Tell Kevin Garnett that this isn’t his season. I dare you.
This is it. In a few hours the Timberwolves will begin the fifteenth season in their history. Never before has a season been filled with so much anticipation. Never before has their been so much hope within the Timberwolves nation. Never before have the stakes been higher. We’ve spent the last fourteen years of our lives following one of the most down-trodden, luck-deprived franchises in the history of professional sports. We’ve endured seven years of wallowing in the depths of lottery land, followed by seven years of suffering through playoff defeat, after playoff defeat without ever getting to feel the thrill of victory. We’ve felt our dreams get smashed to pieces as we’ve watched our favorite players walk out the door. We’ve felt, and are still feeling even tonight, the frustrations of a constant barrage of injuries. We’ve shed tears as we’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death. We’ve felt pain and heartbreak like few other franchises have. And as much as all this has pained us to bear these burdens day after day. There’s one person who it’s hurt the more than any of us can understand: Kevin Garnett.
He didn’t owe himself anything. He could have easily walked away from Minnesota and leave all the heartache and disappointment behind. He didn’t owe them anything. He had every right to turn his back on this organization that had screwed him over. He didn’t owe us anything. He had every reason find somewhere else better to play and leave our hopes and dreams in shambles. He could have.
But he didn’t.
And now in the few remaining moments before that first ball is tipped, some of you don’t believe. You’re happy with the moves the Wolves made, but you don’t think that they’re good enough. You don’t have the faith that when this season comes to a close, the Wolves will be the only team left standing. You don’t have enough trust in Kevin Garnett. I know it’s easy to do. Every expert, analyst, and prognosticator has downplayed the Wolves ability. After years of frustration, it’s difficult to believe that this season could be any different. But before you begin to doubt, before you predict anything other than the Wolves winning it all, ask yourself this: After everthing he’s done for the Timberwolves, can you look Kevin Garnett in the eye?
Can you look him in the eye, and tell the best defender in the game that he can’t stop the offense of the Mavericks?
Can you look him in the eye, and tell a man who just got his first real shot at a title, that he will fall to a Kings team whose window has closed?
Can you look him in the eye, and tell the man who had the MVP award robbed from him that Tim Duncan will once again get the best of him?
Can you look him in the eye, and tell the most unselfish player in the league that he can’t overcome the egos of the feuding Lakers?
Can you look him in the eye, and tell Kevin Garnett that even though he finally has the help he’s waited for, he’s just not good enough to lead this team to victory?
I can’t. And I won’t. I am bound and determined to believe with every fiber of my being that this Minnesota Timberwolves team will win the NBA title. Maybe it won’t happen. Maybe I’m just setting myself up for yet another major disappointment in April. Maybe my heart will break a little bit more than everyone else’s if they don’t win it all. But I’ve made a choice. One day this season is going to end. And I’ve decided that I’m willing to risk having my hopes shattered just for a chance that when it’s all over, the Timberwolves will be champions and I’ll be able to know within my heart that I believed in this team all the way. It’s the only way I would want it to be. Maybe it’s not that big a deal for you. Maybe that feeling of complete satisfaction isn’t worth the risk of having your heart ripped in two. Maybe you just don’t have enough faith.
I guess real question isn’t whether you can look Kevin Garnett in the eye. The question is whether you can look inside yourself and believe in your team when everyone else isn’t giving them a chance.
You get your first opportunity tonight…
