Kevin Garnett turned the projected Class of 2021 at the Hall of Fame from magical to wonderful when he announced his retirement Friday and started the clock on the five-year wait period to be enshrined with fellow first-ballot automatics Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan and possibly wild card Gregg Popovich.
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The Timberwolves will waive Garnett, which will allow him to collect his $8 million salary for the upcoming season.
He single-handedly dragged the Minnesota Timberwolves to relevancy in the the league throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s – reaching their peak in 2004 when he was named Most Valuable Player and led the team to the Western Conference finals.
During his 21-year career, he scored 19,201 of his 26,071 points and took down 10,718 of his 14,662 rebounds for Minnesota. Garnett played six seasons after being traded to Boston after spending his first 12 seasons in Minnesota.
The wristband of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett commemorating Flip Saunders, Malik Sealy and Kirby Puckett is seen January 12 at Target Center. I’ve never met such a relentless competitor or such a great teammate. “He held himself to the highest standard of preparation and performance for a remarkable 21 seasons”. The Wolves, who won 58 games in 2003-04, dropped to 44 wins the following season, one which saw Saunders fired mid-season.
“I thought in Boston he just changed our culture”. “He loves the game and played it with a passion you just don’t see very often”.
Saunders” sudden passing and the dismissal of head coach Sam Mitchell – another close friend – at the end of the season dashed the original plans to have Garnett transition into an ownership position with the “Wolves, and pushed him toward the decision to retire. The point guard was the NBA MVP in 2011 but has battled injuries since, not appearing in more than 66 games in any season.
The 15-time All-Star ranks 17th in National Basketball Association history with 26,071 career points, ninth in career rebounds with 14,662 and 17th in career blocked shots with 2,037. We talked. I know what I must do. “I mean he’s quite aware of it, but it’s not keeping him up at night, so we’ll leave it at that”. “I’ll take it from here”.
In 2007, Garnett was dealt to Boston, where he teamed up with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to win the 2008 National Basketball Association championship.
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So much has changed since.
