Michael Ventre
NBC sports


— From nightclubbing to ice fishing. Latrell Sprewell was traded Tuesday and now has to go from the limelight of New York City to the flashlights of Minnesota. He’s probably mad enough right now to choke somebody.

BY DISCARDING SPREWELL in a blockbuster four-team trade — there were reports late Tuesday that it might be five, with the Kings getting in the mix — the Knicks no longer have an identity. And perhaps that is a good thing, because the one they had was characterized by bloated contracts, mediocre play and a bleak future.

Sprewell was not the problem in New York. Fans were enamored of him because he could score baskets in droves and did so in a flamboyant manner. He was a fine player to have if you have other fine players.

Unfortunately, he was also emblematic of a Knicks front office that was so petrified of alienating its high-rolling fan base that it eschewed a long-range plan and instead paid out a truckload of greenbacks to Sprewell and Allan Houston, who basically fulfill the same task. And when Antonio McDyess went Ken Griffey Jr. on them, the Knicks had two rich stars who could shoot, but not much else.

Now they have Keith Van Horn, a frontline enigma who can score and rebound but is bereft of passion and charisma. In New York, there are “No Parking” signs with more panache than Van Horn. There is a reason the 6-10-240-pound forward is entering his seventh NBA season and will now be working for his third employer.

They are also rid of Sprewell, whose name became synonymous with modern day player-coach friction when he massaged P.J. Carlesimo’s Adam’s apple while the two were at Golden State together.

To his credit, Sprewell has not tried to asphyxiate anyone since arriving in New York in January of 1999, at least to my knowledge. He has been a good citizen for the most part, if you don’t count the occasional civil trial, speeding ticket or broken hand that may or may not have occurred during a party on a yacht. Fear of litigation prevents me from touching that one any further. And don’t forget that he led the charge to the ’99 NBA Finals, a losing effort against the Spurs.

Spree will miss Manhattan. But he should count his blessings when he adds up the talent in his new lockerroom.

By shipping Spree to the T-Wolves, the Knicks unload his fat salary and take a risk that fans will understand there is a greater purpose here, if only someone could articulate it.

The Knicks hope McDyess can get back healthy. A lineup featuring McDyess, Houston, Van Horn and draft picks Mike Sweetney and Maciej Lampe might form the nucleus of a contender.



If it goes through as constructed, the Philadelphia 76ers, who had Van Horn, would get Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson from the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta, in turn, would wind up with Minnesota’s Terrell Brandon.

For the Timberwolves, adding a star of Sprewell’s magnitude takes much of the scoring load off the back of Kevin Garnett, while sending a message that the franchise has every intention of advancing past the first round of the playoffs someday. Sprewell’s addition tells Garnett that when his contract is up, there’s no need to let Gregg Popovich or Mark Cuban buy him dinner, or for that matter, to take the veteran’s exception to play in L.A.

Spree is the most recent infusion of talent in Minnesota. General manager Kevin McHale also signed big man Michael Olowokandi to a free-agent contract. He got Sam Cassell in June from the Bucks for the relatively low, low price of Joe Smith and Anthony Peeler.

Minnesota quietly (up until the Sprewell shocker) has assembled a feisty Western Conference challenger. Spree, KG, Cassell, the Candy Man, Wally World and Troy Hudson. On a club like that, Sprewell might be so happy that coach Flip Saunders won’t have to wear a steel turtleneck.

In Los Angeles, the Lakers now have a four-man shooting gang of Shaq, Kobe, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, all of whom are potent scorers. With the addition of Spree, Minnesota isn’t quite that loaded on offense, but they’re suddenly multi-dimensional and capable of keeping up with teams like Dallas, Sacramento and San Antonio.

In Philadelphia, the addition of Big Dog is a big help to Allen Iverson. Van Horn didn’t seem to be the answer there, and it’s probably better that he leaves the ornery presence of Philadelphia Fan and moves on to the relative docility of New York Fan.

Robinson is a more formidable all-around player, even though he sometimes shares some of the same lethargy that has plagued Van Horn’s career. But when Robinson is on, he’s tough to stop, since he has a more versatile offensive repertoire. Of course, you never know how he’ll adjust to watching AI put up 50 field-goal attempts per night. That can sometimes irk a grumpy veteran who is used to having his fill of looks and touches.


Then there are the Atlanta Hawks, and as usual, I have no idea what they are thinking. This is an underrated franchise in the sense that it is far worse than it gets credit for. If Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara were alive today and sitting at courtside, they’d probably be disgusted enough to burn a Confederate flag.

I don’t know quite what’s up with obtaining Brandon, but I’m sure the Hawks are not finished. This could just be a salary dump in order to make the sale of the franchise more palatable. Their best player remains Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and they are probably trying to figure out how they can unload him for somebody with a career-threatening injury. The term “trading down” did not originate with the draft. It began in Atlanta. Actually, it’s just as well. I’ve been in favor of a Jessica Lynch-style rescue of Shareef for some time.
But the news here is that Spree has been set free. Good for him. And I hope the Knicks see this as the first step in a grand plan. Knowing them, however, it was more likely a clerical error.

Honestly, for Spree's sake, I hope this trade goes through. It's not like trading him is going to transform the Knicks from world-beaters to scrubs. We already there...