Tracy McGrady's frustrated friend, Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves, finally has had a wonderfully long summer. The T-Wolves at last got Garnett some help, as Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell and Michael Olowokandi have arrived with the free-agent cavalry.

They made the bold moves that they hope finally will deliver Garnett to the second round of the playoffs and head off his possible defection as a free agent after the season.

"Sounds good," McGrady said Thursday.

With the T-Wolves loaded like never before, the pressure could be on McGrady to shake the label long pinned on Garnett: The best player never to make it past the first round.

McGrady is now 0-for-3 in Orlando.

And the pressure could turn up on the Magic to continue improving the club and try to keep McGrady from developing a wandering eye. T-Mac can explore opportunities as a free agent after the 2004-2005 season if he chooses to opt out of his seven-year, $93 million contract.

That's 164 regular-season games left on McGrady's deal with the Magic, a little more than a baseball season, actually. It sounds like a long ways off, but time flies when you haven't ever gotten out of the first round, and T-Mac already is heading into year No. 4 with Orlando.