Garnett comes home

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm3D4wKe8fY[/youtube]

MINNEAPOLIS - He walked out of the west tunnel at the Target Center at precisely 7 p.m. CST. Two minutes of continued ovation later, Kevin Garnett was gone.

After much consternation - Would he make the trip? Would he agree to come out and acknowledge the crowd? How much of a ceremony would be enough? How much would be too much? - the public portion of Garnett’s return to the Twin Cities was short and very sweet.

“It was terrific,” said Celtics [team stats] coach Doc Rivers. “It’s not about the player and the team. It’s about the player and the fans. And the fans got a chance to cheer and say hi to Kevin. Kevin went out and said hi to them and acknowledged them. That’s what it’s always about. I thought the Minnesota fans were classy, and I thought Kevin was classy. It was touching and great.”

The crowd cheered the former face of its franchise from his first step into the seating area. Garnett walked out near midcourt while the PA man gave him an intro as if he were playing. He waved, bowed, pounded his chest and pointed to the fans.

As Garnett turned to walk back to the dressing room, “Thanks for the memories, KG” was flashed on the scoreboard along with a photo of him hoisting the 2003-04 MVP trophy. The announcer said, “One more time for KG,” but the crowd hadn’t stopped its initial ovation.

Source

I was at this game (of course!) and it was a great moment. He's only been gone a few months but we all miss him here in Minnesota. Hopefully, he got the idea that everyone back home in Minnesota is still rooting for him even though he represents Celtic green now.

I wish he could have played but obviously they are playing for something bigger than a reunion game. I wish him and the Boston Celtics the best of luck.

Go KG!!!

That's great to see. So often in sports, former players are booed mercilessly and even classy individuals like Grant Hill are mocked and labelled "thieves" because in the eyes of the fans they didn't earn the big contracts they signed (even though circumstances beyond his control prevented it) so it's great to see that respect and acknowledgement. The fact that the parting wasn't particularly bitter or full of harsh words probably helped, of course.

Should KG get a ring in Boston, it'll be interesting to see if he'd return to the Timberwolves when his contract expires for a farewall tour. At that point he'd be 36 so his best years would definitely be behind him but depending on what happens in Minnesota between now and then and whether or not he has anything left in the tank, perhaps he could be a part of a Timberwolves championship. But speculation of fairytale endings aside, it's great to see sports fans showing their respect and appreciation for a former player like that.

As for the game itself, I was looking forward to watching it after I got home from work, but unfortunately as I turned on the TV to make sure the game had finished (and to stop the recording), ESPN Post Game was on and ruined the result for me.

Nice share Riot.

Strange for a guy who wears his emotion on his sleeve on the basketball court to hide his emotions while acknowledging the crowd.
Maybe KG still has plans to go back to Minny in the near future as Andrew said.

Perhaps he was a bit overwhelmed by the reception.

I'm not going to click on the play button and watch that video, but I'm sure it is a video about Kevin Garnett coming back to Minnesota in one of the 2 games in which the Celtics beat the T-Wolves.

I'm sorry that KG now wears green Riot.

There, you now have 4 replies and this thread is at the top of the page, no more complaining.

Make that 5, this is a very good moment for Minnesota and KG. And I'm also looking forward to see KG play against his former team.

You haven't?
(Forgot the play date)

31 mins.
4-5 FGM-A
2-2 FTM-A
10 Pts
2 OReb, 14 DReb
2 Ast
1 Blk
1 Stl (which was the last play to win the game when he stole from Telfair)

I think he only played against his former team when in Boston.

I'm also looking forward to see KG play against his former team.

Meh I don't watch TV that much these days.

T-Wolves owner: Garnett ‘tanked it’

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) - Responding claims that his team tanked it down the stretch in recent years to improve draft position, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor fired a barb at Kevin Garnett on Tuesday.

Taylor pointed out that Garnett, who was traded to the Boston Celtics this offseason, took himself out of the lineup late last season and missed the last five games with a sore right quadriceps.

“It was more like, I’d say, K.G. tanked it,” Taylor told the Pioneer Press. “I think the other guys still wanted to play, but (the loss of Garnett) sure changed the team and didn’t make us as (good).”

There's something not quite right about accusing Kevin Garnett of tanking because he sat out the final five games due to his sore quad, having given it his all for 76 games on a lottery bound team. A tendency to quit on his team and a poor work ethic are not qualities I'd attribute to KG just because he sat out five inconsequential games at the end of last season, while he was ailing no less.

This seems so random. Glen Taylor turning on KG all of a sudden. KG is the last person I'd accuse of not giving it his full effort. He plays with so much emotion that it's hard to say that he isn't playing at 100%.

I think KG is overrated. He's really good, but overrated .

Didn't KG really wanted to play but he was benched instead by the coach because of the "injury" which many people thought was just a command from the higher-ups to tank.

Seems like Minnesota is poisoning itself out of acquiring potential free agents in the future with those comments from the owner.
I pity Al Jefferson, he's going to be stuck in that crap of a team.

i dont get why people are still talking about it. there is no reason for this guy to be opening his mouth other than to just and come off as the "good guy". what this man was never taught it seems is that even if he is right kg's popularity will always make him the good guy and some rich bastard of a owner will always be the "bad guy"

The odd thing is, you'd expect a shot like that to come in response to a remark that KG made, yet it was responding to a column in a local newspaper suggesting that the Timberwolves should start tanking this season.

KG hits back.

Garnett responded after Boston’s victory in Houston later Tuesday.

“Glen Taylor was good to me while I was a Timberwolf. I’m a Boston Celtic now. I’m not going to be going back and forth and saying tasteless things,” Garnett said. “That’s not in my character. I’ll let him speak if he wants to.

“I have nothing to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s my past and I’m in a new chapter in my life. I thank him for the opportunity, for giving me, when I was younger, being able to not only explore my dream, but to make it to where I am today. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.”

Garnett’s agent, Andy Miller, said Taylor’s remarks were “ridiculous.”

“KG has never been questioned, nor would he ever be questioned by anyone, about his effort or desire to win and accomplish team success,” Miller said in a phone interview. “During his tenure in Minnesota, nothing was more important to him than bringing a championship to Minnesota.”

Boston coach Doc Rivers heard about Taylor’s comment earlier in the day.

“I could care less about that,” Rivers said. “That had nothing to do with us. That’s last year’s stuff.”

But even that's not really hitting back. He could easily go the route of the estranged former player and throw about accusations of the Timberwolves making bad moves but he's not stooping to that level.

Why do you want "media blood" Andrew, does this has something to do with how crappy the Bulls are this season and the way it's affecting you?

I don't, I think it's great KG isn't interested in a war of words. It's quite refreshing to see.

Garnett played numerous of games over the past three years injuried with tendinitis in his knees along with numerous of other ailiments. He didn't sit out because he gave up on the team, he sat because we were mathmatically eliminated and nobody else on the team gave a shit. Why would he go out there and give his all when nobody else and it's all for nothing? When he goes on the court he plays "balls to the walls", there is no half speed for him. I can't blame the guy if he thinks it isn't worth it for him to go out there for no reason.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure atleast two years ago the team forced Garnett to sit out. I'm not positive about this past season but regardless, I wouldn't call it tanking and I certainly wouldn't come out and say it to the public. All Glen Taylor is doing is making himself look classless and bitter. Garnett is the best thing that has ever happened to this franchise of his and it doesn't make sense to go and try to smear his name. I like it that Garnett is taking the high road here but Taylor is out of line to make these comments at Garnett. It just seems cold.

It's nice to see Garnett showing class and not fighting back against Glen Taylor. I don't really see why Taylor is bringing this issue up. I don't know why he's trying to feud with KG.

Garnett tanking evidence: http://www.basketball-reference.com/box ... 90MIN.html

If he hadn't have sat the last five games they would've finished 34-48! That no good tanking bastard!

It's nice to see Garnett showing class and not fighting back against Glen Taylor. I don't really see why Taylor is bringing this issue up. I don't know why he's trying to feud with KG.

He's obviously trying to defend his team and in particular those players who were teammates of Garnett last year, but attacking the best player in his franchise's history who's immensely popular and has a tremendous competitive drive and work ethic is a foolish way to go about it.

League fires back at Taylor

DALLAS - An NBA official said last night the league called Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and chastised him for recent comments about Kevin Garnett. Taylor, however, was not fined.

It was mentioned during the Mavericks/Celtics game yesterday as well.