Win-Win Situation for the Timberwolves

The completion of the Kevin Garnett for the Celtics' entire roster is complete after talks that were on and off for months. The trade exchanges Garnett to Boston for Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Al Jefferson and two future first-round draft picks.

On the surface this trade appears to be trading a potential future Hall of Famer for a bunch of menial players. Instead it's more like a potential Hall of Famer past his peak for a couple emerging stars and a few others with immense potential. The following explains why this is a Win-Win situation for the Timberwolves:

The Timberwolves weren't going to reach the playoffs with or without Garnett this year. Minnesota probably wouldn't have made it any of Garnett's remaining years in the league, either. So they traded him for a handful of skillful players, a couple potential stars and two first round picks - who could be stars. This trade was a thoughtless "YES" for the Wolves to make.

Jefferson is a budding star. Don't tell me he won't be any good in the West - he had little scoring help this season with Pierce out and still managed to put up numbers. Mind you, that was ON THE NBA's WORST TEAM.

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Green's potential has no cap, thanks to his surreal athleticism. His skill isn't bad either. I cede that Telfair has had inexplicable legal troubles - but he can play the point. He has little range, but magical ball handling skills, solid strength and decent speed. On a team with a few scorers, he can distribute. Gomes is a minor question mark, but has a true NBA body. He'll have to compete for a spot down low, and he'll know it quickly.

Lastly, Ratliff provides the experience to mentor the aforementioned names and the two future first rounders. These picks could be monumental if the right player falls in the right spot in the future.

Don't forget that Rashad McCants, Randy Foye and Craig Smith will now want and be forced to compete for starting spots and minutes. Foye and Smith should be moved by management's effort to build a solid team for the long haul. Maybe this will inspire McCants to do something with his God-given talent, but I personally doubt it.

Minnesota has a plethora of skillful, young players dying to prove themselves in the NBA. From this they may eventually form a talented TEAM from these young players; Garnett never had that chance.

DISCLAIMER: This column is NOT AT ALL intending to argue that the Timberwolves can be or are immedately a better team from this trade. They're not, but they're not far away and will certainly catch up to the KG team's tortoise-like pace.