Timberwolves: Minnesota will miss him, Cassell says
Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune
August 18, 2005 WOLF0818

Former Timberwolves point guard Sam Cassell, traded last week to the Los Angeles Clippers, envisions a great season for himself in 2005-06 and a really, really long one for his former team.

"They're going to be at the bottom again," said Cassell, predicting in a telephone interview Wednesday that the lowly Clippers -- who haven't reached the playoffs since 1997 or won a postseason game since 1994 -- will pass the Wolves in the Western Conference standings.

Cassell also took a poke at one of the Minnesota franchise's most sensitive spots: "I know for a fact that Kevin Garnett is disappointed. Kevin wants some guys he can go to war with."

Garnett, the Wolves' eight-time NBA All-Star and cornerstone player, has made himself unavailable for interviews since before the regular season ended in April. That has left fans guessing about Garnett's reaction to the hiring of new head coach Dwane Casey, the drafting of lottery pick Rashad McCants, the apparent decision not to re-sign Latrell Sprewell and now the trade of Cassell.

Sam CassellCarlos GonzalezStar TribuneCassell, a 12-year veteran, was packaged to the Clippers with the Wolves' 2006 first-round draft pick for guards Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers. Jaric, 26, is nearly nine years younger than Cassell, four inches taller and more inclined to distribute the ball and defend his position. But Cassell's career scoring average (16.5 ppg) is almost double Jaric's, he is known as one of the game's best and gutsiest mid-range shooters and, two years ago, Cassell became a first-time All-Star while helping the Wolves reach the conference championship round.

"If they think Marko Jaric is a replacement for me, they're out of their minds," Cassell said of the Wolves management. "I'm happy for him. I'm happy he got paid. But that's not an upgrade. As players, we know."

Actually, Cassell didn't sound entirely pleased that Jaric, in the sign-and-trade transaction, landed a six-year, $37.9 million deal. Last fall, Cassell pressed the Wolves for a contract extension, seeking an added two years worth about $14.5 million.

"Six years? Forty million?" Cassell said. "Yeah, right. Yeah, right."

Cassell had a quick up-and-down stay with the Wolves. Acquired in June 2003, he turned in his best season at age 34, averaging a career-high 19.8 points, hitting 49 percent of his shots and landing on the All-NBA second team. The Wolves won a franchise-best 58 games, earned the No. 1 seed and might have reached the Finals if Cassell's left hip injury hadn't hobbled him against the Lakers.

Last season, post-surgery rehab cut into Cassell's offseason workouts. He skipped the first two days of training camp to show his displeasure with his contract. Then he strained his right hamstring, an injury that nagged him to a career-low 59 games. Cassell averaged 13.5 points, his lowest output in 10 years, and disliked having to come off the bench once Kevin McHale took over as coach. The Wolves missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

"Minnesota never got out of the first round until I got there," Cassell said. "Then when I got hurt, everybody knew [my value]. I don't take things personally. I know I was accused [of selfishness]. Spree and I came in as 'rebels.' But they had to blame somebody."

Late last season, team owner Glen Taylor did call the acquisitions of Cassell and Sprewell "a failed experiment." But McHale, General Manager Jim Stack and teammates never publicly cited those two as the cause of the lottery plunge.

"Sam came in, did a great job for us and brought a lot of success to the franchise," Stack said. "Then last year, things didn't work out so well. We felt Marko could help us, and we wouldn't have been able to get a guy of his caliber if Sam wasn't involved.

"It's a tough deal. When things don't go well, and guys are out there saying, 'I need this, I need that' and making tough statements, they kind of bring the microscope on themselves."

As for Cassell's claim that Garnett was unhappy with the trade, Stack said: "You want your best player on board with what you're trying to do. Kevin, generally, when things are not going the way he wants, he's pretty vocal about it. And I have not heard anything."

Wolves insiders have said that Garnett, on learning of Cassell's departure, was disappointed to lose another friend from the roster but has not expressed basketball concerns.

Basketball? Cassell's primary concern again might be business. The Clippers have a history of not extending players' deals and, in fact, might have acquired Cassell because his $6.1 salary comes off the books next spring. He still has not reported for his physical, though he has been scrimmaging informally in Houston.

"I'm going to have a hell of a year," Cassell said. "That's not even my concern. I just wish it was with my main man, Kevin Garnett. We made each other better. He made me an All-Star; I made him an MVP."

problem is sam, WHEN you got hurt, that pretty much did you in. you're old and can't be relied on for an entire season as a starting PG. you are now almost into backup PG territory in your career and it was your fault you settled for the $$$'s you did in milwaukee.

Cold but hard truth DJ. I love his game though, especially because i have no athleticism, he has the perfect game for a pg with no athleticism. His defense is worse than horrible.

^ Ya, too bad Kareem kept playing...

Posted by Killa4luv:

Cold but hard truth DJ. I love his game though, especially because i have no athleticism, he has the perfect game for a pg with no athleticism. His defense is worse than horrible.

i hate cassell. i just hate him. he's a big pain in the ass.

it's guys like these that are like, you know, if you just kept your mouth shut sam, you'd probably would've gotten a big time deal and would be revered and honored. but b/c he's a jackass, this is the situation he ends up in.

hey, as a ball player, he's freak'n awesome. one of the better clutch players in the nba the past decade.

but the sometimes you make the bed you lie in. like you said killa - it's the cold hard truth.

steph got his money. hopefully, his rep turns around this season b/c he has more individual talent than about 75% of the league. but sometimes, like i said, you make the bed you lie in.

how did that turn out? he isn't wanted by Boston and is an unsigned free agent.

Sam Cassell is a good basketball player when he wants to be. The thing I hate about situations like these are, he will soon be ranting about the Clippers. Watch and see. Afterwhile, you began to realize that for every winner...there has to be a loser.

Sam I Am, this is your life.

Basically, the Wolves are now a one man show. The one man is a top five player, but he's not enough. The Wolves won't make the playoffs and will be worse than last season.

There is a problem in the league when casell who is a two time champion and one of the games better crunch time players can't get a decent contract, yet guys like Redd get 90 mil, jaric 40+ mil, raja bell 40+ mil, and the list goes on and on....

See it just shows you what happens when you have lockerroom distractions..... (*cough* Marbury *cough*)