Is KG eligible for the rafters?

[timobusa]

The Celtics will put KGs number up in the rafters.
And seeing that nobody has ever used #21 in Minessota since KG left, I'm guessing they will retire his number too.

[mmmmm]

Yes.

Pretty darn certain of that.

To dark_lord:  You may or may not be correct about whether other fans around the world think of KG as more of a T-Wolf or a Celtic because he spent more time in the former laundry.

But that really doesn't matter.  Whether KG ends up in the rafters of the Garden depends only on the value that the Celtics (and their fans) place on his career in Green.

He and Pierce will both definitely end up with their numbers hanging up there.

Also - on the longevity thing, KG is already at 396 regular season games started with the Celtics.   


EDIT:  removed longevity comparative statements for two reasons, a) meant 'games started', not 'games' and b) flaw in the stat query since several key players were omitted in the results due to those stats not being collected back then.

[Moranis]

Pierce is the only guy who should have his number retired from the current group.  Rondo if he sticks around awhile longer probably will as well.  I just can't see Garnett as deserving of it as this point.  It might actually take a title or at least another finals appearance for me.

That said, the Celtics have retired too many numbers.  My g-d there are some "awful" names up on that list.  As such, I can't imagine KG won't be up there, but I just don't think he should be.

[Moranis]

Let me clarify my "awful" statement from my previous post.  The guys up there were all good players, but there are a number (which I've listed below) that just shouldn't have their number in the rafters. 

• Tom Sanders
• Cedric Maxwell
• KC Jones
• Jim Loscutoff (his number is up there with cowens anyway, but his name shouldn't be up there)
• Don Nelson
• Frank Ramsey
• Ed Macauley

I'm fine with Walter Brown's and Red Auerbach's names being up there, but they shouldn't have a jersey number since they never wore a jersey.

[aporel#18]

Let me clarify my "awful" statement from my previous post.  The guys up there were all good players, but there are a number (which I've listed below) that just shouldn't have their number in the rafters. 

• Tom Sanders
• Cedric Maxwell
• KC Jones
• Jim Loscutoff (his number is up there with cowens anyway, but his name shouldn't be up there)
• Don Nelson
• Frank Ramsey
• Ed Macauley

I'm fine with Walter Brown's and Red Auerbach's names being up there, but they shouldn't have a jersey number since they never wore a jersey.

Disagree. Those were great players, Hall of Famers, as KG will be. And aside from Macauley, who was traded for Bill Russell (beating Russell's Celtics in 1958 for the title), the rest were 'lucky' to play with the best player ever, but that doesn't take anything from their talent. They contributed to multiple championships, so we should be proud to have their numbers retired. Just as when KG's number is retired in the near future.

[Moranis]

Let me clarify my "awful" statement from my previous post.  The guys up there were all good players, but there are a number (which I've listed below) that just shouldn't have their number in the rafters. 

• Tom Sanders
• Cedric Maxwell
• KC Jones
• Jim Loscutoff (his number is up there with cowens anyway, but his name shouldn't be up there)
• Don Nelson
• Frank Ramsey
• Ed Macauley

I'm fine with Walter Brown's and Red Auerbach's names being up there, but they shouldn't have a jersey number since they never wore a jersey.

Disagree. Those were great players, Hall of Famers, as KG will be. And aside from Macauley, who was traded for Bill Russell (beating Russell's Celtics in 1958 for the title), the rest were 'lucky' to play with the best player ever, but that doesn't take anything from their talent. They contributed to multiple championships, so we should be proud to have their numbers retired. Just as when KG's number is retired in the near future.

Being a contributor to multiple titles should never be the standard for your number in the rafters.  And most of those guys had less than 8 years in Boston.  Being in the Hall of Fame isn't enough to get your number in the rafters in my mind.  You need to be a cornerstone piece with a decade of service to the team.  When you think of the Celtics none of those guys come to mind.  These are the guys you think of: Russell, Cousey, Hondo, Sam Jones, Cowens, JoJo White, Bird, McHale, Parish, Lewis (given the way he went especially), and Pierce.  A few others are worthy (and have their numbers up there), but any more than that then you are really disrespecting the guys that deserve it.

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

Also - on the longevity thing, KG is already at 396 regular season games with the Celtics.  That's 1 more than Havlicek and just 4 less than McHale.   

what? I honestly don't know what you are intending with the regular season games thing here but what you wrote is completely wrong and must be some sort of mistake. Not trying to be schmuck but wondering what you are trying to get at.

[BballTim]

Also - on the longevity thing, KG is already at 396 regular season games with the Celtics.  That's 1 more than Havlicek and just 4 less than McHale.

  ?

[SHAQATTACK]

Minn owes him an statue as they wasted him .

KG was born to be a Celtic ....the NBA gods screwed up and sent him to the wrong green team.

KG  is Hall of Fame and should be given every honor  as should Pierce.

Ray Allen really messed up ....he an't winning a ring this year.

[mmmmm]

Also - on the longevity thing, KG is already at 396 regular season games with the Celtics.  That's 1 more than Havlicek and just 4 less than McHale.   

what? I honestly don't know what you are intending with the regular season games thing here but what you wrote is completely wrong and must be some sort of mistake. Not trying to be schmuck but wondering what you are trying to get at.

Yes - my bad.  My quick stats query was poorly formed and I clearly am not able to function without more coffee than I had had at that point.  I edited the comment to fix.

[mmmmm]

Also - on the longevity thing, KG is already at 396 regular season games with the Celtics.  That's 1 more than Havlicek and just 4 less than McHale.

  ?

Yeah, yeah.  I messed up.   Fixed now.

[PhoSita]

while KG has been a great celtic, i just dont see him as a celtic when thinking of his career.  i think of him as a timberwolf.  im willing to guess the majority of people (around the world), when they think of kg, in relation to his entire career, see it the same way.  i could be wrong, just my two cents

I think people will ultimately view KG as a T-Wolf as much as people will think of LeBron as a Cavalier.

Which is to say, pretty much only people from the local areas of those teams.


Don't people think of Shaq as a Laker, first and foremost?  I know I do.  What about Ray Allen?  I don't think of him as a Buck, or as a Sonic.

I think Chris Paul will be remembered as a Clipper, assuming he doesn't leave the team this summer.

Kidd will be remembered as a Net primarily.  Nash will always be known as a Sun, not a Maverick or a Laker.

Payton will always be a Sonic.  Malone will always be associated with the Jazz.

Kareem is a Laker, through and through.

For better or for worse, players are ultimately associated with the team with whom they really made their legacy.  For KG I think that's unquestionably the Celtics, even though his most dominant years were in Minnesota.

[hwangjini_1]

i looked over some of the current retired numbers and based upon what i found, yes, KG should have his number retired by the celtics. some players played for more than one team, or, played similar number of years for the celtics.

the point seems to be that they were fan favorites who made permanent and substantial contributions to the celtics. plus, these are players whose attitudes and actions helped define that which is good in the celtics team.

KG fits that.

http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/RetiredNumbers.html


Dennis Johnson - No. 3 - (Number retired December 13, 1991)

"DJ" played for the Celtics for seven seasons, from 1983 through 1990...He helped lead the Celtics to a pair of NBA world championship titles in 1984 and 1986...Was also a member of the Seattle SuperSonics world championship team in 1979, and earned Most Valuable Player honors that year in post-season play...Was named to the All-NBA second team in 1980...Was named an All-NBA first team member in 1981...Was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team five consecutive seasons (1978-79 through 1982-83) and again in 1987...Was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team three straight years (1984, 1985, 1986)...Was a five-time NBA All-Star 1979-82 and 1985...Was an Assistant Coach for the Celtics from 1992-93 through 1996-97...Passed away on February 23, 2007.

Ed Macauley - No. 22 - (Number retired October 16, 1963)

"Easy Ed" was one of the Celtics first superstars...Was a member of the Celtics for six seasons, from 1950-51 through 1955-56...Was on the All-NBA first team in 1951, 1952 and 1953...Was on the All-NBA second team in 1954...6-time NBA All-Star...Was the 1951 NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player    - in the first ever All-Star Game, which was played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951...Elected to the Naismith Memorial basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.

Cedric Maxwell - No. 31 - (Number retired December 15, 2003)

Cedric Maxwell, affectionately know to his teammates and friends as, "Max", became the 22nd and most recent Celtics great to have his number retired...Also nicknamed "Cornbread"... Cedric, Boston's top pick (the 12th pick overall) in the 1977 NBA Draft (from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte), played eight seasons for the Celtics, from 1977 through 1985... in 1979 and 1980, he led the NBA in field goal percentage... in 1978-79, "Max" shot 58.4% from the field and in 1979-80, he shot a blistering 60.9% from the floor... he helped lead the Celtics to the NBA World Championship title in 1981 and 1984... in 1981, he was named the NBA Playoff Most Valuable Player... he is the Celtics all-time leader in field goal shooting percentage, shooting an incredible 55.9% (2,786-for-4,984) from the floor.

Reggie Lewis - No. 35 - (Number retired March 22, 1995)

Played six seasons in the NBA, all with the Celtics, from 1987-88 through 1992-93...Was a quiet yet well-respected leader...Started 352 career games...Was an NBA All-Star in 1992...Was named the NBA Player of the Week on April 13, 1992...Was the team captain in 1992-93...Led the team in Minutes Played and Points three consecutive seasons from 1990-91 through 1992-93...Is the only player in Celtics history to have 100 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season - 1991-92 (394 rebounds, 185 assists, 125 steals and 105 blocks)...Passed away on July 27, 1993.

[Sizzlack]

Let's see. Intensely loyal player who changed the culture of the team, revitalized a fan base, and brought a championship back for the first time in over 20 years; who also has become as synonymous with the word "Celtic" as any player since Larry Bird.

Ya, I think he belongs in the rafters. No disrespect to Wolves fans, but the bottom line is that KG is going to go down as a Celtic. He embodies everything the Celtic mystique is about.

When considering retiring a number I always ask this question to myself, "Ten years from now, if I saw someone else wearing a Celtic jersey with that number, how would I feel about it?" When it comes to the #5, the answer is without question, "It'd feel wrong."

[mmmmm]

Let's see. Intensely loyal player who changed the culture of the team, revitalized a fan base, and brought a championship back for the first time in over 20 years; who also has become as synonymous with the word "Celtic" as any player since Larry Bird.

Ya, I think he belongs in the rafters. No disrespect to Wolves fans, but the bottom line is that KG is going to go down as a Celtic. He embodies everything the Celtic mystique is about.

When considering retiring a number I always ask this question to myself, "Ten years from now, if I saw someone else wearing a Celtic jersey with that number, how would I feel about it?" When it comes to the #5, the answer is without question, "It'd feel wrong."

Well put.

And it isn't really 'disrespect' to T-Wolves fans.  They can and should retire Garnett's Timberwolf jersey.   I mean, can you imagine some other Minnesota player wearing his #21jersey?

All that matters for whether a team retire's a player's jersey is how THAT team feels about that player.

Hence, Dennis Johnson is an all-time great for both Seattle Sonics fans AND Celtics fans.