Kevin Garnett is officially back at the Minnesota Timberwolves table.
It’s only right that our writing staff return for a roundtable of their own. Now is as good a time as any to gather around to tell tales of the most iconic player in franchise history. What did we miss about KG? What are we hoping to see from KG? How many tears will be shed when number 21 gets raised to the rafters next to Flip Saunders and Malik Sealy?
How are you celebrating the news of KG’s return to the organization?
Leo Sun: I’ve been binging KG highlights today like I was still in school. There’s
a channel on YouTube called GarnettTribute, which I spent an inordinate amount of hours on in my college dorm room. They haven’t uploaded a video in over 14 years, but somewhere out there, I hope whoever is in charge of it is beaming over the recent news. Here’s one of my favorites from that channel.
Mitchell Hansen: I am celebrating by finding anything that resembles a basketball hoop stanchion and banging my head against it like a crazy person in the same way KG did back in his glory days. That, and ferociously banging my chest with my fist like The Big Ticket did before every game and oftentimes during. With this news, it’s time to dust off the old KG jersey I’ve had since I was in grade school and throwing it on with him now, finally back as part of the organization.
Thilo Latrell Widder: I have only ever attended one Minnesota Timberwolves game at Target Center. Such are the difficulties of covering a team in a different time zone from your home. However, during that one game, I presented a cardboard sign that said “KG in the Rafters? It’s a No Brainer. Unfortunately, Glen Taylor has no brain.” I am going to search for that poster before inevitably realizing that someone threw it away long ago.
Derek Hanson: The news we received from Shams was confirmation of the inevitable. A KG jersey retirement was one of the top items on the Wolves fan wish list, and the new ownership group of ARod and Lore have been intentionally checking those boxes one by one. Better Target Center lighting? Done. Black Trees? Check. It was only a matter of time before Kevin Garnett was brought back into the fold. Was I happy when the news broke? Of course. But it was a similar feeling to the one I’ll have on Thursday, when I unwrap the Timberwolves hoodie I ordered from Fanatics and shipped to my mom’s house. Appreciative, but not surprised.
Benny Hughes: Consuming any and all content that I can find about Kevin Garnett (and sharing that content with my father and brother).
As I’m sure is a similar sentiment to most, possibly the biggest reason that I have become so invested in the Timberwolves is because of my dad. He was a huge fan following the team during the Kevin Garnett era, living in the Twin Cities, and he was far and away his favorite player. Attending plenty of games, including the highs and lows of the playoff matchups and going to multiple games during the Western Conference Finals run, he would tell me stories of the fierce craziness that KG brought to the table every single night. He loves Garnett so much that at the spry age of 56, he got his first tattoo (something that if you had asked him for much of his life if he would ever get one, his answer would be a vehement NO) of the number 21 on his thigh – shout out Wolves Enjoyer and Pack Tats. We rejoiced together when the news broke, and I sent him every video I could find of the highlights of the greatest player in team history, which invokes fond memories of his younger days.
Andrew Carlson: Frankly, just enjoying in retrospect how far the organization has come from the last time Garnett had anything to do with it.
Sure, the fanfare was great when the trade was announced, and his return was made official back in 2015. He bought 1,000 tickets for fans in his first home game back in appreciation for the support, and everyone basked in the number 21, making his return next to the future of the franchise in Karl-Anthony Towns.
But we all know how broken the organization still was at that point. An impending fallout with Glen Taylor over promises made by the late Flip Saunders, the internal issues that were had in the following years, and a return to a disenchanted fanbase begging for a glimmer of sustainable positivity after Garnett’s retirement.
Two Western Conference Finals appearances later, an ownership change, and one of the better front office operations in the league to pair with a true franchise face in Anthony Edwards, it all feels whole.
While overdue, Garnett is making his return at the perfect time.
Ryan Eichten: I’ll be re-watching the 2004 playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. The pair of series wins against the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings. It was the peak moment and the lone bright spot for the Timberwolves franchise that had been one of the least successful teams in American professional sports until very recently.
Garnett was the sole reason the Wolves had even a modicum of success over the first 35 years of existence. The news of KG re-joining the organization is a great excuse to re-live that first magical playoff run.
Will you be at the retirement ceremony? (TBA)
LS: “ You see, the way my bank account is set up…” is my rationale for most likely no. Sadly, I only have so many more bullets left in the chamber when it comes to, “Hey, can I travel out-of-state for a few days for Timberwolves-related reasons?” with my wife. Would this be worth it? Absolutely. But time and things are tight right now. It’ll all depend on when it happens. Wait, I think I just talked myself into it.
MH: It’s safe to say that these tickets — and the requests from media to cover this event — will be in high demand and will go fast. As memorable as it would be to be at the retirement ceremony, my wallet might thank me later, and it might be even easier to take it all in while watching it live on TV. Regardless, you’d better be dang sure I’m gonna be rocking my No. 21 jersey, whether I am there or not.
TLW: Folks, I live in New York. The question is whether I will be able to see that jersey in the rafters at all, given the current unlikelihood of travel and/or tickets within my budget. Still, if anyone wants to sponsor a Wolves-related trip for me, I will happily accept.
DH: Living in New Jersey, I have only made the journey to Target Center twice. The KG retirement ceremony would certainly be a worthy reason for a third trip. Maybe Thilo can cross the river and hop in my suitcase…
BH: Absolutely. No doubt about it. Might have to be a whole family ordeal!
AC: I will (try to) be there no matter what. Will there be a bigger night in Target Center history? Trying to rack my brain for a second, and even after a couple of deeper playoff runs, I still don’t think there’s been consequential enough basketball played to upstage something like this.
RE: There’s no doubt in my mind I will be there, likely covering the game for this very website.
What do you hope to see from KG in his off-the-court role?
LS: As happy as I would be just seeing KG on the sidelines getting hyped up after an Anthony Edwards dunk, I think I have some bigger expectations out of this. More specifically, I would love to see what kind of work he does for the local community. I’m certainly far from Minnesota (physically), but I’m connected enough to know the very trying times the state has gone through. Even just from 2020. There’s a lot of healing to be done, and I would love to see Garnett leverage his status to bring more awareness and support towards the communities of color. Specifically, the Somali community at this current point in time.
MH: Just having KG back among the Minnesota basketball community and being seen at games, around the facility, and throughout the community will be great. When you think of Minnesota hoops, you think of KG. He needs to be part of this fan base, part of this organization, and involved in any way possible. What I’m really looking forward to seeing is just how much he can continue to create hype around the organization and bring the fan base even closer together as one. That’s what I think we will see out of KG is his way of uniting everyone, whether it’s inside Target Center or out in the community.
TLW: I think this role should be purely ceremonial. I’m sorry, but KG can’t pronounce “equivalent.” How is he going to help the front office make a trade with the sheer labyrinthine nature of pick protections in today’s NBA?
If anything, this move was as much for the fans as it was for KG, and I hope that partnership, one that kept men’s basketball in Minnesota during a period in which that was far more than just a hypothetical, is once again put on display for a team that is finally acknowledging its history.
DH: Having worked closely with the New York Giants, who make great use of their former legends, there’s a clear blueprint for how Garnett can have an impact on the organization. Garnett should take on the role of a frontman for the Timberwolves, being present for interviews, PR, and client relations. He can serve as a mentor and sounding board for players. It would be great to see him get into the content game as well, producing Wolves-centric videos similar to his Area 21 series and videos with Paul Pierce.
BH: Inclusion of videos with current players and hype edits played at the games.
There’s something about the blend of the past and present that holds a special place in my heart and sports in general. Honoring those who came before you and learning from them while paving your own path is the classic storyline, and what better time to do it than with the player who has the best chance to pass KG in all-time great players for the Timberwolves than Anthony Edwards? Their integration together has been gold anytime they’ve joined forces, and there is so much left on the table that can be done with this new partnership.
I also will get the chills if and when they recruit Garnett for any re-creation of hype videos shown pregame in the playoffs.
AC: A voice of the franchise, figurehead of important initiatives, and a courtside fixture that can become a face of Minnesota basketball and a feature in team content. A feature where he casually interviews the team would be GOLD.
Do I want him near the front office? Not really. There’s a track record of great players not necessarily knowing what a team needs. But one of the hardest-nosed players in the history of the game being a brand ambassador is appealing to casual fans, people new to the game, and possibly enticing free agents. All in all, just having him around the organization will be a breath of fresh air.
RE: What I want to see first is closure for Timberwolves fans. Garnett’s reasons for being away from the franchise are understandable and largely his own private business, but it has prevented Wolves fans from properly celebrating the best player in the history of the team and the state of Minnesota.
Watching Garnett’s jersey go up into the rafters of TD Garden in Boston before Target Center was a painful reminder of what Wolves fans have been missing out on for the past decade or so. It was certainly a deserved honor, but it shouldn’t have come first. It may not be Garnett’s fault, but it hurts all the same.
One day soon, none of that will matter anymore. Either this season or next, Wolves fans, Minnesotans, and Target Center will get the celebration they deserve, and it will be glorious.
What does the fixing of this relationship tell you about new ownership?
LS: They’re listening. This might be low-hanging fruit for them and obvious fan service, but sometimes that’s all we require as fans. Retire our favorite and most iconic player’s number. Bring back our favorite and most iconic tree jerseys. Maybe ditch one of the worst regular rotation jersey kits in the league. I’m hoping this is just a sign of things to come.
MH: It tells me that they aren’t messing around and they mean business. We all know they have plans beyond what we’ve seen thus far, but what the ownership group has done — whether it’s physical upgrades to the facilities and arena or just the hype around the team — means they have the fans in mind and they are serious about making things work in Minnesota while turning it into a franchise everyone wants to be a part of. There will be more changes coming, but what we’ve seen from the ownership group so far is refreshing, and it will pay dividends.
TLW: I think that there are certain things to be said about them trying to push the right buttons here. Taylor fell out of favor with Wolves fans despite the fact that he was willing to foot a high bill largely because the in game experience was so terrible, and Glen was constantly at odds with players (not to mention his socio-political beliefs). Especially with the years-long delay in them taking over, it seems like they’re trying to hit the ground running and have a good first impression.
I am choosing to believe that my year-old psycho-analysis of Alex Rodriguez has played a part in this as well. Considering his standing in baseball circles as a top player in history while also being largely unclaimed by the teams he represented, I’m sure he has to feel pretty happy that he can hand out a ticket to the ride into the sunset he will never see.
DH: It means they are competent. Reuniting with KG was the most common-sense move that ARod and Lore could have made. It only speaks to the massive incompetence of the previous regime that the #21 jersey isn’t already hanging in the rafters. Still, after nearly three decades of maddening front office decisions, this new ownership group has certainly been a breath of fresh air.
BH: That they care about the fans.
Whenever there is a change at the level of ownership comes with promises of a better experience for the fans. These can have varying results, and it comes with a “I’ll believe it when I see it” mentality. This action of putting the work into repairing the relationship and getting Kevin Garnett to rejoin the organization makes good on that promise. This move is a step in bringing the good culture and vibes that Lore and A-Rod have preached since they joined the Timberwolves organization. It is overdue and one of the biggest disconnects between the organization and fans, and now it has been rectified.
AC: They listen. For many ownership groups, that’s not the case.
From bringing the trees back, to theater lighting at Target Center, to making Kevin Garnett’s relationship with the organization a priority as soon as they became involved, they’ve done all of the off-court things that fans have been begging for for a long time.
That should go a long, long way.
RE: The emotional part of me feels that it shows that Lore and Rodriguez have the fans in mind. They said as much when they were officially introduced as owners back in July that if something is important to the fans, then it is important to them. This is the ultimate example of matching your actions with your words.
The more cynical part of my brain thinks that it means they aren’t stupid and are willing to grab the low-hanging fruit. Bringing back Garnett gives them a ton of goodwill from the fan base and media, along with opportunities to generate extra revenue through many different areas, including ticket sales, TV viewership, and merchandise, just to name a few.
I think both can be true.
What is your favorite Kevin Garnett memory?
LS: My default answer is obviously the game seven victory over the Sacramento Kings. Not only was it the highest high this franchise had experienced up until that point, but it was a critical inflection point for young Leo. I was a split Kings and Timberwolves fan heading into the 2004 NBA playoffs, so my high school friends “made me” pick one or the other before they faced off. I chose the Wolves without a shadow of a doubt, and even though it looked like a lose-lose decision for the next decade plus, it ultimately proved to be the right choice!
MH: Oh man, how can you pick just one? I’m going to break the rules and offer a few, because I can’t decide on which one tops my list. I would say, first, that the entire 2004 season was a memorable one. Not only did he claim the MVP award that season, but helped Minnesota to its first playoff win in the first round and then, of course, led the Wolves to one of the best moments in franchise history with that seven-game series win over Sacramento.
The second moment that is memorable to me is when KG returned to Minnesota in 2015. That moment brought back so many memorable moments from his first stint with the Wolves and, at the time, seemed like he was reuniting with the organization after a rocky exit earlier in his career. And to see Target Center alive like it was that night … it was special.
TLW: I’m going to go with an odd one and say my favorite memory of KG is seeing him pop up on my timeline as part of the single greatest bit of slander media. People will argue about who his best teammate was, but while some will say it was Paul Pierce or Latrell Sprewell or even prime Deron Williams, I’d say it’s pretty clearly the Gap Band.
Sing it with me, folks:
YOUUUUU LIGHT MY FIRE!
DH: My favorite moment was when I actually got to meet him. Back in the summer of 2003, KG, Tim Duncan, and Tracy McGrady did an Adidas photo shoot at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ. My best friend’s brother-in-law happened to be an athletic trainer at the school and tipped us off. I camped outside the gym doors that afternoon and waited. McGrady came out first, then Duncan… and then The Big Ticket emerged. I walked up to KG and put out my hand, only to have it completely swallowed up by KG’s massive paw. It was like shaking hands with a baseball mitt!
The previous spring, I had posted a Wolves hype video, “One Shot”, for the playoffs on my website. Timberwolves Marketing stumbled upon the video and ended up playing it on the jumbotron before the game and distributed “One Shot” howl towels to the fans. Through the grapevine, I had heard that Flip Saunders actually showed the video to the players at one point, so after I shook his hand, I told KG that I had made the video. His response?
“Oh Sh*t! That was you?”
We talked for a minute about the recent Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell acquisitions and then he headed to his black Suburban valet. As he walked away, I shouted, “Kevin, you’re winning a championship this season!”
He turned back, smiled, and said, “We’ll see!”
Turns out, I was one “big balls” dance away from being right.
BH: I could pick any one on the court moment, the two that stick out are the return dunk over Blake Griffin and the game seven performance in the Conference Semifinals against the Kings (a recording of the whole game is on YouTube for anyone that wants to relive it), but I’ll go with a more under-the-radar one. I absolutely love the clip of KG talking about “preparing for war” in a press conference before that Game 7 matchup against the Kings. It fires me up every time, and I’ve been known to send it to my Men’s League teammates before a big game.
AC: Sacramento game seven is an obvious answer here, but my introduction to the Wolves as an avid fan and follower came in my later years, which leans more 2010s. Because of that, it was the rush of his homecoming in 2015. I cut out of class early during high school and went to the library to claim tickets online from the block that he bought fans. I was able to get two, and went to the game with some of my best friends. He initially got me into basketball and the NBA, and was a major part in experiencing it with my friends in my formative years.
RE: My pick is easy. It’s Garnett’s infamous speech before Game 7 of the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals against the Kings.
“It’s a Game 7 man. This is it. It’s for all the marbles. I’m sittin’ in the house, I’m loading up the pump, I’m loading up the Uzi. I got a coupld M16s. Couple of 9s. I got a couple joints with silencers on them. I’m just loading up clips. Couple grenades. Got a missile launcher with a couple missles. I’m ready for war.”
Let’s hear your answers. What was your favorite KG memory? Are we going to see you at Target Center for the ceremony?
