) superstar, and in the end, he didn't know how to trade him, either.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:20:00 GMT

STOP THE SPLENDA BINGING, PLEASE __ Nothing is established at the quarterback position, the most crucial on the field. Nothing. Little has been established along the offensive line, especially the right side. Nothing is established at wide receiver. Nothing is established at tight end. Nothing is established at defensive end. Nothing is established in the play-calling. Nothing in the way of credibility has been established by the head coach.

Doesn't mean some of those things cannot change in 2007. But be honest. If all of these descriptions applied to any team but your favorite _ the Vikings _ you would be howling. About any other team outside Minnesota, the artificial sweeteners, the splendas _ those fans and Minnesota media members who love to suger-coat the local sport scene _ would be howling about all those question marks. You would be saying this a team that is going to have to answer a whole of questions before it can be taken seriously.

But because it is your beloved Vikings _ and hope springs eternal every training camp _ you will look at things differently. Fine. Go with it.

Brad Childress likes Eagles analogies. Fine. Go with that, too. If I were coaching a team that had fallen from 9-7 to 6-10 in my first year, I'd probably prefer Eagles analogies, too. They can be packaged and sold more easily. But remember this: When Secret Squirrel reminds reporters that in 2000, the Eagles started a green, second-year guy named Donovan McNabb, backed up by Koy Detmer, and finished 11-5, he forgets to mention that McNabb was the second player taken in the first round of the draft. Despite the boos with which Eagles fans met him, he was viewed by most talent scouts as a big-time major-college prospect who would go very early in round one. Tarvaris Jackson was a second-round choice taken as high as he was only because the Vikings moved up to get him.

Doesn't mean Jackson can't pan out, but it means that McNabb clearly was seen as far more of a sure thing. For the same reason, Adrian Peterson is the guy to whom it is easier to hand the benefit of the doubt almost from the beginning. Yes, the Vikings have to be right on Jackson or the whole thing implodes, but Peterson is the guy who can bring a dimension to this offense that could change a lot in a hurry. Just don't forget about all those other questions, starting with the head coach still needing to prove he is up to the job. He flunked the test in year one.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:54:00 GMT

WHAT A WAY TO MAKE RASHEED WALLACE LOOK GOOD -- Three major national sports controversies continue to dominate discussion: Barry (Bigfoot) Bonds approaches 755 home runs, Michael Vick is all but accused of eloctrocuting Lassie, and an NBA referee might have fixed games, or at least affected point spreads.

(The most damning evidence against Tim Donaghy: In 158 games over the past two seasons in which he did not referee Timberwolves' games, the team's record was 61-97 (.386). In the six games in which he did referee Wolves' games, the team's record was 4-2 (.667).

Of the three accusations, obviously those facing Vick are the most disgusting, especially in their cold business-related calculation. But those facing Donaghy are easily the most damaging to their sport.

We live in a cynical age. We have known for some time that in some circles, dog-fighing is an embraced form of sport. And even if Vick stupidly married himself to this pathetic lifestyle, the integrity of the game he plays is not directly damaged. Yes, baseball has been damaged to some degree by steroid allegations, but we have almost come to assume that a number of baseball players _ real good ones to mediocre ones _ have partaken in the use of steroids, and even now perhaps human growth hormone. We are almost used to it, even a bit numb to it.

Locally, we have also come to expect the pro basketball team to send out their clown, Mark Madsen, to deliver three-point shots, or to sit Kevin Garnett for an extended period to fix the outcome of games and enhance the team's draft position. Sad and embarrassing as it is, we're numb to that, too.

But the charges facing Donaghy are a new frontier. In the history of the four major American sports, has a single baseball umpire, football official, basketball referee or hockey official ever been charged with what Donaghy apparently will be? I don't think so. Despite all the endless referee-on-the-take jokes, there was at least the illusion that those making the calls in our favorite games were still above it. They might make bad calls or get caught up in personality conflicts and make ill-advised ones, but they were not on the take. The ticket-buying public, often asked to accept ridiculous prices, could at least count on that much.

Now, there is the great probability that a vulnerability has been exposed. A referee can be gotten to. Doesn't matter whether Donaghy really changed the outcome of games. What matters is the possibility that he might have, or could have, or even tried. It is the ultimate horror show for any sport that wants to be taken more seriously than pro wrestling.

Worse, the Rasheed Wallaces, not to mention the conspiracy-theorist fans who see an Oliver Stone film behind ever called charge, have been enabled. They have their smoking gun, and permission to become more paranoid than ever.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:32:00 GMT

SIMPLE PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE: The Twins have two significant players, Torii Hunter, and Johan Santana, coming up for new deals. Hunter's current deal ends at the end of the current season, Santana's at the end of the 2008 season. There has been much speculation about what the Twins can and can't, should and shouldn't, do. Let me keep this simple: If the Twins do not re-sign at least one of these two players, the first thing any self-respecting tax-paying, Twins fan should do is vow to boycott the new ball park.

From Day One.

And the only thing any self-respecting radio talk-show host who works 4-7 on the FAN will do is hammer away. Daily. Without fail.

No excuses here, no namby-pamby nonsense about players outgrowing the market, and no notions about the Twins have to stick to the formula that has worked for so many years to keep them competitive. All of that is out the window. You can't tell people, for years, that the key reason to want a new ball park is to give your team a chance to stay competitive, indeed to not have to worry about a great player becoming too expensive for the market, and then pretend you never preached it.

That would be insulting.

Especially when referring to these players, especially Santana, who might be the pre-eminent pitcher of this age. You can finesse not participating in the bidding when the guy is merely above average. You cannot do so when the pitcher is as accomplished as Santana.

Final note, from the Twins' 1-0 loss to the Tigers: The No. 1 villain should not be Jason Bartlett, whose error set up Detroit's only run. Bartlett is too easy a target. Nor should it be Nicky Punto, who could not lay down a bunt. He, too, is too easy a target. The No. 1 villain Tuesday night should be the guy who is supposed to have a lot more responsibility than either Barlett or Punto. It was Joe Mauer, who in his continued effort to dazzle us with his ability to know the strike zone than in driving in runs, refused to take the bat off his shoulder even once at the crucial point of the game, and struck out.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:19:00 GMT

LIVE EARTH...Or, as lead vocalist for the rock band Muse has described it, "Private Jets for Climate Change." Simply call it a glorified rock concert that pretended to want to raise awareness about something of which only a complete, blithering live-under-a-rock moron could not have already known.

If we get our consciousnesses raised any more about global warming, then our heads will all explode, thereby sending much more dangerous gases into the polluted atmosphere.

Buy the way, even as a rock concert, Live Earth was underwhelming. As a revolution, it was hysterical and sophomoric. As a political message it was predictable pathetic. Macy Gray's band, among those savvy rockers wanting everybody to know just how politically aware its members are, came out in shirts that attempted to shout out messages: Bush with a line through his name. Cheney with a line through his name. Racism with a line through it. Global warming with a line through it.

It might have been inspiring, except for the shirts, or signs, or mantras that weren't there for that performance or many others: Stunningly, no Bin Laden with a line through it. No Islamist facism with a line through it. No terrorism with a line through it. When it comes to extolling the virtue of world peace, some causes are more fashionable than others among the musical mob. Now, go eat your favorite colored M & M's in your three-blocks-long limos, climb back in your private jets and head to your favorite vacation spot on Fiji. (Don't forget to write your carbon offset checks, too.)

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:07:00 GMT

GIVE THE WOLVES AN 'I' FOR INCOMPLETE -- Conventional wisdom is that the Wolves are still obligated to trade Kevin Garnett because there is no turning back from the bruised feelings resulting from the trade discussion that the Wolves clearly had before the draft.

Wrong. Garnett may pout inwardly, but he will still play hard. (That reality, not to mention $23 million, is why Danny Ainge should have called his agent's bluff.) The reason the Wolves still need to unapologetically explore trading Garnett _ all the way up to the trade deadline next February _ is that given no other person but the Ostrich is going to be given the chance to build around KG, it remains the only way for this team to a) bottom out and b) truly rebuild for the long term and perhaps become more than a fringe playoff team in the West.

Which is precisely where Corey Brewer, a nice choice, might get you. Brewer should be an excellent do-everything NBA player, though it is essential that he will be able to play small forward on a team that still has way too many off-guards, including Troy Hudson. Still don't have a center, still don't have a fourth-quarter go-to guy, still don't have a point guard who makes others better, still don't have a young, tall banger (unless the No. 2 pick ends up being the steal of the century), still have a lot of bad contracts. I still expect Ricky Davis to be dealt, which will be a good thing.

The Ostrich did his usual dismissive song-and-dance on the Garnett trade rumors, also added this: "Kevin is a member of our team right now. I assume he'll be a member of the team this fall."

Carefully chosen words that hardly preclude the possibility of Garnett's departure.

By the way, remember all the absurd, right-out-of-the-Country Club spin that insisted the spare-no-expense, no-holds-barred Wolves were going to jump-start the process by buying an extra No. 1 choice? I must have missed that transaction. I did notice that the Blazers, instead of simply sitting on their prize No. 1 overall pick, also spent $3 million to pick up an extra first-rounder from the Suns. Also noticed another Northwest Division team, the Sonics, showing guts, creativity and big-time aggressiveness on draft day, trading away the face of their franchise and getting more youthful talent. Revolutionary.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:41:00 GMT

RANDOM THOUGHTS AFTER TAKING A COUPLE DAYS OFF...

--Ocean's 13 is a lot of fun, far easier to follow than the exceedingly convoluted '12', which was too precious for its own good.

--Just call me Nostrabumpus. As predicted on last Friday's Bumper-to-Bumper Show, Goof (On the Roof) spotted story of the Florida man killed by a lightning bolt which came out of clear skies, and is milking it for its full Fear Factor potential. Check the Paul Page from Tuesday: "This is why I keep ranting about the 30-30 rule, waiting at least 30 minutes after the last thunderclap before heading back outside to play."

This is why I keep ranting about my own 30-90 rule: Take whatever weather-related threat Goof offers, and assume he has tripled its significance, all under the convenient guise of erring on the side of caution.

--Congratulations to Glen Taylor, who by scheduling his honeymoon the week of what could be the most significant draft in recent Wolves' history, has no doubt convinced Wolves fans that he has intensified his commitment to securing a better future for the franchise. What? A billionaire didn't want to pay the penalty to change his flight at the last minute?

--Is there a Ricky Davis deal that the Wolves could do today? One source says yes, though the Garnett melodrama could affect the Wolves' interest. Another league source says there is no way Garnett would walk from that $23 million season, which is this person's way of saying Danny Ainge should have been willing to call KG's bluff.

--Thank goodness Wednesday hero Jeff (Swing and Bloop) Cirillo has already pulled his Terrell Brandon. By telling the world that he is ready to head to the rocking chair, there is now still time to put together a Cirillo Farewell Tour for the last three months of the season. It should be emotional.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:51:00 GMT

BIG TICKET ABOUT TO TAKE A HIT --- On most Wolves fans' list of arch-enemies blamed for contributing to continuing franchise dysfunction, Kevin Garnett generally has been exceedingly low. (This despite making more than $200 million, yet never developing a fourth-quarter go-to move other than that feathery low-percentage fadeaway; being the superstar of a team that has been eliminated in round one in seven of eight years his team has made the playoffs and a team hasn't even made the playoffs the last three; enabling the Wolves' stupid pre-occupation with Joe Smith and Troy Hudson, refused to make the best of things with Wally Szczerbiak, etc.).

Certainly, Garnett will continue to remain south of Glen Taylor and the Ostrich but make no mistake: With the news that he has put a halt to the trade talk with the Celtics, he is No. 3 with a bullet. And the protective gloves that too many Wolves fans have used to protect Garnett way too much over the years, will be off. If ESPN.com's report of the latest proposed deal with the Celtics _ Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and the No. 5 pick for KG and most importantly, the calcified body (and contract) of Troy Hudson _ is accurate, this is a deal the Wolves would have to do.

And if Garnett is seen as the guy standing in the way of Wolves fans finally seeing some light, or perhaps something of a future, KG's image will take a considerable blow. Face it: It is ridiculously difficult to trade a guy with this kind of monstrous contract and get close to value. And if the Wolves now lose out on a deal in which they seem to get it, and are forced through Garnett's manipulations to take considerably less, there will be fear and loathing. Hard for me to blame Garnett for not wanting to leave one team horribly managed by a former Celtic great for another team horribly managed by a former Celtic, but at least he would have a chance to play with a legitimate scorer and for a storied franchise in a wonderful city that is not exactly isolated. Harder to blame Wolves fans for not caring any more about Garnett's grievances and manipulations.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:17:00 GMT

DON'T FORGET THE BARREIRO PERSONALITY PAGE, KEYWORD: BARREIRO OR BUMP

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS _ You'll notice that the last Wolves-Celtics rumor has already morphed into the Wolves-Suns rumor, then the Wolves-Suns-Celtics-Pacers rumor and now the Wolves-Suns-Celtics rumor, in which people with way too much time get out a calculator and decide to make deals for teams, whether those teams' general managers are interested in those deals or not. It's also about the whispers that Wolves office personnel hear in the halls, which sometimes is good info, sometimes complete nonsense. I've heard my fair share of rumors from office personnel, and they're right about 10 percent of the time.

The biggest problem here, with those who believe a projected and possibly fictitious Celtics deal is too good to pass up, is that it assumes the deal is available, and it assums that it is the best deal obtainable.

As long as Kevin McHale is in charge, I'll never trust that assumption. And that's why I'm not as ready to be as giddy about this deal as many others (who, by the way, were almost as giddy with the last Celtics deal, but refuse to acknowledge as much now).

Yes, we all know many teams are out of the mix because of salary cap issues and contracts _ this does not exactly qualify as rocket science _ but creative GMs find ways to involve a third team, and draft choices, and future considerations, etc. The other fear, last expressed on air when the Wolves dealt with the Celtics the last time, is the inherent danger in acquiring players, even promising ones, from bad teams. Or, to put it another way, when one bad GM deals with another bad GM. It's an important cautionary tale _ don't say some of us didn't warn you when the last Celtics deal went down _ which doesn't mean you never deal with that bad team twice, but should make anyone think long and hard before dealing off your only real asset. You only get the chance to do that once, if you are going to do it at all.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:31:00 GMT

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MIKE JAMES MOMENT? --- This one's easy. Had to be his first radio interview, with Hartman, when James basically made it sound as if a combination of Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson and Steve Nash was coming to Minnesota to rescue Kevin Garnett. From a journeyman guy who had basically had one good season, the bombast was as pathetic as it was stunning.

"What do I do bad?'' James asked. Well, Mike, you're bad at running an offense, your defense is mediocre, you don't make teammates better and your shooting is streaky. Other than that, you do nothing bad at all.

Don't blame James so much as the Ostrich & Co., for overrating, and overpaying for, yet another Bill Duffy player, who had inflated numbers on a 27-55 team. You'll notice that the Raptors were so devastated by the loss of James that they won an extra 20 games.

Blame Wolves coaches, and even Kevin Garnett, from not accepting that if you are going to bring in James, you have to let him dominate the ball and score. Otherwise, it's a waste of time signing him.

In Houston, the Rockets will have to convince him to be what he is: a backup player. Juwan Howard is strictly a complementary player now, but at least he's a forward, which helps to better balance the roster, he's a good chemistry guy and he has one less year on his contract.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:40:00 GMT

RANDOM SAVAGERY -- The 600 First Avenue Country Club strikes again: Jerry Sichting, practically a charter member, returns one more time to be an assistant coach for Wittman, another Country Club regular who got to leave once and come back. Yes, it's good to be in the Country Club, where you can check out anytime you like, but you may never leave....I reserve the right to change my mind before draft day, but if you tell me today that Corey Brewer and Mike Conley will both be available when the Wolves pick at No. 7, I'll tell you I love them both, but I'd take the point guard. Yeah, the Wolves have a slew, but when you have a slew that means you have none with presence. Conley has it....

Something weird about this picture: Torii Hunter explains Gary Sheffield's warped social commentary better than Sheffield does and he's not Sheffield. Hunter's mistake is that he's giving Sheffield way too much credit for thinking this stuff through as much as Hunter does....Reason No. 3,456 why baseball weenies have way too many unwritten rules: Alfonso Soriano got plunked the other day because, after hitting three home runs, he had the audacity to try to stretch a single into a double with the Cubs ahead 9-1....

Daunte Culpepper, clearly in denial, is now trying to throw his ex-coach, Nick Saban, under the bus. Daunte is saying it was Saban who all but forced him to try to come back too soon, when it is well-known that it was Daunte himself who foolishly rushed his recovery period, and now may never recover....Anybody else notice how much tougher the Twins commentary has suddenly become on the old local Twins radio station, now that the team has left that frequency? Amazing courage under no pressure....

Barry Bonds moves one step closer to the home run record he doesn't deserve, which gives the Bumper to Bumper program another opportunity to honor our home-run leader Hank Aaron with another Hank Aaron minute. Don't miss it Tuesday afternoon at about 4:40.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:49:00 GMT

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE -- There is no law that requires a sports fan to love the NBA. There are, frankly, several reasons to be quite tired of it, not the least of which is the essential meaninglessness of the regular season (given its interminable length and how many teams get into the post-season). There are far too many teams, especially irrelevant ones, including our Timber-chihuahuas.That the Spurs are clearly the better team and these NBA Finals are not going to be particularly competitive is another legitimate reason to not pay attention.

But calls continue to come into the FAN from fans who clearly are lying to themselves when they offer their explanations for not watching these playoffs: Too many thugs in the league, too many off-the-court incidents, too much on-court preening, too much I-me-mine.

And all of this explains why you don't care to watch the San Antonio Spurs?

Stop it. The Spurs are the very personification of professionalism. They are about to win their fourth title in eight seasons. They are rock-solid from top to bottom. Their is a team game. They have several good individual players, but none play the self-absorbed, preening role that so many fans supposedly abhor. They rarely, if ever, make headlines, off the court. Robert Horry sullied his own reputation by going after Steve Nash, but with the Spurs, this is the exception, not the rule. There is not a team in the league that would not take Bruce Bowen, despite his careless elbows, if given the chance.

You want to call them boring (and to any legitimate basketball fan, they shouldn't be, not with the additions of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli)? Then stop pretending that the thing stopping you from watching is that the league is dominated by thugs and jerks. Stop pretending that it has to do with off-the-field incidents, when you gladly continue to watch the NFL, a league that has kept up nicely on the police blotter. Just admit you don't like the game.

And throw this in: If the Spurs, as good, and tough, and disiplined, and gifted as they are, don't do it for you, then you're admitting that deep down, you need the very controversy _ the Paris Hiltonization, if you will _ that you pretend to abhor.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:41:00 GMT

RETURN OF THE CHOSEN ONE---Now that Joe Mauer, fast becoming the Twins' answer to Terrell (Stop N Pop) Brandon when it comes to warrior-like durability, is returning, there is a clamor to move him to third base, first base, left field or pitcher.

Just so he can be more certain of remaining on the field.

It may have to come to that, but the Twins should think long and hard about taking such a fateful step. Because once they take it, you can forget about all this talk of Mauer becoming one of the all-time greats. Face it: As a hitter, Mauer remains what, apparently, the Twins are finally going to acknowledge he is: An excellent No. 2 hitter.

But the quality that has always revealed his promise of becoming an all-time great player is, more than anything else, his value as a catcher _ as a signal-caller, pitching stabilizer and defensive stalwart at one of the most important defensive positions in the game. That also made it easier to accept that Mauer might not become a truly big-time RBI producer. Put him in left field, and the Twins lose much of what gave Mauer a true chance to set himself apart. With all due apologies to the powerful and parochial one-of-us lobby, he no longer would be the chosen one.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:19:00 GMT

---Who knew that the Vikings would have been better served closing their "mandatory" workouts to one of their own players than members of the media? Antoine Winfield is proving more dangerous than any reporter, columnist or talk-show babbler to the Purple. You see, Winfield bought into the notion offered by management last season that, having inherited a 9-7 club, the Vikings were not in serious rebuilding mode. (Remember when Secret Squirrel told us that he picked the Vikings as much as they picked him because of all the assets already in place?) Now that the Vikings, out of desperation, not design, have switched strategies to save face, Winfield is as confused as the rest of us. Problem is, the savvy cornerback knows the truth: The Vikings switched, not because they expected to be in a long-term rebuilding plan but because Childress & Co. (players included) did such a lousy job in 2006, that they had to sell something. Clearly, Winfield ain't buying.

---What was your favorite Donovan leads Magic to victory moment? It is apparently over before it began. Put me in the minority camp that had no problem with Billy Donovan taking the pro plunge. So what happened? Maybe he saw what Rasheed Wallace did to Flip Saunders and the Pistons on TV Saturday night, then heard a tone-deaf Chauncey Billups excuse Rasheed's pathetic behavior, and it was enough to remind him that pro coaching can be a very different, and dangerous, animal. Florida, not surprisingly, will welcome him back. A couple Nick Saban bobos want to know why Donovan got so little heat compared to Saban when he left the Dolphins. Simple. Whatever you think of Donovan's approach to taking the Magic job in the first place, he had an 11-year run in which he put Florida basketball on the map, and punctuated it with back-to-back national championships. He had started, and finished, his job. Saban spent two seasons in Miami and finished nothing. That's why one guy gets the benefit of the doubt and the other gets much-deserved ridicule.

~

KFAN Dan Barreiro — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:27:00 GMT

TALK ABOUT GETTING THE MESSAGE...If I'd had time, I would have gotten in my car and started driving to the Palace at Auburn Hills. Magnificent? Yes. Superb? Absolutely. Absurd? Most definitely.

Clearly, the light bulb went off in LeBron James' head. Doesn't matter if you're 22 or 32, surrounded by greatness, competence or mediocrity. You're supposed to be the man, so be the man. Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson challenged Kevin Garnett on that very point in the middle of a first-round playoff series five years ago. KG still hasn't gotten it. Barkley and Magic challenged LeBron on that same point last week after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron has already gotten it.

James, in fact, made the point Thursday night in a way that will be worthy of the NBA history books. It was one for the ages, folks. LeBron ain't channeling KG no more. He's channeling Michael: Forty-eight points. Twenty-nine of the Cavs' last 30. The Cavaliers' last 25. The kind of performance that has you calling your basketball buddy from high school or college, no matter what time zone he resides in.

With 3:15 to play in regulation, the Pistons led 88-81. James hit a driving layup to make it 88-83. After Drew Gooden made a free throw _ the only non-LeBron point over the last 16 minutes _ James hit a fadeway three-pointer. Then James hit a driving dunk to give Cleveland a one-point lead. Then he drove and dunked again to tie it at 91.

Overtime: James makes two free throws. Then another dunk. Then a free throw. Then two more free throws. Then a 20-foot jumper.

Second overtime: James makes a 19-footer. Then another 19-footer. Then a 25-foot three-pointer. And finally, a driving layup to win it, 109-107.

For those who care: In the last 13:15, that's three jumpers, two three-pointers, five three throws, two layups and three dunks. Think about that. Against what is reputed to be one of the savviest defenses in the league, James scored 15 points on free throws, layups and dunks when it mattered. Hey, Flip: Ever heard of at least trying to take the ball out of the star's hands before he gets to the rim? More than once every five possessions? Hey, Rasheed: Ever heard of stepping in and taking the charge?

Though it might have been one of those occasions when it wouldn't have mattered. Not according to basketball's King James version, as it was written on a mythic Thursday night in Auburn, Hill, Mich. You could argue that these NBA playoffs needed an injection. In that case, King James has provided a big, fat syringe of adrenaline.