After leaving Minnesota, Kevin Garnett can finally spread his wings.
2007-08 NBA Season Preview
“Kevin Garnett, who crawled through a river of **** and came out clean on the other side. Kevin Garnett, headed for Boston. Those of us who knew him best talk about him often. I swear, the stuff he pulled. Sometimes it makes me sad, though, Kevin being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright and when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice, but still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone. I guess I just miss my friend.”
My favorite player. My favorite movie. For some reason Kevin Garnett and The Shawshank Redemption’s Andy Dufrense have always seemed connected to me. They were two innocent men who found themselves trapped in a prison. And despite the impossible circumstances they faced, they never gave up hope. In Andy’s case, it only takes two and a half hours of film for him to burrow through a wall and make his escape. In the real-life tragedy of Kevin Garnett, it took twelve painful years before he was finally sprung free.
The fact that Kevin Garnett’s days in Minnesota were numbered was something he and his fans had been denying for so long. We kept telling ourselves that there was a way out of our mess, that if we held strong, we’d eventually reach that light at the end of the tunnel. We waxed poetic about what it meant for KG to play out his career Minnesota and how no other group of fans could ever appreciate him the way we did. We were willing to push all our chips to the center of the table and support Garnett no matter what the cost, and he, in turn, was willing to stand firm and go down with the ship as our captain. No matter how miserable or painful the future may have become, we were willing to endure it for each other. That’s the kind of bond that’s formed over seven consecutive first-round playoff exits. We figured if those seasons didn’t kill us, nothing could. And so we stubbornly hung on, trading any hope of a better day for the sense of pride that comes from never quitting.
Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale didn’t see it that way. For better or for worse, they can’t view the Minnesota Timberwolves as a cause or an ideal. To them, it’s a business and a livelihood, and going “all-in” on Garnett was simply too risky. When season, after season, after season showed no signs that this franchise was anywhere close to contending, the only choice they had was to mortgage their biggest asset for a shot at rebuilding. So after a rollercoaster summer filled with rumors, Kevin Garnett became a Boston Celtic in the largest trade for a single player in NBA history. It was a move that neither Garnett nor his fans had wanted at the end of last season, but it was a move that, in retrospect, was in the best interest of all.
As the 2007-08 NBA Season begins, Kevin Garnett will have the opportunity to reach a level of success that he has only had once before. In many ways, his latest squad mirrors that of those legendary 2003-04 Minnesota Timberwolves. Both were former down-trodden franchises who were revitalized by two major trades. Both times a franchise player was given a shot at redemption as two All-Stars joined his side. And if my predictions for this year’s Celtics are correct, both times a team counted out for having three stars and not much else, will exceed expectations and bring Kevin Garnett to new grounds.
Although Phoenix may have represented a guaranteed title for KG, I wouldn’t have picked any other destination for him than Boston. In Phoenix, he would have simply been the player to throw the Suns over the top. It’s in Boston that he gets the opportunity to take a team that was second-to-worst in the league last year to the NBA Finals. It’s in Boston where the superstar, known for appreciating the game’s history, gets to wear the jersey worn by Bill Russell and Larry Bird and add to their franchise’s legacy. Also, thanks to the incredible success of the Red Sox and Patriots, Kevin Garnett has now been thrust into the booming center of the sports universe. After seeing KG unjustly suffer in obscurity for his entire career, it will be extremely satisfying to watch him bask in the spotlight.
For years, my biggest argument against a Kevin Garnett trade was the undeniable tarnish it would put on his legacy. For me, being able to play one’s entire career in one place and become a local legend seemed to be something far more rewarding and long-lasting than the temporary thrill of winning a championship nobody will remember in 30 years. Kevin Garnett seemed to grasp that concept as well, as he repeatedly made it clear he wanted to be a Timberwolf for life. I felt that trading Garnett, no matter how good a deal it would be for the Wolves, would be robbing him of that opportunity to become a legend. After all he had done for the Timberwolves franchise, I couldn’t condone a move like that.
In some ways I was right. Even if Garnett manages to grab three or four titles with the Celtics, they will never mean as much as him winning just one in a Timberwolves uniform. For Boston fans, they’ll just be more trophies on a shelf that’s already more crowded than any other team’s. In Minnesota, that championship would have meant everything. People would have gone to their graves talking about that title. So trading Garnett away definitely took away his opportunity to achieve his biggest-possible accomplishment. However, in other ways I was wrong. Because as huge as winning a title in Minnesota would have been, the odds were extremely, extremely against that ever happening. By keeping Garnett on the Timberwolves, it was almost guaranteed that he’d play out the majority of his remaining career wasting away on a non-playoff team. Sure, he would have earned a place in the fans’ hearts as a long-suffering hero, but after twelve seasons, I think it’s safe to say he’s already accomplished that. Even to the bitter end, Kevin Garnett never stopped wanting to be a Timberwolf. He was practially dragged, kicking and screaming, to the promised land because he was so loyal to his fans.
That’s the kind of player that Minnesota Timberwolves fans got to support for over a decade. As sad as it is to watch him go, we all know, deep down, that it was the best thing for him. He couldn’t stay in his cage. Kevin Garnett was too big and too bright of a star to be contained in Minnesota, or any one city for that matter. A player of Garnett’s caliber belongs to everyone. If there’s any consolation for Wolves fans in the wake of KG’s departure, it’s that fact. For twelve incredible years, we got to have Kevin Garnett to ourselves, and now we have the privilege of sharing him with the world.
This generosity, perhaps, could not have come at a better time. The decade-long quest to find the “next” Michael Jordan has come up empty The NBA’s ratings are struggling, and fans have failed to connect with the selfish and cocky Kobe’s and LeBron’s. All along, the true treasure of the NBA has been buried up north. He may not fit the mold of His Airness, but a player as talented, intense, loyal, respectful, and generous as Garnett is someone that you can’t help but root for. KG has always been the perfect player to be the NBA’s front-man, but his small city and franchise’s failures have precluded him from being the headliner. Now that he’s finally in a bigger market and on a legitimate title contender, the world will finally embrace Garnett just like Wolves fans have for his entire career.
As this NBA season tips off, Kevin Garnett finds himself surrounded by everything a basketball player could ever ask for. A great franchise, talented teammates, loyal fans, fame, fortune, and happiness. A scenario such as this was absolutely unthinkable even a few months ago. Yet here he stands in green and white, poised to make a run at his first NBA title. The cells in Minnesota may be that much greyer in his absence, but those of us still living there still have a reason to smile. It may not be exactly the way we wanted it, or how we’d always dreamed it would be, but the thing we wanted most has finally come to pass.
Kevin Garnett is free.
Predictions:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston
2. Toronto
3. New Jersey
4. Philadelphia
5. New York
Central Division:
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Indiana
5. Milwaukee
Southeast Division
1. Orlando
2. Washington
3. Atlanta
4. Miami
5. Charlotte
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
1. Utah
2. Denver
3. Portland
4. Seattle
5. Minnesota
Pacific Division
1. Phoenix
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Golden State
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Sacramento
Southwest Division
1. San Antonio
2. Dallas
3. Houston
4. New Orleans
5. Memphis
PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Orlando
4. Cleveland
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Chicago
8. Atlanta
First Round:
Boston over Atlanta
Detroit over Chicago
Orlando over Washington
Cleveland over Toronto
Conference Semifinals:
Boston over Cleveland
Detroit over Orlando
Conference Finals:
Boston over Detroit
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1. San Antonio
2. Phoenix
3. Utah
4. Dallas
5. Denver
6. Houston
7. New Orleans
8. L.A. Lakers
First Round:
San Antonio over L.A. Lakers
Phoenix over New Orleans
Utah over Houston
Dallas over Denver
Conference Semifinals:
San Antonio over Dallas
Phoenix over Utah
Conference Finals:
San Antonio over Phoenix
NBA FINALS:
San Antonio over Boston
