It's dawned on me that we might be seeing the last handful of regular season games with Kevin Garnett as a Celtic. I hope KG comes back here for a couple more years and finishes out his Top 15 of all time career as a Celtic, but there is a chance that he's played himself into a last contract bigger than what the Celtics plan to give.
I certainly hope not. KG has shown that he should be getting at least a 2 year $20 million deal this summer. As he puts more time between his play and his knee operation, Garnett looks more and more like the 2008 KG, minus the hops.
A quote from Keyon Dooling about KG is telling:
"He's incredible. I guarantee you if you did a poll of everybody who has played with Kevin Garnett, I guarantee you he would probably be 98% of people's favorite teammate. He is that guy. He is that guy. He's the glue. If somebody is not going well, he's the guy to pick him up. If there's a problem, He's the one to address it. If somebody needs to be taken up for, he's the one to do that, if there's a question that needs to be asked and somebody doesn't want to ask it, he does that. He is amazing."
"I guarantee you if you went around the locker room, everybody who has been around him, ask his former teammates, he is incredible, man. He is an incredible man. He should get awards every year for the man, the mentorship he gives to young guys, the work ethic that he shows them and instills in them. The camaraderie that he gives to the team. You know what I mean? The way he embraces everybody on the staff from the video coordinator to the masseuse. Kevin Garnett should be an ambassador. He is that kind of personality. He is amazing."
I've always admired KG from afar when he came into Boston as a Timberwolf, loving his intensity and his incredibly ability. A young KG skying to pluck rebound after rebound, many of them at the top of the square, was breathtaking. He ran the floor like a gazelle and shot like a shooting guard. KG was one of the few players who probably could have played in the NBA a foot shorter than his 6'13". Now, I appreciate him even more that some of the physical gifts aren't as eye-popping. The smarts he plays with almost all the time. The way he imbues a defensive confidence in his entire squad, with him QB-ing the defense every possession.
This old dog ever did some new tricks, moving to center and playing some of the best basketball in the league at his new position, despite being too lithe to handle some of the interior bodying work that a top center needs to do in the paint, and despite playing with light rebounding bigs like Bass and Steamer. (I do have to admit that K's unwillingness to box out consistently drives me crazy).
I hope KG decides to play out his majestic career in green, but if this is his last tango in Boston, I just want to thank him and be thankful that he became a Celtic. From watching him warm up that first game in fall of 2007 against the Wizards, and seeing that same pre-game intensity that I used to see in Larry Bird, to putback dunking on Gasol's head in the 2008 Finals, to this final playoff push, KG has been amazing to watch and root for.
Even if this is it, Garnett's number 5 should go up in the rafters despite his few years in Boston. His legacy will live on in Boston through Banner 17 and through the mentorship he's provided to the generation of Celtic player who will carry on after he's gone, starting with Rajon Rondo.
Topic: KG Appreciation Thread (Read 1331 times)