Incessant Ramblings of an Idle Mind...: May 2008

#21 Minnesota Timberwolves (Forward) (1995-2007)
#5 Boston Celtics (Forward) (2007-08)
Nickname: “The Kid”; “The Big Ticket”
Ht: 6’ 11” Wt: 253lbs.
Born May 19, 1976 (Mauldin, South Carolina)
School: Farragut Career Academy. Illinois

Disappointed over his inability to qualify for a college basketball scholarship, Kevin Garnett made his decision to turn pro straight out of high school and declared himself a candidate for the 1995 NBA Draft. He was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1^st round (5^th pick) becoming only the fourth player in NBA history at that time, to jump from prep school to pro.

In his rookie campaign he initially came off the bench but soon moved into the starting lineup and averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Garnett was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and played for the Western Conference Squad in the 1996 Schick Rookie Game during the All-Star Weekend. He concluded his rookie season as the youngest player in the NBA at the age of 19 years and 11 months.

The following season’s highlights included making his first All-Star Game appearance, reaching the 1,000 milestone in both career points and rebounds and helping Minnesota make their first playoff appearance in franchise history although they were swept in the 1^st round by the Houston Rockets.

During the 1997-98 NBA season, Garnett became the franchise player when he signed a contract extension worth $126 million for 6 years, which was met with shock around the league, since it was of an unprecedented value at that time. That same year he led the Wolves to their first winning record (45-37) and to their second straight postseason appearance, and their second straight exit in the first round. This was a prelude of bad luck to come for Garnett and his team for they never made it past the first round of the playoffs since.

In the lockout shortened 1999-2000 season, Garnett achieved another milestone when he became only the 9^th player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game in a season. He continued the streak for 6 consecutive seasons (1999-2005). The 2002-03 NBA season saw Kevin Garnett named MVP of the 52^nd NBA All-Star Game scoring 37 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 steals in the West’s triumph over the Eastern Conference squad. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team.

The 2003-04 campaign was when things finally seemed to come together for Garnett and his team. This was the year when he earned his first NBA Most Valuable Player award, reached 7,000 career rebounds and also became the 5^th youngest player to reach 13,000 points. He also led his team past their first round jinx of the playoffs in to the Western Conference Finals but were eliminated in six games by the Los Angeles Lakers. This was also the last time that they would make any postseason appearance. He signed a contract extension October 1.

In 2004 he became the 12^th player in league history to amass 15,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists. This was also the year when internal friction was felt within the Minnesota franchise as key players were pushing for lucrative contracts and some were unhappy with their roles. It resulted on the team failing to qualify for the playoffs after eight consecutive runs.

In 2007, after years of successive playoff misses and frustration over the team’s incapacity to build a better team around him, the enigmatic forward was traded to the Boston Celtics in a 7 for 1 deal that has become known as the largest number of players traded for a single player in NBA history. Now wearing jersey #5, Garnett has teamed up with Paul Pierce and the sweet shooting Ray Allen to form the celebrated Celtics “Big Three” and has transformed the previously cellar dweller Celtics into instant title contenders.

Known for his defensive intensity, Garnett has changed the face of the Boston franchise and the team has suddenly become feared for its stifling defense, due in large part to Garnett who has made the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times over his career and was recently named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for 2008. Because of this, Garnett has become a large contributor to Boston's recent championship title and in the process has given him the one NBA hardware he has been searching for in his career- an NBA championship ring.

With career averages of: 20.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, Kevin Garnett is truly one of the NBA’s elite players and his impressive resumé speaks for itself.

CAREER SEASON AVERAGES