Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
News out of Minnesota reports Kevin Garnett and Flip Saunders are trying to persuade Karl Malone to become a Timberwolf. Has Shaq given up on convincing his former teammate to make the jump out east with him? Can Shaq and Pat Riley convince the future Hall of Famer to attempt one final delivery through rain and sleet and hurricanes?
There is no doubt that Malone is looking for a ring to retire with. There is still some doubt about two other key points, however: whether he will come back at all, and where he will go if he does. Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich has said that Malone promised him that if he does return, it will be to the Lakers. But with the impending salesmanship job from KG and Saunders, the good thing is perhaps Malone will be open to the idea of another team.
That's all the entry the Heat need.
Once Malone is open to the idea of being on a non-Laker team, only two questions remain: which teams have the best shot at winning a championship with Malone on the roster, and which of those teams are likely to win anyway? Malone has already joined one team everybody thought was a cinch to win it all. Does he want to appear to be going the easy route again? Or does he want to join a team where he will really be needed, and where, without him, they don't have a real shot at a championship?
If so, the Heat are ready and waiting for him.
TEAM NOTES
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Charley Waters ofThe Twin Cities Pioneer Presswrites: The Timberwolves this week are making a serious effort to sign free-agent power forward Karl Malone.The Wolves plan to have the NBA's most valuable player, Kevin Garnett, fly to Los Angeles with coach Flip Saunders to try to persuade the 6-foot-9, 259-pound future hall of famer and two-time MVP to sign with Minnesota. The San Antonio Spurs are considered the Wolves' top competition for Malone, who's still seeking an NBA championship ring after 19 seasons.
Hornets.com writes: Other highlights of the 2004-05 schedule include: Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat’s only New Orleans appearance on April 2.
The Associated Press writes inThe Ohio News: The NBA rookie class scored in the sports card market as well as on the basketball court last season, propping up sales across the industry. The success of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and others narrowed the gap between basketball cards and the more traditionally popular baseball and football cards... James, the Rookie of the Year, is credited with turning around the Cleveland Cavaliers' program and sparking record increases in game attendance. Wade and Anthony helped get their teams to the playoffs. Wade put up the most points for the Miami Heat, and Anthony led the rookies in scoring, ranking 12th overall in the National Basketball Association, while playing for the Denver Nuggets.