Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett is 35 years old. He has slowed down a touch but hasn't yet lost a step, easily making the 2011 All-Star team and keeping his statistics -- 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 53 percent shooting -- where they have been for the last three seasons.
Still, he's entering the final year of his current contract and the end is in sight. Garnett isn't sure exactly when he will hang up his sneakers, but he did tell the Boston Globe that his preference is to retire as a member of the Celtics.
"I want to finish my career as a Celtic,” said Garnett, who joined Boston in a trade with Minnesota before the 2007-08 season. “This is it. I don’t plan on bouncing from team-to-team, that’s not really the plan. Hopefully God willing, I can finish my career out in the classy, elegant with a class-full organization as Boston. I don’t want to downgrade. I want to continue to be where I’m at. This is the first option and hopefully the only option.”Well, that's hardly a surprise. Back in Dec. 2010, Garnett hinted that he was embracing the possibility of retirement. Playing more than 48,000 career minutes (regular season plus postseason) will do that to you.
When asked if he would play past next season, Garnett said with a giggle: “My body and I gotta actually have a one-on-one to see future-wise, where I’m at and what I want to do. So I will make that decision.”
It's not just a matter of mileage. Garnett may have been a maniac on the court, occasionally surpassing society's standarsd of respect of decency, but he's always been a loyal, proud man. He stuck with the Minnesota Timberwolves for 12 seasons, nearly twice as long as LeBron James hung around as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He handled the trade process to Boston with the utmost class and respect for Timberwolves fans, so much so that outside observers almost felt relieved and happy when he was finally moved. In the years since, his former team has bottomed out completely while he went on to win an NBA title with his new teammates, and yet virtually no one holds that against him.
How often does that happen in the modern NBA?
It only happens because Garnett, for all his antics, is a company man through and through. He puts his heart and soul into every game, wears his jersey with pride, leads on and off the court, connects with fans and doesn't hang his coach or management team out to dry. He might have been a maniac, but he is no mercenary, and he has a ring to solidify his career already, so it's virtually impossible to envision Garnett bouncing from contender to contender in his twilight years.
If I was a betting man, I think Garnett calls it quits after the 2011-2012 season, as long as it goes at least 50 games. If there's a lengthy work stoppage or cancellation, I can see him coming back on a one-year, team-friendly deal for a victory lap. Past that, though, and his pride will start screaming in his ear. It's difficult to imagine an ineffective, aging Garnett hanging around the NBA just because.
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