The plan involved Garnett and the side’s coach Flip Saunders, who coached Minnesota between 1995 and 2005, before making a return to the franchise in 2014.
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The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Garnett, who was signed for $8 million this season, had reached a contract settlement with the Timberwolves earlier on Friday.
“I would have absolutely been interested in bringing him here”.
Garnett, who transferred to Chicago’s Farragut Career Academy for his senior year, came straight to the National Basketball Association from high school in 1995, paving the way for others like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James to do the same.
Now, he’ll finish his career as the highest earning athlete in league history.
It seems fair to say that Karl-Anthony Towns would have preferred to be around Kevin Garnett every day for an additional year, but now that Garnett is riding off into the sunset, Towns appears poised to carry the torch, both for the organization and the league as a whole.
In 2007, Garnett moved to the Boston Celtics after 12 years with the Timberwolves, forming the Big Three with superstars Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. “He held himself to the highest standard of preparation and performance for a remarkable 21 seasons”.
Garnett informed the Timberwolves of his decision to retire on Friday. I’ve never met such a relentless competitor or such a great teammate.
Garnett was (is?) listed at 6-foot-11, with a running joke he should have been listed as 6-foot-13. He didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a big man that needed to stay around the basket when he was so much more.
But the play that epitomised what Garnett stood for throughout his career, and rightfully took the top spot, was the passage of play that saw him block a shot, rebound the ball and then head up the other end and throw down a vicious dunk.
Garnett departs as one of the league’s elder statesman.
The news comes with the Timberwolves first training camp under Tom Thibodeau set to begin Tuesday.
“I’m going to offer him something”, Rivers said. I don’t expect this to be easy, but so far, so good.
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