Layman back in starting lineup GDT

[Coolbreeze44]

Early years KG was a model of what you wanted the face of a franchise to be. Respectful, hard working, competitive, and extremely good at his craft. It was after he became established that his boorish behavior came to light. He was a bully, but even worse he was a coward at the same time. I'll never forget the time I had courtside seats and witnessed him go complete thug on a young Trailblazer in an effort to intimidate him. It was so bad it prompted the Portland coach to tell him to grow up. The word mothereffer streamed from his mouth constantly. He didn't have much respect for his white teammates, and yes he did punch Wally in practice. I'm guessing it was probably a cheap shot and then he ran away. And Doper, your comment rationalizing it because it was Wally is just ridiculous. Wally was the consummate professional who did nothing but support his teammates.

If you can look past all of KG's faults and see him as just #21 for the Wolves, good for you. If you're able to do that I can see why you would be so fond of him. But I'm not capable of that separation and I would hope you would respect that too.

[Coolbreeze44]

People don't want Kg for this organization for the exact opposite reason they wanted Ricky. Cool!!
Players come from all walks of life. As a fan base of the losingest organization in all of sports we reserve the right to expect all of our players to not only be great at basketball but also rescue babies from burning buildings.

I accept that players come from all walks of life, and I respect that. And I respected KG's play on the court...by far the greatest player in this franchise's history, and his uniform number should be retired. A person doesn't have to be honorable for me to appreciate or cheer for what they do...I still think some Woody Allen movies are funny, I still listen to Michael Jackson, I appreciate Leonardo Da Vinci's genius, and Kirby Puckett is still my favorite Twin of all time. Even though all 4 are or were despicable men who should have been jailed for their actions.

But this topic is about whether we want KG to be the owner of the team or not, and many of us recognize that he would have been a disaster in that role (I'm saying "would have been" rather than "would be" because he is not a viable candidate to own this team, and never was). Glen Taylor has been a terrible owner who has made some franchise-killing moves, but at least he is an educated man ad successful businessman with an ability to communicate in the mother tongue. KG is a thug surrounded by a cadre of thugs...I still remember his posse in their baggy pants and gaudy jewelry occupying 4-5 courtside seats during KG's days here. Glen has hurt this franchise, but KG is just plain stupid. Do we want a guy who lost $77 million through bad investments and then sued to try to get it back making the business decisions for this team? Do we want the guy who insisted we sign Troy Hudson just because he thought his music was cool making decisions for the Timberwolves?

Yes, hang his uniform from the rafters...he deserves that. But be very grateful he will never have anything to do with directing the future of this franchise. He's a bad guy.

Just because someone speaks differently or wears gaudy jewelry doesn't make them a "thug."

Basing your judgement on someone by how they talk or look is just as bad as being racist. Judge people by the content of their character and actions not what they look or talk like.

So sure he probably wouldn't make a great majority owner which he was never going to be, even minority owner he might have swayed others into poor hiring practices. Overall though I think he would have been a net positive as it would have been even more likely the Wolves stay in MN and KG himself does value winning above all else. I would have taken my chances with KG as part owner.

That's fair, WF. The whole idea of having a "posse" sucking up to and living off you is distasteful to me, but I agree their appearance should not be the issue...you're right. And in response to Doper's questions, I'm not going to compare KG's marital behavior to Kirby's. I would agree that Kirby was worse, but KG was awful too. Many NBA players cheat on their wives, but few did it so openly, cruelly and flagrantly as KG. It was pretty easy to spot the women at games that he bought season tickets for...the glares they would get from his wife Brandi as well as from Jimmy Jam and his wife told you all you needed to know. And how classy is a guy who made over $300 million during his career, but refuses to pay his ex-wife anything? Scum. And how about the fake tough guy act on the court...he would instigate fights with his trash talk and elbows, but then he would be the first one to run for cover when the other guy would retaliate. Sure, I cheered for him because my team's chances were dependent on him...just like I cheered for Kirby and I cheer for Sano. But I never felt good about it. He's a bad guy and I am relieved he will never be part of this franchise...even as a minority owner.

Glen has been a terrible owner, but at least he is stable. KG is erratic...you never know when he is going to explode on IG without anyone able to understand what the provocation was. He says (in some language I have to admit I have a difficult time understanding) that he is pissed he is not being given a chance to own the team. But not one of the many guys that cover the team have any knowledge of who his "syndicate" is (and most doubt that he really has one), and nobody has ever seen any evidence of an offer he has made to Glen. I think the guy is crazy, and not very smart. The drama would have been interesting if he ever got involved in an ownership group, but his buying into the team is about the only thing I can think of that might make this franchise even worse than it is. Thanks for the on-court memories, KG, but don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Damn, thanks for adding the additional perspective. I knew he was scum but I didn't know some of these things. Not surprised though. Also glad you mentioned the instigating and then turtling he would do on the court. Hard to respect him as a man.

[thedoper]

Early years KG was a model of what you wanted the face of a franchise to be. Respectful, hard working, competitive, and extremely good at his craft. It was after he became established that his boorish behavior came to light. He was a bully, but even worse he was a coward at the same time. I'll never forget the time I had courtside seats and witnessed him go complete thug on a young Trailblazer in an effort to intimidate him. It was so bad it prompted the Portland coach to tell him to grow up. The word mothereffer streamed from his mouth constantly. He didn't have much respect for his white teammates, and yes he did punch Wally in practice. I'm guessing it was probably a cheap shot and then he ran away. And Doper, your comment rationalizing it because it was Wally is just ridiculous. Wally was the consummate professional who did nothing but support his teammates.

If you can look past all of KG's faults and see him as just #21 for the Wolves, good for you. If you're able to do that I can see why you would be so fond of him. But I'm not capable of that separation and I would hope you would respect that too.

Cool the Wally comment was a joke. Competitive people get in fights all the time during practice, Wally and KG both got over it. Certainly not worth adding to any "evidence" that KG is a thug.

[thedoper]

From Jackie McMullens piece back in April where she interviewed Billup and Wally. Wally the "consummate professional" had a reputation of being kind of a dick himself, what a thug.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/14172961/the-cruel-tutelage-kevin-garnett



"That guy, Billups says, was former Wolves teammate Wally Szczerbiak. "I got along with Wally just fine, but he was kind of a know-it-all," Billups says. "I took his arrogance to be a positive all players gotta have, but KG took it a different way. It was KG's team, his voice, his show, his everything. Anyone who differed was going to be an outcast."

The tension boiled over during a November 2000 practice, when Szczerbiak reportedly got picked off and chided Garnett to call out the screens. KG responded curtly, "Play some defense," the pickoff seemingly a consequence for whatever expectation Szczerbiak wasn't meeting defensively. Szczerbiak took exception. It accelerated into a shouting match, which spilled into the training room. Punches were thrown. Ask Szczerbiak about it today and he says he was simply a young player trying to stick up for himself. "I felt like I had some leadership qualities," he says. "I'm not a guy who will take a back seat all the time, and in certain scenarios I'm going to speak up for what's right. At times it definitely got me in trouble."

Worth noting: the fact that Szczerbiak and Garnett played six-plus seasons together and were teammates in the 2002 All-Star Game. "We figured it out," Szczerbiak says.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Some of the comments in this thread are cringeworthy. Yikes. If we want to play the dangerous game you're playing... I have no choice but to think negatively about who you are as a person by the things you type... even if it passes the grammar police.

A few other notes:

- Tim Duncan was also swindled out of tens of millions of dollars by the same guy as Garnett.
- Such "thugs" as Steve Kerr, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird and many others have been lionized and applauded for fighting... be it opponents or even famous teammates.
- I don't know about the dalliances Garnett had while married... nor do I care. The cheating that goes on in the NBA, entertainment world... real world... disgusts me. The list of thugs who'd make it would take far too long for me to write. So, it's simply a lot easier to judge people in what I do know... their on-court actions... instead of assuming I know what they're like off the court.

- All that being said... I really did hate KG's posse. I'm 99% sure that I shared the story of playing them in a men's league years back. Garnett came to one of the games and was extremely chill. But his buddies... yuck. They were dicks. AND... the best part... they sucked at hoops. They were terrible basketball players. But in a men's league... as they all sped off in KG's Range Rovers, Mercedes and Porsches after losing by 40... while we headed home in our Honda Accords and Ford Tauruses...

[Coolbreeze44]

Some of the comments in this thread are cringeworthy. Yikes. If we want to play the dangerous game you're playing... I have no choice but to think negatively about who you are as a person by the things you type... even if it passes the grammar police.

A few other notes:

- Tim Duncan was also swindled out of tens of millions of dollars by the same guy as Garnett.
- Such "thugs" as Steve Kerr, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird and many others have been lionized and applauded for fighting... be it opponents or even famous teammates.
- I don't know about the dalliances Garnett had while married... nor do I care. The cheating that goes on in the NBA, entertainment world... real world... disgusts me. The list of thugs who'd make it would take far too long for me to write. So, it's simply a lot easier to judge people in what I do know... their on-court actions... instead of assuming I know what they're like off the court.

- All that being said... I really did hate KG's posse. I'm 99% sure that I shared the story of playing them in a men's league years back. Garnett came to one of the games and was extremely chill. But his buddies... yuck. They were dicks. AND... the best part... they sucked at hoops. They were terrible basketball players. But in a men's league... as they all sped off in KG's Range Rovers, Mercedes and Porsches after losing by 40... while we headed home in our Honda Accords and Ford Tauruses...

Glad to hear you whipped up on the posse. But I'll add that KG's on court actions are what I despised. We don't need to discuss how good he was as it was very evident. But how he went about his business was in some ways distasteful.

As far as posses go, there was one legendary one here in Portland. It was Zach Randolph and his "Hoops Family". Doing a google search would keep you entertained for an hour. I'll leave one link here that talks about the aftermath:

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/2011/01/canzano_a_tragic_reminder_of_z.html

[BloopOracle]

Kevin Garnett should have played hockey so we could have all rode his dick instead.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Some of the comments in this thread are cringeworthy. Yikes. If we want to play the dangerous game you're playing... I have no choice but to think negatively about who you are as a person by the things you type... even if it passes the grammar police.

A few other notes:

- Tim Duncan was also swindled out of tens of millions of dollars by the same guy as Garnett.
- Such "thugs" as Steve Kerr, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird and many others have been lionized and applauded for fighting... be it opponents or even famous teammates.
- I don't know about the dalliances Garnett had while married... nor do I care. The cheating that goes on in the NBA, entertainment world... real world... disgusts me. The list of thugs who'd make it would take far too long for me to write. So, it's simply a lot easier to judge people in what I do know... their on-court actions... instead of assuming I know what they're like off the court.

- All that being said... I really did hate KG's posse. I'm 99% sure that I shared the story of playing them in a men's league years back. Garnett came to one of the games and was extremely chill. But his buddies... yuck. They were dicks. AND... the best part... they sucked at hoops. They were terrible basketball players. But in a men's league... as they all sped off in KG's Range Rovers, Mercedes and Porsches after losing by 40... while we headed home in our Honda Accords and Ford Tauruses...

Glad to hear you whipped up on the posse. But I'll add that KG's on court actions are what I despised. We don't need to discuss how good he was as it was very evident. But how he went about his business was in some ways distasteful.

Two ways to look at it...

1) one of the game's most dedicated two-players known for his passion and intensity... and unselfishness on the court, well documented by awards, eye test accounts, stories, et al...

2) what you're describing in vague details

Again... I wasn't the biggest Garnett fan on or off the court... I just don't know if I'd use him as the poster boy for the nba thug player

[AbeVigodaLive]

Kevin Garnett should have played hockey so we could have all rode his dick instead.

Ha. This a loaded comment. I dig it.

[FNG]

Some of the comments in this thread are cringeworthy. Yikes. If we want to play the dangerous game you're playing... I have no choice but to think negatively about who you are as a person by the things you type... even if it passes the grammar police.

A few other notes:

- Tim Duncan was also swindled out of tens of millions of dollars by the same guy as Garnett.
- Such "thugs" as Steve Kerr, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird and many others have been lionized and applauded for fighting... be it opponents or even famous teammates.
- I don't know about the dalliances Garnett had while married... nor do I care. The cheating that goes on in the NBA, entertainment world... real world... disgusts me. The list of thugs who'd make it would take far too long for me to write. So, it's simply a lot easier to judge people in what I do know... their on-court actions... instead of assuming I know what they're like off the court.

- All that being said... I really did hate KG's posse. I'm 99% sure that I shared the story of playing them in a men's league years back. Garnett came to one of the games and was extremely chill. But his buddies... yuck. They were dicks. AND... the best part... they sucked at hoops. They were terrible basketball players. But in a men's league... as they all sped off in KG's Range Rovers, Mercedes and Porsches after losing by 40... while we headed home in our Honda Accords and Ford Tauruses...

Glad to hear you whipped up on the posse. But I'll add that KG's on court actions are what I despised. We don't need to discuss how good he was as it was very evident. But how he went about his business was in some ways distasteful.

Two ways to look at it...

1) one of the game's most dedicated two-players known for his passion and intensity... and unselfishness on the court, well documented by awards, eye test accounts, stories, et al...

2) what you're describing in vague details

Again... I wasn't the biggest Garnett fan on or off the court... I just don't know if I'd use him as the poster boy for the nba thug player

And I wouldn't either...there are certainly plenty more candidates even more worthy for that coveted title. My only point was his personal characteristics are way too erratic for my taste to have him involved in any way with the ownership of the Wolves. Let's just say I was relieved at his latest incomprehensible IG outburst.

Since Tim Duncan was named as another big NBA investment loser, I'll pass on a quick story about him. I have a friend who for a few years in his 20s was a stringer for the Clippers and had free locker room access. I asked him which players he liked best and there were several...not too many surprises. When I asked him who the biggest a-hole he ever met was, I have to admit I was quite surprised when he said Duncan, and that it wasn't even close. I always thought Duncan was one of the NBA good guys, but not according to my friend's personal experience.