Boston Celtics’ power forward Kevin Garnett has hinted that
his Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals may have
been his final game but if anyone knows how much of a competitor Garnett is,
then rest assure you will see him next year.
He will be playing for a fraction of the $21 million he made
last season though which may actually be a good thing for the Celtics who will
use the extra money to add more firepower around Garnett and his teammates.
That is unless Garnett decides that playing next year with
the Celtics won’t give him his best shot at winning another ring. If that
happens then expect a lot of teams to inquire about his services.
Only a few teams will have a real shot to land Garnett
though. Garnett will be eyeing the handful of teams that are a player or two
away from either going to the Finals or returning to the Finals. Teams like the
Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City
Thunder and the Heat will be on Garnett’s radar.
Whether or not he has started to check into either of these
teams, you can be sure he is already on their radars. I wouldn’t be surprised
if Kobe Bryant hasn’t already contacted him to gauge his interest in playing in
L.A.
All of the teams
mentioned above would provide Garnett with a shot to go out on top but which
team would provide the most interesting storyline for Garnett and his quest for
one more?
Should Garnett pair up with Tim Duncan to re-create the
second coming of the twin towers and help Duncan grab his fifth ring or should
he go to the Clippers and help shorten the learning curve for Blake Griffin
while bringing the Clippers their first title?
It would be very interesting to see Garnett join the Lakers
and help Kobe get that elusive sixth ring he needs to tie his idol Michael Jordan. He
could also help teach Andrew Bynum how to carry himself like a superstar.
Then again he could rejoin his former teammate Kendrick
Perkins in Oklahoma City and give the Thunder the low-post presence they lack. Adding
Garnett to that frontcourt would make them the most formidable team in the
league and the Thunder are already in that class as it is.
Then there is always the chance that Garnett could join the
Heat and play with the two players he has tormented the most over the past five
years: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
That scenario won’t be as interesting if James is successful
in winning his first title this year but if the Heat falter then Garnett
joining the Heat would be the biggest storyline of the 2012-2013 season. Like
there isn’t a big enough media frenzy surrounding the team already.
Do you have a favorite team or
player you want to know more about?
Email your questions to sportmentalist@yahoo.com
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Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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