TEAM'S SPIRIT GROWS\McHale works on Timberwolves.

Byline: Sam Smith Chicago Tribune 

There's a good reason why Kevin McHale said back in 1993, when Michael Jordan first retired, that within a few years Jordan would hardly be remembered.

"And he wouldn't have been if he didn't come back," insisted McHale. "Everyone in Chicago said I was crazy and they went nuts. But two years after he retired there's no more stories about him other than some little notes about him playing baseball.

"Larry Bird left, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) left, Wilt (Chamberlain) left and he was bigger than anybody," said McHale. "For anybody, all of us, it's just a great ride and then you get off. You're important but just for a short time. What everyone has to understand, what I'm trying to get these guys to understand, is there's something more important than the individual."

It's the team and the community. And it's ironic that it's Kevin McHale, the insouciant former Boston Celtics star who used to drive Bird crazy with his jovial approach to everything, who is trying to turn the worst team in the NBA into a serious, caring, winning bunch.

"I make the analogy with these guys as the difference in owning a $100,000 Mercedes or having an Avis rent-a-car," said McHale, general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves. "If you own it you take better care of it. If you don't, you trash it and leave it. That's got to stop. Those guys you get rid of. The guys with a sense of ownership and commitment you keep."

That's one big reason why Christian Laettner, the highest draft choice in team history, was traded last week.

And as unexpected as it seems that the Timberwolves will become a contender - they've never won 30 games in a season, have only won more than 22 games once and have averaged 19 wins per season the past four years - it would seem just as unexpected McHale was going to be the one to change that, unless he was going to suit up and play again.

Although he was one of the greatest post players ever in 13 seasons with the Celtics, in which he played on seven All-Star teams and three NBA championship teams, McHale was a blithe spirit who once fostered a deep feud with Bird because Bird said McHale's behavior suggested he didn't care enough.

"I always thought athletes were over-glorified people who just happened to be well paid for what they were doing," said McHale.

So when he retired in 1993 on the way to the Hall of Fame, McHale, with five small kids, figured to just head back to his native Minnesota and watch basketball, maybe do some broadcasting while working his way through an ever-present bag of popcorn.

"I'm not somebody who ever stayed up nights dreaming about running a team," said McHale.

But when Glen Taylor purchased the team last March, he asked McHale to take over the basketball operation.

Now, it wasn't like McHale didn't know basketball. As a Celtic playing for one of the smartest teams ever with Bird, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson and Robert Parish, McHale used to sit for hours with teammates discussing opposing players' weaknesses.

And he wasn't going anywhere. Being able to move anywhere, he chose to return to Minnesota.

And last week, when McHale dumped Laettner for Andrew Lang, Minneapolis Star columnist Dan Barreiro noted, "If Jack McCloskey makes the deal, he's barbecued. Fortunately he still has his name going for him."

But it's more than that as McHale decided, as many athletes do, even if an executive career never seemed likely, that he needs to keep competing.

"The thing I missed most in my life is I got away from the challenges," said McHale.

Taking on the Timberwolves would seem to be challenge enough for anyone.

And McHale isn't backing off. He fired coach Bill Blair 20 games into the season, then dumped Laettner so the team could feature 19-year-old Kevin Garnett more. He noted the lack of a center and point guard, and got Lang and has an eye on Allen Iverson if he leaves Georgetown. He's gotten Isaiah Rider to behave and brought in veterans such as Terry Porter and Sam Mitchell to tutor the youngsters.

"I really hated what was going on here," said McHale. "I was taking it personal. People were always saying the Wolves stunk. Now, I'm hammering away at these guys. They have to take responsibility. The way to get the respect is to win.

"I'm telling these guys, 'You can have all the sneaker money and TV exposure, but it's the respect that is worth something.' I can lose all the money I made tomorrow," said McHale. "But I'll never lose my accomplishments. Those 13 years I played went like that, and even if no one remembers, I feel good about what I left and I want these guys to get that feeling."

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Photo As Timberwolves GM, Kevin McHale is demonstrating the same drive he showed as a Celtics star. Daily News File Photo