I Dislike Your Favorite Team

On a night that featured the Nuggets playing and beating the Timberwolves, during which Wolves commentators Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen discussed the impact of the Knicks dropping out of the trade talks about Carmelo Anthony, reports started to surface that the Knicks were back in the game, thanks to the Timberwolves.

Here's the thing--everyone knows that Carmelo wants to play for the Knicks, and the Knicks would love to have him.  There are teams willing to trade for him, with the understanding that he'd just play out the rest of his contract with them, and then sign as a free agent with the Knicks.  But maybe the Knicks are nervous that if Carmelo ends up with the Lakers or Dallas, or some other perennial winner, he'll forget about his desire to play in NYC.  That, combined with the Nets walking away, combined with the Knicks rather shocking success already, has really put the Knicks in the proverbial catbird seat (thanks, Thurber).

The Knicks, according to these reports, would just have to give up Eddy Curry's expiring contract, Anthony Randolph, and Wilson Chandler.  And in return, they get one of the five best players in the league.  That seems ridiculous.  But for me, as a fan of the Timberwolves, I'm particularly unhappy with the role we seem to have staked out, as facilitator of the trade, confusing "facilitator" with "stupid sucker".

In making this deal happen, the Wolves would give up Corey Brewer AND one of their first round draft picks to get the expiring contract of Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph.  There are exactly two things this Timberwolves franchise does not need at this point--more money under the cap and a lackadaisical power forward.  They already have a ton of money to spend on free agents, and they already have an All Star power forward in KLOVE who ain't great on defense.

Let me be clear here--I love Corey Brewer.  Always have.   And to repeat myself a bit--Corey Brewer can be a frustrating player to love.  He will make a spectacular play that sparks a serious comeback (as he did tonight).  Even when the team falls short (as they did tonight) his play still lingers in one's memory as being particularly impressive.  He will also still have games where he scores 4 points, and turns over the ball 3 times.    He's tough to figure, as Wolves color analyst Jim Petersen has said on many occasion.  I don't have a great argument for why the Wolves should not trade him, aside from the fact that I love the style of play Brewer brings.  He's an expressive, explosive, super-athletic skinny bastard who would run into a cement wall if he thought it would improve his team's chances of winning by even 1%.  Yes, his shooting is erratic; his passes sometimes miss the mark horribly.  But no one rips the ball and finishes the other way with as much verve as Brewer.  I personally think he deserves to be in the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest more than anyone in it aside from Blake Griffin (seriously?  Ibaka, Jennings and  McGee?  Guess who the NBA wants to win this contest?) .

In summary, these reports of the rumored, possible, imminent trade of Corey Brewer fill me with sadness, and I'll just beg David KAHHHNN to not trade Brewer.  Anthony Randolph and the Extra Cash Bundle that is Eddy Curry are not enough for Brewer, dammit!  The Knicks are worried, the Nuggets are over a barrel.  Let's go with draft picks, period.   A first and a second, say.  Let the Nuggets find their own terrifically skinny, wildly erratic shooting, defensive genius.  And let's keep ours.