“This ain’t a game! I don’t do this for fun!”
If you took Katt Williams‘ played-out pimp character Money Mike from Friday After Next, made him 6-foot-11 with a bald head and menacing aura when he’s at work, that line would be Kevin Garnett‘s mantra.
In the four year since he was traded from Minnesota to Boston, KG has become one of the NBA’s villains (though Celtics fans absolutely love him). He’s been accused of picking on players smaller than him, of taking cheap shots at players in defenseless positions, even of calling one player a “cancer patient” in a fit of trash-talking. Recently, NBA celebrity fan Spike Lee said Garnett “needs to calm the f*** down” on the court.
KG has been labeled a dirty player. In a feature in today’s Boston Globe written by Gary Washburn, he confronts his image:
“I could care less what Spike or whoever else has something to say about me,” Garnett says. “As long as Doc Rivers and my organization is happy with what I’m doing, I could care less. If you don’t like my play, then don’t watch it. If I play against you, know that I’m not trying to be your friend. I’m out here trying to win.
“I’m far from dirty. Dirty is like hate. I don’t use that word. I’m competitive and I play hard, but don’t call me dirty. If you dislike me, dislike me, but hate is a very strong word. But it is a different league, it is a more free-flowing offensive league. The league likes to promote offense, that’s cool. But at the same time, there’s two parts of the game and defense is one of them, and I play it.”
What do you think? Would you call KG a dirty player?
