Kevin Garnett Introduced In Boston

Boston sent the Minnesota Timberwolves forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations. Besides Ratliff, 34, the other four are 24 or younger and Ratliff has an expiring contract that will leave the Timberwolves in a nice salary cap situation. With Paul Pierce and Ray Allen already on the roster, the Celtics now have arguably the best starting 5 in a weak Eastern Conference. Many are saying that this doesn't automatically make them contenders mainly because they have no bench and Allen, Garnett, and Pierce are all scorers. But we have seen the Suns contend in a stronger Western Conference with a scoring mentality so it will certainly be interesting to see just how far the Celtics go in the playoffs this year.

Kevin Garnett Leaving For Boston?

Although the trade of Kevin Garnett to the Celtics hasn't been officially announced, numerous sources were reporting a deal was in place Monday. Here is the ransom the best player in Timberwolves history will reportedly bring, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft choices. According to reports, those picks include Boston's first-round pick in 2009 and the first-rounder the Wolves still owe the Celtics from the 2005-06 season.

When the draft day deal fell through it was mainly because of only one thing, KG didn't want to go to Boston. His stance has changed however because of some Paul Pierce lobbying and the Celtics trade for Ray Allen. That means that the Celtics would be sporting a starting lineup htat includes Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, in the weak Eastern Conference.

Reportedly the only potential hiccup left standing for this deal to work is the renegotiating of Garnett's contract. His current contract calls for him to be paid $22 million this season and has a player option worth $23 million next season. The contract also includes a trade kicker worth about $6.75 million. All signs point to some kind of agreement being made however between Garnett and Danny Ainge. So does this make the Boston Celtics, the NBA's greatest franchise, relevant again? Yes, and frankly, it couldn't have come at a better time. See Tim Donaghy.

Garnett Not Interested In Boston

The proposed trade that would have sent Kevin Garnett to Boston was nixed because Kevin Garnett wasn't too thrilled about playing for the Boston Celtics. Danny Ainge and Kevin Mchale had successfully come to terms and a trade was agreed to in principle but Garnett wanted nothing to do with chilly Boston and has stated that he prefers sunny Phoenix. The deal that would have sent Garnett to the Celtics required that Ainge to part ways with stud forward Al Jefferson, their No. 5 overall pick in next Thursday's draft, Theo Ratliff and his cap-friendly contract, along with Wolves alumn Wally Szczerbiak and underachieving Sebastian Telfair. The Boston Celtics would have gotten Kevin Garnett and guard Troy Hudson. If Garnett had gone to Boston it is more than likely than him and Pierce would have made the Eastern Conference their bitch. A Pierce and Garnett duo would have been nearly unstoppable in a very weak East. All is not lost for Garnett however. The Phoenix Suns are interested in Garnett but according to sources surrounding the trade McHale is asking for Amare Stoudemire and the first round pick the Suns received from the Hawks in 2008. What Phoenix wants to do however is package disgruntled forward Shawn Marion into the deal instead of Amare but he doesn't want to go to Minnesota (and I don't blame him). So not only do we have the Kobe Saga but now we can all stay tuned to the Garnett Saga. This NBA offseason is getting very juicy.....

Timberwolves and Garnett Parting Ways?

According to ESPN contributor Marc Stein a Kevin Garnett trade is even more likely than a Kobe Bryant trade. After the Minnesota Timberwolves failed for the third straight season to make the playoffs and with no cap space to bring highly coveted free agents to put around KG, it's likely he is on his way out of Minnesota. Unlike Kobe Bryant's contract Garnett does not have a no trade clause and he is only one year away from the final year of his contract. If Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale (one of the WORST GM's of all time) fails to trade Garnett he would be looking at a scenario where Garnett leaves the Timberwolves and they receive no compensation. The current players surrounding Kevin Garnett include overpaid losers like Mark Blount who had one decent season with the Boston Celtics and McHale throws money at him like a lonely guy at a strip club. Then there is perennial ball hog Ricky Davis, whose effort level goes up and down like an Internet stock. The only way McHale can save this franchise is by getting picks and young talent for Garnett. As of yesterday it was reported that Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge had talked with the Timberwolves about a potential trade involving Garnett. If that were the case the Celtics would probably have to part ways with Al Jefferson, Delonte West, and their 5th pick in this year's draft. A possible Paul Pierce and Kevin Gartnett duo would always be a contender in a weak Eastern Conference but since Garnett is a free agent next year his trade value has severely diminished. No intelligent GM is going to pay a premium for a player he may lose for nothing in a year but with the Ainge's and Thomas' of the world running today's NBA teams anything can happen. There are also rumblings in Phoenix that Shawn Marion could wear a Timberwolves jersey and Garnett would be paired with all star guard Steve Nash but that scenario is unlikely due to Garnett's $21 million contract. The Phoenix Suns would have to part with Marcus Banks (whose 5 year contract is something McHale doesn't want to take on) and Shawn Marion (who might not be thrilled in going to a perennial loser) in order to make it work financially. If you are McHale you have to pull the trigger on any deal where you get some value back and it better be sooner rather than later.

John "Hondo" Havlicek

I got to thinking after reading ESPN columnist Jayson Stark's new book "The Stark Truth". In the book Stark goes on to name names of current and past baseball players who he thought were underrated or overrated. So I began thinking of players in all walks of sports who are overrated and underrated and John Havlicek came to mind. I consider him one of the most, if not the most, underrated player of all time. Not too many people associate that name with the one of the greatest of all time or even with the Boston Celtics. Most people would say Larry Bird, Bill Russell, John McHale, and Robert Parrish. I'm certainly not arguing the fact that those names shouldn't be synonymous with Celtics basketball but too many people leave Hondo's name out of that list. Only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones can say that they had won as many championships (8) as Havlicek did during their respective NBA careers. Havlicek also holds the record for most points scored (26,895) and games played (1,270) as a Celtic. Havlicek to his credit also made 13 straight All-Star teams, four All-NBA first teams and seven second teams, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team eight times. The man won the 1974 Finals MVP, and to this day, he ranks 10th in points, eighth in minutes, and seventh in playoff points. How does a guy with those kind of credentials get pushed out of memory? I could bet that if you asked a hundred people to name the top 30 players of all-time Hondo would be named maybe 5 times or less. Talk about an underrated player.