The Big Ticket Is In Boston!!

Kevin Garnett is my ULTIMATE favorite player of all time!! He's an amazing athlete and a perennial all star. The 6'11', 235 pound stellar forward was drafted fifth overall out of high school by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995. What later became a trend, he was the first player in over 20 years to be drafted right out of HS. In the 2006 season he averaged 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and shot 83.5% from the line. His career nembers are similar at 20.5 ppg, 11.4 rebs, 4.5 asts, and 78% ft, 1.4 stls and 1.7 blks. KG has started every single game since his 2nd year in the league. He is widely regarded as the best all-around player in the league. Riding KG, the TWolves made the playoff 7 straight seasons, from 1996 to 2003, and were knocked in the 1st round all 7 years. The Wolves finally overcame the 'first round curse' and made it to the NBA Western Conference Finals in 2004 but were beaten by the Lakers. From there everyone felt they were on their way to a championship, but they haven't made the playoffs since. In 2004 he garnered 120 of the 123 first place votes and was voted MVP. He has spent his entire 12 year career with one team, something that is rare to find this trade heavy NBA era. He's just one of those great guys that you hate to see work as hard as he does without the payoff of an NBA championship.

He's passionate, supportive and a great team leader. He is respected by all; the league, his peers, his coaches, his fans and the media. While I love his intensity, effort and sacrifice, it's getting progressively harder to watch him play. His progress season after season on both ends of the ball is amazing but the supporting cast hasn't been good in years. He leaves everything he has out on the floor but in his 12 years in Minnesota, that hasn't been enough. You always know he'll give you 20-10, I mean he's done it for the last 9 years straight! No one can guard him 1-0n-1. When you really love and appreciate an athlete that gives so much night in and night out with no supporting cast, it gets more disgusting to listen to trade rumors. I've been talking about a KG trade for YEARS but Minnesota refused to let him go. Not only that, Garnett didn't want to leave. He loves Minnesota but a man can't do it all by himself. There is a culture of losing in Minny that the owners refused to do anything about. As much as management claimed to appreciate him, they lacked the common sense and weren't proactive enough to make anything happen. The Timberwolves have a bunch of young guys, and doesn't have experienced, savvy veterans like himself. They were unwilling to build a team around their superstar, and when they did get players that contributed and helped the team win, they were unable to hold onto them. Stephen A. Smith said it well, KG's only problem has been his "undying loyalty to the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise." Minnesota should have done a better job, and KG tried to wait on them to build a team around him. It never happened. "I'm loyal to a point where if someone's loyal to me, then I have no problem with that. But when that changes, it's pretty easy for me," Garnett said. Reminds me of that Tupac song, "Do For Love." Chorus - What you won't do, do for love/You tried everything, but you don't get love.

The mere hint of a trade excited me, but I always disappointed when talks fell through. The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring Garnett! I'm already picturing him in the purple and gold!! Wait no, now it's the Phoenix Suns!! Here I am making plans to move to Arizona!! Still a no? Ok, now it's the Boston Celtics? Should I be falling for this one too? The Celts were coming at him around draft time and Kevin wasn't having it. The franchise is one of the most storied in NBA history, with numerous all stars, hall of famers and championships. But the the past couple of years they have been on a dizzying downward spiral. A team full young guys with little experience, no chemistry, and no confidence. It's even been said that they purposely tanked the season, losing as many games as possible so they could get a higher pick in the 2007 Draft. Now that's low. There's no reason to go from a non-contender to a sucka pretender. But after the draft, Boston acquired the 11-year pro Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics, and KG changed his mind. On 7.31.07 it became official. Kevin Garnett is the newest member of the BOSTON CELTICS! The Celtics got KG in exchange for sending guard Sebastian Telfair, center Theo Ratliff, and forwards Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes to Minnesota. The Wolves also get two future first-round draft picks and received cash considerations. This is the biggest deal in NBA history; trading one player for seven. "Kevin Garnett is a great player in our league, with a fierce and competitive spirit, who brings offensive scoring prowess and a defensive presence to our team," said Danny Ainge, Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics.

Garnett and Allen join veteran forward/guard Paul Pierce - THE BIG THREE BABY!! All have been All-stars multiple times, all have been in the eague for 9+ years, and NONE of them have an NBA Championship. None of them have been in the NBA Finals, but they've all played in conference finals. They are sooooo hungry, and a championship is in the very near future. The chemistry is going to be off the hook! Distribution of the basketball and points won’t be an issue. Garnett is a facilitator and is very unselfish. Ray Allen is a shooting guard, and in the 06-067 season averaged 26.4 pts, 4.1 assists, shot nearly 40% from behind the arc, and over 90% from the stripe. Paul Pierce has been with the Celtics his entire career, and averages 23.6 ppg, 3.9 asts, and 6.5 rebs per game. All of these guys are mature athletes and are itching to let everyone see what they've been waiting for for over two decades, The Return of The Boston Celtics! Garnett, Allen, & Pierce, 3 consumate professionals on 1 team. And it's interesting that Allen and Garnett were both drafted by the Timberwolves and are now playing for the Celtics. Full circle. Fresh start for everyone. THE BIG THREE BABY! The Boston Celtics are back on top! The Eastern Conference is now relevant again, and the Celts have catapulted themselves from the bottom of the barrel and are among the top 3 teams in the East. and I cannot wait for the season to begin. Clearly, neither can they.