By Jordan Long
Kevin Garnett is mulling retirement. Garnett has played in the NBA for a record tying 21 seasons. He is tied with Kevin Willis and Robert Parish, who also spent 21 years in the NBA. It is time for him to walk away.
Garnett was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first-round of the 1995 draft right out of high school. In his first season Garnett had 10.4 points, 6.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. These were decent numbers for a rookie earning him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second team. His only NBA MVP came in 2003-2004. He averaged a career high 24.2 points 13.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Garnett spent 12 years with Minnesota.
On July 31st 2007, the Timberwolves traded Garnett to the Boston Celtics for centers Al Jefferson and Theo Ratliff, small forward Ryan Gomes, point guard Sebastian Telfiar, small forward Gerald Green, and a first-round pick. That was a lot to give up for the Celtics, but they were building a championship team.
Garnett spent six seasons with the Celtics. His one and only NBA championship came in 2008 with Boston. That year Garnett averaged 18.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. He would remain in Boston until 2013.
On June 28th, 2013 he was once again traded, this time to the Brooklyn Nets. Besides landing Garnett, the Nets also received small forward Paul Pierce and shooting guard Jason Terry while Brooklyn sent three first-round picks, power forward Kris Humphries, small forwards Gerald Wallace and Kris Joseph, and shooting guard MarShon Brooks to Boston. Garnett would only play in Brooklyn for one and half seasons before returning to Minnesota.
Garnett showed his age last season. He only appeared in 38 games because of bad knees. He averaged a career low, 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks per game.
It’s time for Garnett to walk away from the game. I know this is a difficult decision, but what else does he have left to prove. He has one NBA ring and was named the NBA MVP once. Garnett was voted to the NBA All-Star game 15 times while taking home the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2003. He was one of the best NBA defensive players. Garnett led the league in rebounds four times and was named Defensive Player Of The Year in 2008. Garnett was even selected to the First Team NBA All-Defensive Team 9 times and 3 times to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Garnett is the franchise leader in Minnesota for points scored at 19,201.
The only reason to come back is money. He has one-year and $8 million left on his current deal. Garnett should hang up his sneakers. He can’t play a whole 82 game schedule and would require much rest during the season. Hopefully, Garnett will decide in the next few weeks to retire. Then his Hall of Fame career would be complete
What do you think Kevin Garnett should do?
Leave a Reply