The Minnesota Timberwolves Originally Didn't Want Kevin Garnett.
December 20th 2007 10:02
The Boston Celtics may have dropped their first game of the season at home, but they still own the best record in the NBA, and it is due to the presence in the team of a certain player by the name of Kevin Garnett. Yes, KG has reinvigorated a proud franchise and even if the Big Ticket never gets his title, he’ll still be considered as one of the
greats.
Garnett has been so good for so long that it is hard to remember that the man once had to prove himself. Yes, all rookies do have to earn their plaudits, even the elite of the elite. However, KG was a high school phenom jumping straight to the NBA at a time when this occurrence was a rarity. There were many question marks regarding Da Kid.
Current coach of the Detroit Pistons, Flip Saunders, who funnily enough is the puppet master of the team that defeated the C’s today, was the man calling the shots on the bench when KG broke into the league with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Before today’s contest, Saunders was reminiscing about that crazy time in 1995 when the T-Wolves owned the fifth pick, and wanted to sabotage the lottery teams ahead of them by hyping up the high schooler by the name of Kevin Garnett. In consultation with head office personnel, Flip was waxing lyrical at how much they wanted KG, whilst secretly hoping that the franchises with the higher picks would snare him so they could get either Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, or even, Joe Smith! Eek.
"So we went and we watched him work out," Saunders said, "and about five minutes in, I turned to (vice president Kevin) McHale and said, 'We better hope he's still there at No. 5.' "(Jahnke, Free Press, 2007)
To be fair, ‘Sheed, ‘Tone and Stack aren’t total busts, but Joe Smith! This anecdote just illustrates how inexact the science of drafting rookies is.
The success of Garnett as a high school player, jumping to the pros was the start of a flood that saw players such as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James bypass college and straight to NBA glory. Those days are behind us now with the new NBA laws in place, but it is funny to remember how much reservation there was at the time at how Garnett would fare in the pros. Experts and pundits were in almost universal agreement that KG would suffer, and that a boy didn’t belong in a man’s game.
How things have changed. Let’s leave the final word for Saunders though who was a sage when coming to assessing the talents of the Big Ticket.
"He's going to go down as one of the greatest power forwards of all time," Saunders said. "I said it eight years ago when he was 24, he would go down as the most versatile player to ever play the game.
"No one is as versatile as him when you look at a guy who can score, rebound, can defend all five positions, is a great passer, his unselfishness and his passion to play. He's a special player. Fortunately for me, I was lucky to coach him for nine years." (Jahnke, Free Press, 2007)
Here are today’s top 10 plays for everyone to enjoy.
KG is the G.O.A.T. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
Garnett has been so good for so long that it is hard to remember that the man once had to prove himself. Yes, all rookies do have to earn their plaudits, even the elite of the elite. However, KG was a high school phenom jumping straight to the NBA at a time when this occurrence was a rarity. There were many question marks regarding Da Kid.
Current coach of the Detroit Pistons, Flip Saunders, who funnily enough is the puppet master of the team that defeated the C’s today, was the man calling the shots on the bench when KG broke into the league with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Before today’s contest, Saunders was reminiscing about that crazy time in 1995 when the T-Wolves owned the fifth pick, and wanted to sabotage the lottery teams ahead of them by hyping up the high schooler by the name of Kevin Garnett. In consultation with head office personnel, Flip was waxing lyrical at how much they wanted KG, whilst secretly hoping that the franchises with the higher picks would snare him so they could get either Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, or even, Joe Smith! Eek.
"So we went and we watched him work out," Saunders said, "and about five minutes in, I turned to (vice president Kevin) McHale and said, 'We better hope he's still there at No. 5.' "(Jahnke, Free Press, 2007)
To be fair, ‘Sheed, ‘Tone and Stack aren’t total busts, but Joe Smith! This anecdote just illustrates how inexact the science of drafting rookies is.
The success of Garnett as a high school player, jumping to the pros was the start of a flood that saw players such as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James bypass college and straight to NBA glory. Those days are behind us now with the new NBA laws in place, but it is funny to remember how much reservation there was at the time at how Garnett would fare in the pros. Experts and pundits were in almost universal agreement that KG would suffer, and that a boy didn’t belong in a man’s game.
How things have changed. Let’s leave the final word for Saunders though who was a sage when coming to assessing the talents of the Big Ticket.
"He's going to go down as one of the greatest power forwards of all time," Saunders said. "I said it eight years ago when he was 24, he would go down as the most versatile player to ever play the game.
"No one is as versatile as him when you look at a guy who can score, rebound, can defend all five positions, is a great passer, his unselfishness and his passion to play. He's a special player. Fortunately for me, I was lucky to coach him for nine years." (Jahnke, Free Press, 2007)
Here are today’s top 10 plays for everyone to enjoy.
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Comment by Sports Insider
Comment by Stanley
i have to say that is one impressive basketball brain you have there.
Comment by Spennies
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Another fact more well known is that current Toronto coach (Sam Mitchell) actually voluntarily gave up his starting spot to KG after he realized that he could help out the team if he would receive more minutes.
Sam Mitchell my kind of player, could you see that happening in today's NBA?
The Jet in Dallas is an example, but can I ask you this. If he hadn't just signed a deal that pays him around 8 mil a year, would he still be as willing?
Comment by Stanley