Kevin Garnett

Dwight Howard hasn’t rescinded his trade request. That’s the news of today (He’ll probably go back on his word tomorrow, just like he did the day before, and the day before that and…). Howard is trying to do what he can to keep this all out of the media and off Twitter, and says he had another conversation with Magic GM Otis Smith about his feelings and that what came out during that meeting will stay between the two. We get the feeling there are going to be some problems in Disney World this year. Howard apparently still wants out; the Magic want to keep him and plan to in order to give themselves a shot to prove themselves. The rest of the team is caught in the middle. In a crash-course season, it could get bad. Even the TNT guys we spoke with yesterday started arguing over what Orlando and Howard should do, and it seemed everyone had a different take on the future … Kevin Garnett called out David Stern the other day, and had his whole “We’re making a burrito, putting it in the oven, testing it, breaking it down, eating it” run-on quote which was amazing. Yet, he’s not done going at David Stern. KG joined WEEI in Boston to talk about the upcoming season and the state of the Celtics, and in his opinion, he felt the players should’ve stayed strong and not agreed to anything with the owners until their points were met in negotiations. Then he added this about whether wounds need time to heal: “But to sit back and complain about the things that [David] Stern is doing, jamming up trades and all this other stuff, I think he’s been playing God for a while. But we need to understand that he’s also grown our league. He’s also done a lot of good things in our league. At some point if you’re going to go forward, you’ve got to get past mad and come in here and understand that and focus on the positives.” We get the feeling a lot of players aren’t real happy right now with the commish. Garnett added the regulatory Kendrick Perkins love session, talking about how much the trade affected the Celtics (can’t believe people in Boston are still talking about this). It seems Garnett and Doc Rivers both think Rajon Rondo is the smartest player in the league, and Garnett also said he’s probably the most stubborn and hated as well, telling the guys on the show those qualities are Rondo’s gift and curse. What makes him so stubborn is his intelligence and KG sees a lot of himself in Shorty but adds “I’m not as cocky as he is.” We’re sure control will love that one … In our chat yesterday, Barkley also said the Celtics were probably going to be his favorites in the East, partly because this season is going to be so different and he thinks the vets will know exactly how to navigate it … Has anyone seen the pictures of Mike Bibby from New York’s media day? He looks like Pee-wee Herman … Maybe we got caught up in all this trade talk, but do you realize real NBA basketball starts tonight? Yep, the preseason – as short as it is – is kicking off tonight. Check NBA TV at 7:30 to see Cleveland travel to Detroit. Then Saturday afternoon, at 2 p.m., it’ll be New York/New Jersey. There’s a double-header that night starting at 8 with the Spurs and Rockets, and then Sacramento at Golden State. Finally on Sunday at 7:30 p.m., a real game: Oklahoma City and Dallas. It’s only preseason, but this feels so good doesn’t it? … In college ball, Missouri and Wisconsin both won very easily … And you’re not going to believe this, but guess who’s sitting out already in Dallas? … We’re out like TM103.

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