NBA 14 Febbraio

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E' TROPPO GRANDE, E' IMMENSAMENTE GRANDE

Come non quotarTi ? Non posso far mancare la mia controfirma

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There are so many sports superlatives that apply to KG. He gives 110%. He plays one game at a time and leaves everything on the floor

An open letter to Danny Ainge: don't trade Kevin Garnett

There's an irony in the way the team has responded in the absences of Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger, and Leandro Barbosa. After losing three key members of their rotation, Ainge's job would be so much easier if the team were losing. Fans would expect Danny to pick up the phone and see what's out there. They might even forgive him for scrapping the season and looking forward to 2014. Trade away an expiring contract for a first round draft pick? O.K. Deal a vet on the vet minimum for some young talent? Good move.

But that's not the case. The veteran leadership of the team has sparked the undermanned C's to win eight of its last ten and brought the hope back to Boston that maybe this season isn't lost after all. Even if the team's recent good play turns out to be fool's gold and the Celtics end the year as a scrappy lower seed that nobody wants to face, it would be indicative of what Garnett means to this team. Just as Kobe Bryant contributes to the dysfunctional atmosphere choking the Lakers, KG's will and leadership make the C's dangerous in any game or series. Forget his skill sets on both ends of the court. It's those intangibles that make him an attractive player for teams like the Clippers, but I implore you, Danny, don't make that move.


Jazz fans might be able to forgive and forget Karl Malone's dalliance with the Lakers as he chased a ring with their rival. Portland can celebrate Clyde Drexler's championship in Houston after spending most of his career in the Rose Garden. But the Boston Celtics are different. That may sound like bravado or hubris, but it is truly that romanticism I've felt for this team since I was a kid that's made me a fan all these years.

Players and coaches may feel differently, but to me, the wins and championships are fleeting. In a year, I won't remember if we beat Denver on Tuesday and in ten years, I probably won't be able to tell you who won the championship in 2013. However, what I will remember (and what I hope I'll still believe in) is how the Celtics are just a little different than anybody else.

It's a bumper sticker slogan, but Boston is a brotherhood. There's an invisible tie that binds all these players together. Even when they're no longer playing their home games at the Garden, there are just those special Celtics that will always be Celtics. Kendrick Perkins will always be a Celtic to me just like Robert Parish will always be a Celtic to me. When Don Nelson was coaching in 1982, he convinced Dave Cowens, his former Celtic teammate, to come out of retirement and shore up his front court. That's the brotherhood.

Sure, Garnett will always be a Celtic, even though he spent his most prolific seasons with the Timberwolves. And he'll still be a Celtic even if Danny convinces him to waive his no-trade clause because a deal with the Clippers is what's best for the organization in the long run. KG is that rare modern athlete that sees his place in history and finds it just as important to revere the legends as it is to teach the youngsters. He willingly and joyfully acts as that bridge between the likes of Bill Russell and Jared Sullinger. I don't think it would take much for Danny to persuade The Big Ticket that moving him helps the franchise he helped breath life back into after twenty years of mediocrity.

But Danny, please don't put KG in that position.

Sentimentality like this can cripple a franchise and Danny knows this best. He (in)famously criticized Red Auerbach for not trading Larry Bird and Kevin McHale for Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins when he had the chance to rebuild. Auerbach's response: loyalty. Could that deal have made the Celtics relevant in 90's? It's debatable, but that really wasn't the point to Red. To him, the championships were born out of trust and guys committing to each other day in, day out. His players didn't need no-trade clauses because they knew if they did their job, they weren't going to have to look over their shoulder.

DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe, Josh Smith, and even Dwight Howard are all nice, talented players that could all be taught the Celtic way, but trading KG (and Pierce) weakens the very foundation that these guys would be brought in to build on. Maybe enough of that spirit and pride emits from Doc Rivers, manifests itself in Avery Bradley, and pumps through Jeff Green, but there's an immeasurable value in #5 and #34 retiring as Celtics.

It tells every future Celtic that puts on the green that the franchise always has your back. They want to win, but more importantly, they want to win with you.

KG voices his loyalty without qualification, clarification, or apology; he doesn't say he'll stay in Boston only if they're in contention for the Larry O'Brien or because he's honoring some sort of contractual obligation. That's not Kevin Garnett. "If it's up to me, I will live and die green." Those are the unequivocal words of a rare superstar athlete that says what he means and means what he says. You never heard anything like that from Ray Allen and his true colors came out last summer when he turned his back on the Celtics and put on the redcoat red of the Heat.