An important little trade

Now the Telfair deal is less troublesome. President of Basketball Operations David Kahn acquired a decidedly sub-mediocre 34-year old backup point guard with an expiring contract in a trade with Oklahoma City the other day, and in terms of short-term tinkering, it was a savvy swap. Unlike the departed Telfair, Atkins shouldn't and won't have any illusions that he is the best long-term answer for the Wolves as a floor general. And because he knows that whatever precious few meal tickets he has left in this league will be contingent on him being a selfless teacher who doesn't make waves, he should be able to help Jhonny Flynn and (if he's here) Rickey Rubio with the ways and means of point guard challenges in the NBA. Let's have no illusions about Atkins. The high-water mark in his career was five years ago when he started every game for a Lakers franchise treading sludge between championships. He's averaged more than five assists per game just once in te...