O’Donnell: Edwards, chasing Jordan, set for another takeoff

UNLESS THERE IS A SUPREMELY THEATRICAL TALENT commanding the marquee, following the final month of an NBA season is very much a niched taste.

Who of post-Beanie Babies magic has driven any sort of significant crossover interest?

Michael Jordan, for sure. LeBron James, in all his power and might, yes. Kobe Bryant — bless him — if the winds off an El Segundo sunset were blowing right.

Tonight at Target Center in Minnesota, Anthony Edwards hopes to continue his advance up that platinum-gold billboard.

“THE ANT MAN” IS the 22-year-old fangs of the Timberwolves. They are favored in the best of seven Western Conference Finals over the unpredictable Dallas Mavericks (Game 1, 7:30 p.m., TNT, truTV).

(Tedious Boston is playing upstart Indiana in the ECF. To watch Game 2 Thursday night on ESPN, voice remote “basketball snooze” or the sleepily synonymous “Doris Burke and JJ Redick.”)

Trendinistas are already straining to compare Edwards to young Jordan. They are of the same mindset as those who lamented not having seen the Beatles at The Cavern Club or Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama in first run on PBS's “Check Please!” in 2001.

The full truth is that way back when, no one knew Jordan would elevate and become “Michael!”. In the end, his basketball transcendence was one thing; the off-court dramas — many engendered by the Tut-and-Mutt contrarians Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause — were regally texturizing agents.

EDWARDS IS A SUPERB young pro basketball player, now in his fourth NBA season. He's fun to watch. The Timberwolves are fun to watch, generally not the norm in today's space 'n fling NBA.

They can actually win on crunchtime defense, as they showed Sunday night in their entertaining 20-point comeback vs. defending champion Denver. The win clinched their slot in the WCF.

But “The Ant Man” as the new-mill “M.J.?”

First a better nickname.

And then he has Air miles to go before he reaps.

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

FOR THE SECOND WEEKEND THIS MONTH, metro Louisville showed it's rather haunted when it comes to hosting major sporting events.

On the first Saturday in May, stewards at Churchill Downs devalued the finish of the 150th Kentucky Derby by not posting the “Inquiry” sign after compromising stretch contact between place-posted Sierra Leone and battered show horse Forever Young.

(Sierra Leone - clearly guilty of repeated lugging in under jockey Tyler Gaffalione - should have been dropped to third. Millions of dollars in gimmick wagers were affected.)

This past weekend, city overseers and their police department almost shredded the PGA championship at the town's vaunted Valhalla Golf Club.

LOWLIGHT OF THE TOURNAMENT was the now-notorious arrest of Scottie Scheffler, merely the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world.

Scheffler had the extreme misfortune of being caught in a confused traffic jam near dawn following the accidental death of John Mills, a 69-year-old security guard at the tournament.

Mr. Mills was struck by a tournament shuttle bus just before 5 a.m. on the busy five-lane Shelbyville Road outside the main entrance to Valhalla.

About an hour later, Scheffler did or did not immediately obey a directive from a Louisville police detective who had been pressed into traffic control duty.

The detective, Bryan Gillis, also conveniently didn't have his body camera on as stipulated by LPD protocol.

ESPN'S JEFF DARLINGTON WAS ABLE to record the immediate aftermath of Scheffler's arrest with his smartphone. The air of imperiousness long ascribed to Louisville police is evident.

Darlington and Bob Wischusen witnessed all of the encounter from an ESPN van that Scheffler slowly passed to try and expedite entrance to the golf course. (Wischusen also is radio play-by-play man for the New York Jets.) Scheffler was unaware of the tragic reason for the delay.

Wischusen had since indicated all contact between car and police officer was initiated by Detective Gillis.

After Scheffler was shuttled to jail, fellow pro Will Zalatoris later told media there was locker-room discussion of not playing the PGA's second round on Friday.

ON TUESDAY, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said his police department will conduct an investigation into whether all appropriate protocols were followed.

(Quick answer: No they weren't, as evidence by Gillis not having his bodycam on and the stated eyewitness accounts of Darlington and Wischusen. Discipline against the detective may be suspended because of the chaotic nature of the incident. Hopefully, more sensitive parties involved are providing financial assistance to the family of Mr. Mills.)

Scheffler remains charged with one felony count and three misdemeanors. His next court date court is June 3. An update is expected Thursday.

To top it all off, Valhalla played poorly throughout the weekend. Some blamed it on the rain.

DESPITE THE INTELLECTUAL INERTIA of the judges at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby isn't moving anywhere.

As for the PGA, tour chieftains may be very slow to pencil in Kentuckiana any time soon for another major.

There's simply too big a risk of another imperious haunting.

Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.