KG’s Response
KG (photo. Land)As the ultimate class-act, Kevin Garnett chose to take the high road in responding to Glen Taylor’s comments that he tanked it at the end of last year.
“First off, I want to say Glen Taylor was good to me when I was a Timberwolf and I’m a Boston Celtic now,” Garnett said after last night’s win. “I’m not going to be going back and forth saying tasteless things. That’s not my character.
“I have nothing to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s in the past. I’m in a new chapter in my life. I thank them for the opportunity they gave me when I was younger and not only being able to explore my dream, but to be able to make it to where I’m at today,” Garnett said. “That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
Whatever anger KG wanted to express was done so for him during TNT’s pregame show by Chuck. It was fantastic.
“I wouldn’t know who Glen Taylor was if he came in here and kissed my ass,” started Sir Charles. “If he came in here right now, I would slap him.”
March 19th, 2008 at 7:04 am
YOUNGFED says:
Class Act KG cand get’em Chuck.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:10 am
fallinup says:
Never piss of Sir Charles. Someone get Glen Taylor on the line…he’s got an appearance to make on Inside the NBA. Kudos KG.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Celts Fan says:
Here’s the real question: If KG was never drafted by Minn. (they’re on record as saying they’d've prefered Sheed at the time, and we know he probably wouldn’t still be there) would there even still be a team in Minnesota?
and hell ya Chuck.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:08 am
the_don_mega says:
go chuck go…
March 19th, 2008 at 8:21 am
yallallreadyknow says:
after spending $126 ZILLION on the big ticket, he got them past the 1st round once.ONCE for $126 GAJILLION
did minny get their moneys worth and if not, dont you think the owner has the right to bitch?
wouldnt you if you paid a young teen $30million a year and got little to no production out of him for years?
keep it real yall.owner has every right to talk shit.if kg didn’t make so much damn money,maybe the team cold have signed other players to put around him
March 19th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Celts Fan says:
they got plenty of production from HIM, it’s not his fault his team didn’t produce like he did. All you can ask is for a guy to work hard, and KG did. if their GM had done half the job KG did, they’d have won much, much more. the owner doesn’t have the right to say a damn word when he still employs the single biggest reason KG didn’t go further.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:56 am
shake&bake says:
What kind of idiot says KG didn’t produce? Nobody made them pay him that much. He was one of the best players in the league while he was on the T-Wolves and he still is one of the best now.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:03 am
The Big Country says:
You need a supporting cast to win in the NBA, and the T-Wolves only gave him some good players once, and they went to the confrence finals. And, by the way, who on earth wouldn’t take $126 million? Minnesota’s front office was to blame for the lack of playoff success while KG was around.
You’ve gotta love KG, hearing him take the high road is refreshing. After watching him bust his ass all those years for the quagmire that is the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, I’ll be rooting hard for him to succeed in the playoffs this year.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:06 am
yallallreadyknow says:
did minny get their moneys worth?
and it is his fault. love kg. but you gotta call a spade a spade. if he gains praise for an mvp, then he gotta accept fault and blame. he didnt do enuff and cashed the largest check in the leage. THE LARGEST CHECK IN THE LEAGUE!
stop pointing blame at some front office schmuck who aint got shit to do with what happens on the court. the playas do. i know yall love him, shit, i do too.
but if you paying a mothaphucka all that money and he dont play for the last 5 games, you’d be irrate too.
simple question to you all yes or no; did minny get their moneys worth out of garnett?
March 19th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Gene says:
The thing everyone is forgetting that it was Glen Taylor’s secret deal with Joe Smith to pay him under the table that cost the T-wolves 3 first round draft picks. Garnett took them to the conference finals one year, and losing 3 consecutive years of first round draft picks was a decided disadvantage that hurt them badly. That was completely on Taylor.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
... says:
Yea, minny got their moneys worth from KG, since he gave it his all.
however KG’s hardwork didnt pay off since minny couldt give him shit to work with. so if anything KG should have the right to bitch about the team.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Suciniac says:
Despite KG giving you 20-10-5 with a couple blocks and steals every other game for the better part of a decade what else can you ask for???I can’t say this enough times.When the next best player on your team is Wally Sczerbiak you are not going anywhere,not even if you are Wilt or Jordan PERIOD.Minnesota should be happy they even got to the playoffs pretty consistently until the last couple years.
KG showed that when you surround him with couple of good players in Spree and Cassell(even just for one year)he could take them at least to the Conf Finals.Sure he was paid a lot but there is no one in the league who deserves that kind of money more than him.Is it his fault that Mchale couldn’t surround him with decent players??
Look at the teams that have won the championship since Jordan retired:-
Spurs had Duncan,Robinson,Elliot,Avery,Manu,Horry,Parker
Lakers had Shaq,Kobe,Horry,Fisher,Payton
Detroit had the best starting 5 in history
Miami had Shaq,Wade,Posey,Haslem,Williams
Who has KG had?? Hudson,Jaric,Olowakandi,Mark Madsen,late Eddie Griffin,Hassel,Ndu Ebi,Ricky buckets,Wally world etc
That roster is waaaay more pathetic than what Miami has right now,nuff said.Lastly I agree with Celts Fan here without KG there very well might not have been the Minnesota Timberwolves.Who do you think the fans came to see?? Ricky Davis???
And to answer the lamest question in Nba history i.e. did Minny get their money’s worth out of KG??? HELL YEAH,Kevin Garnett IS Minnesota Timberwolves.And if you haters can get your head out of your ass and look and think before you post, you will see that Orlando paid Rashard Lewis nearly the same money and contract earlier this year.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:13 am
yallallreadyknow says:
$126 million and one playoff advancement is getting your moneys worth?
shame you all believe that
but yall would jock ride any popular playa, so i aint surprised
tis a damn shame yall can always find a way to protect a playa ya like and avoid them of guilt/blame/responsibility
i dont see how getting past the 1st round once with ya star player earning the most in the league is getting ur moneys worth, but hey, thats just me. yall fools need to wise up
kg if ya listening/reading: we still love you tho
March 19th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Jim says:
Whether or not he tanked at the end (I didn’t watch them last year too much, no one did), it was classless of Taylor to say it. And why doesn’t Taylor talk about McHale, who has been so inept over the years, but Taylor keeps paying him? And like someone else said, these 2 bozos masterminded the Joe Smith debacle. Pull your own beam out, Glen.
Also, you know David Stern loves hearing Barkley say he would slap an NBA owner.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:26 am
yallallreadyknow says:
when tracy mcgrady gets out of the 1st round, he would have equaled the amount of times kevin garnett has gotten out the 1st round
March 19th, 2008 at 10:50 am
fallinup says:
The Joe Smith fiasco really cost Minny’s future. You lose 3 1st rounders, and your relegated to depending on the free agent market (and how many free agents are jumping at the chance to play in cold ass Minnesota?)…The ownership actually went for the gusto once in the free agent market (signing Sprewell, and Cassell), and low and behold, the T Wolves get to the Western Finals. Mind you that the season following, Taylor didn’t want to pay what Sprewell and Cassell were wanting, so they walked. And Minny went right back to the bottom. KG gave his all for a team that was destined to go no where because of the stupidity of Kevin McHale and Glen Taylor. Period.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Suciniac says:
Yall fools need to open your eyes up.If you didn’t get it the first time RASHARD LEWIS SIGNED THE SAME 120+ MILLION FOR SIX YEARS DEAL WITH ORLANDO EARLIER IN THE SEASON.YOU HATERS JUST IGNORE THAT FACT.How can you possibly compare Rashard Lewis to KG.For the record Shaq signed a 5 year 125 million contract with Miami(he did return 25 million but thats besides the point) and nobody says a word about That.
At least KG performed every time.Look at what Allan Houston and Grant Hill did.Sign Max contract and get hurt(it’s not their fault) but then Houston retires and Grant Hill leaves Orlando to chase a ring in Phoenix.KG was loyal to the end and still doesn’t say a bad word about Minny.That’s CLASS, no other player in the history of the NBA would have gone through what he did in Minny and not demand a trade when it was clear he was going no wherere with the team he had.For that alone he deserves a 100 mil.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Nothing But Truth says:
It’s typical front office management. Once you ship a star player out, you HAVE to throw them under the bus to justify everything. You can’t knock KG’s hustle and how he gave everything to that crappy ass organization. If I was KG, I would’ve been out of there A LONG time ago.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Celts Fan says:
First of all, the Joe Smith fiasco cost them FOUR first rounders, not 3. Secondly, you can’t ask KG to win with literally nothing else that’s worth a damn. MJ didn’t win til he had Scottie, Shaq needed Penny/Kobe/Wade, Bird needed Parish and McHale, Magic needed Worthy and Kareem, and so on. To have a GM so terrible to not surround him with anything at all isn’t his fault.
Yes, Minnesota got their money’s worth from him. If you think getting their money’s worth is about results only on the court, then you’re missing out. It’s jersey sales (his was always a huge seller) and franchise popularity/TV exposure (they are the Grizzlies without KG), etc. KG did all he could, but there’s only so much you can do with that garbage. The fact McHale outlasted KG in Minny only shows how terrible that franchise truly is.
good points Suciniac, but Detroit having the best starting 5 in history? That’s a joke right?
March 19th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Captain America says:
Chuck is an idiot and plays one on television.
KG is right. The Wolves helped make him what he is today. It’s about time he publicly recognized that. He gets major creds for that.
KG also knows how easy it is to be taken out of context, as Taylor was yesterday. He also knows that if he had wanted to play those final games the past two seasons, no one would have stopped him.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:50 am
SayItAintSo says:
yallallreadyknow it’s a shame that you’re too stubborn to realize when you’re wrong. Simply because the organization put all of their eggs in one basket and gave KG the fattest checks ever, doesn’t mean he is responsible for the teams mediocrity. Dude, worked hard as hard as he could and played as hard as he could for the better part of a decade. He was that franchise. And for some cheese dick billionaire to vent about the last three games and question KG’s integrity when he was a class act the WHOLE time he was there…I don’t even think its a blame game anymore. Its just Taylor venting his frustration because he STILL can’t right the ship up there in Minny. KG (having reason to be frustrated about his last couple years in Minny as well) was professional and a class act yet again…he thanked them for what positive things they DID do and moved on. Its not even about blame/responsibility/or whatever bullish you wanna bring up. It’s about being adults and not taking personal shots in the media…perpetuating EVERYTHING that is wrong with the NBA today. You can understand some childish antics from the players because they are TEENAGERS but this dude was a seasoned EXEC!
March 19th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Common Sense says:
Suciniac
you need to chill, man
nobody is disagreeing with you but that idiot, yalldontreallywannaknow, who keeps bitchin about Taylor gettin his money’s worth and keeps sayin 126m over 6 years is 30 mil a season?
What kinda idiot ignores the fact that execs lost 4 draft picks on Joe Smith and the best players Garnett ever played with are an over the hill Sam and Spree. Scary how some haters have no…..common sense
March 19th, 2008 at 11:52 am
SayItAintSo says:
My bad last FIVE games…those extra two almost make your argument valid…right? Psh, haha
March 19th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Suciniac says:
Not really as a unit they were definitely there.Except Big Ben they all could score and the defense was just extraordinary.All though to be fair case could be made for the 72 wins Bulls or a couple other old Lakers and Boston teams but I didn’t see Wilt and Russell play and of what I have seen the Pistons 5 under Larry Brown was the best to me.I am not saying they definitely are the best but definitely amongst the best.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Suciniac says:
Yeah, been a long day for me and when I see ignorant fools acting all knowing it just improves my typing skills.
March 19th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
srk says:
Wow I’m surprised everyone has forgotten about Terrell Brandon. He was huge to Minny’s early sucess. Once he went down + the Joe Smith fiasco it was pretty much over. And you forget how Hudson never lived up to the hype. No first round picks and no legit pg? How sucessful could KG be? Minny got their money’s worth.
March 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Celts Fan says:
No way Suciniac. Maybe the best starting 5 ever to win a chip with no legit SUPERstars (most of them are stars, but they aren’t superstars,) I’ll give you that one…
March 19th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
so what if the team lost draft picks
what the hell does that have to do with kg earning is money?
u bitches wouldnt last a fort night in business if u truly believe the owner got his money worth
if al jefferson gets out of the 1st round of the playoffs twice in the next 11yrs, he would have already bettered kg
if winning matters to you…think about that
and consider kg was the highest paid player in the league for a few seasons
was kg worth is contract? if so, you can play owner. what do you have to show for all the money you paid him? 2 playoff home games a yr? thats it
and if ur kg, what do you have to show?
wise up yall. its ok to love kg. and its ok to call him shit if he performed like shit. he didnt do enuff in minny to earn his money, and the owner knows that. owner feels like he just lost $125 MILLION and hes talking shit
if u just lost $125 million….what would you do/say?
March 19th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
alex says:
what an idiot for saying that KG was not worth the money he was paid for. The only reason people in Sota came in to watch the games was that KG was bringing it 100% every night which gave them a chance to win ball games. The only reason that team had TV COVERAGE , JERSEY SALES, A FAN BASE was KG. Winning does NOT always translate into getting your money’s worth in the NBA. Kobe is paid a lot of money and EVEN IF THE LAKERS NEVER WIN with him, the amount of ATTENTION that he brings will always make money for the Lakers. They have NOT WON the championship since ‘02, and yet is the MOST PROFITABLE team in the NBA.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
doc says:
They made that 126 mill back probaly 3 or 4 times I would think since KG signed that deal.Fuck the chips or playoffs. If that owner doubled that 126 in that timeframe he got his moneys worth.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Celts Fan says:
yup, Yao’s another great example. Regardless, Houston will NEVER trade him because he brings in too much money in other ways than just ticket prices and performance on the floor.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Common Sense says:
amen, Alex
It does take an idiot to think that
a) Taylor would pay KG 126 mil if he couldn’t afford it
and b) the Wolves lost money during the KG years with jersey sales, tv contract, ticket sales, concession and parking.
It’s public document and this jackass who keeps crying about Taylor not getting his money’s worth would be shocked to know that the Wolves made (from kg’s first year to his last year) 20-100 mill/yr in revenue. Fact is Taylor has paid about 490M in salaries over the last 10 years while taking in about 840M in revenues. Taylor bought the team in ‘95(kg’s first year) for 89 mil and now it’s worth 308M. This season, season ticket sales are down 20% and no-shows are 29%, killin concession and merchandising. KG made this man a whole lot of money and for him to even mention tanking 5 games and kevin garnett’s name in the same sentence is absolute hypocrisy. Get your facts straight
March 19th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
weng santos says:
A pro team has 2 goals:
1. win
2. make money
Now, winning takes more than 1 man. Winning is bigger than KG himself. That part was not completely on him. It is a team sport, and I recall KG offering to take a pay cut if it meant the team can get good players in Minny. Still, he did his part and played his ass off, so the Wolves not winning was not entirely his failure.
Now the 2nd part, well, why’d you think fans ever watched the Wolves from 95-97? I’m sure they didn’t come for Troy Hudson- wearing Hudson jerseys- ya know? KG made Minny relevant. People- and lots of them- paid some pretty good money for KG’s entire Wolves stint to see him play. With KG as their marquee, Minny got a share of TV contracts and ads and merchandising and ticket sales that they aren’t getting now. Nobody is buying an NBA league pass to see Ryan Gomes (nothing against the Providence kid).
You’re right though, Glen Taylor has the right to bith. Everybody does. But you can’t say he wasted all that money on KG, because, well, Garnett made the Wolves -and Taylor- a lot more money while he was there than they ever paid him.
KG’s a phenom, and phenoms are rare. Remember.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
jaceofspades says:
man up glen taylor! quit crying about it. you only surrounded him with the right talent one time in his whole career. yes, the first season with latrell and cassell. other than that, you have no right to say crap about the man who kept you from being poor all those years. he won you games with a less then average supporting cast.
great job handling this, KG. shows how much of a real man you are. the performance and passion u showed in minnesota speaks volumes about ur character.
if ur going to own the wolves the rest of ur life, get used to seeing kg’s name in ur record books and his retired jersey number in ur arena.
glen taylor attitude = bitchassness