{"id":6019,"date":"2010-11-15T05:13:59","date_gmt":"2010-11-15T10:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/?p=6019"},"modified":"2014-03-03T10:32:33","modified_gmt":"2014-03-03T15:32:33","slug":"is-kevin-garnett-ruining-his-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/sports-editor\/11\/15\/is-kevin-garnett-ruining-his-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Kevin Garnett Ruining His Legacy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson first come to mind. But amongst this list of greats, we shouldn’t overlook Kevin Garnett. No, he’s not the best player ever, but his talent and amount of time in the league shouldn’t be discounted. Or, as we’ve seen since Garnett joined the Boston Celtics, his ability to spout off insults at a moment’s notice at whatever player is in the immediate vicinity. As he starts his 16th season in the NBA, many are starting to wonder: is it time for Garnett and his volatile attitude to move on from basketball?<\/p>\n

In July 2007, 12 years into an impressive NBA career, Garnett was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Boston’s 2009 first-round draft pick (top 3 protected), the 2009 first-round pick Minnesota had traded to Boston in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of 2006, and the ever-present \u2018cash considerations\u2019. This move marked the single biggest trade for a single player in NBA history.<\/p>\n

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Everyone remembers the anticipation for the new Boston Big Three when Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce on the Celtics. And they certainly didn\u2019t disappoint. The Celtics won the championship, while Garnett surpassed 20,000 career points and was named Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

And then everything came crashing down. Garnett fell during a game in February 2009 after a failed alley-oop attempt caused a strain in the tendon of his right knee. The injury took him out for the rest of the season and playoffs, and greatly debilitated his play in the 2009-2010 season. In 2009-2010, Garnett missed 13 games with knee and ankle problems, and posted up numbers — 30 minutes, 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and .8 blocks per game — well below his career averages.<\/p>\n