Great article

How much of this article has to do with the fact that the Celtics downed the Lakers last season?

KG has always been intense and his recent increase in jawing with other players is due to a couple of things...

#1 - Increased exposure. Nobody watched those Minnesota teams as closely as this Celtic one

#2 - I think more people are going at him now. Before he was KG the lovable loser. Now people are jealous and frustrated because they're being beat by him.

Basically he's doing a lot of the things he did before but people are scrutinizing him because now he's on a team doing the victimizing, not on a team that is the victim.

I never remember Garnett acting this ridiculous before. It's like's putting on a show for the world. He was doing his intimidation dance to Jerryd Bayless! A rookie who never plays, that's just silly. Pick on someone your own size mentally and physically.

Ha!
DeROK - I can honestly say that other than being fun to poke 'n' prod my buddy Rob (who'll pop in soon I'm sure), there's nothing there related to losing to the Celtics.
Sure. My 'hate' (and I mean that in a fun, sports-way... not as in the true meaning of the word) for the Celtics has grown back to it's former self... and that's a good thing. But there's nothing of that here 'n' now.

This stems from the way that he's behaving. And who he does it to.
I realise that you probably 'know' (as much as any of us can know a pro athlete) KG better than most of us - but I've never seen this bully-boy aspect to his game before. Worth noting that in the vid-clip with Bayless the commentary team said they've never seen that before too.
And who he does it to? His 'victims' are people he perceives won't retaliate. I was happy when Bogut gave him a smack, but they ejected the wrong guy.

Excuse the behavior all you like (and I direct that generically), but simple fact is that what he did to Calderon was BS. What he did to Bayless was BS. Yes, I know other players behave poorly - but I had held KG to higher standards than that... no more.

Kevin Garnett needs to start respecting his teammates more, no doubt. But being intense is not bad when it results in an NBA championship. Overall, KG has some faults, but he is a leader and will do whatever it takes to win.

Thug G is a bitch. Just ask the Hawks.

Hmm... Another sore loser from the '08 playoffs Soph?

I think that KG's antics are geared towards the lesser players because they don't respect him like they should. They probably ignite his ultra-competitive juices by smack talking when they should just shut up and know their role.

KG wouldn't do that to Kobe or LeBron or Shaq because there's a mutual respect there. Guys like Bogut and Bayless haven't done anything in this league that makes them worthy to wipe KG's rear side. KG does have a history of getting into it with scrubs as he did punch out Rick Rickert in practice once. I'm pretty sure Rickert had it coming though.

Should KG just take a deep breath and be the bigger person? There's certainly an argument to be had for that, especially as he becomes more and more of a respected vet in this league. On the flip side, I can prooooooooomise you that these antics are not unprovoked and KG in his younger years would never even think of messing with a veteran player whether they were a star or a substitute.

The man is simply intense - intense to the point where he does lose control of himself at times. It's the double edged sword that makes him the amazing player that he is.

Harst, just look at the clips.
The Bogut incident of itself is nothing. It's only in the general context that it becomes part of the pattern.
Big Baby Glenn Davis? Was pretty pathetic response from Davis, but didn't we castigate Kobe in the last few years for doing the same?
The Calderon taunt was disgusting, and went beyond merely being competitive, even 'intensely so'.
But the "get-down-on-all-fours" with Bayless? That was just awful. Crazy-awful. And to do it to a rookie with less than an hour sum-total of playing time... that's not leadership.

DeROK - Soph's not a Laker-fan. Matter o' fact, he's actually someone who's more likely to cheer against 'em.
I call BS on this being a reaction to "lesser players talking smack" to him - no way in hell Jerryd Bayless did that, or anything to warrant that. I very much doubt Bogut did anything either. Other than play pretty well (he is having a pretty good season, huh?).

Thing is DeROK, you won't ever see KG do this against anyone on a team where there's someone who will remonstrate with him. He tried that against Scola last season, and who ended up backing off? Wasn't ol' Luis, that's for sure. Even tho' there's a history now between he & Scola - I'll bet you that nothing will happen when Houston come to town on Jan 7th, because I can't imagine Ron Artest just standing idly by, respect for KG or no. And Scola's already proven himself to be more than a match to standing up to him... so unlikely. KG don't dig that.
And that's just lame.

Bet you’re surprised I took this long to weigh in on this one……
I have already said my piece about the Calderon (should have been slapped with a T) and Bogut (nothing much in it, handbags at 5 paces) incidents so no need to re hash those.
The Glenn Davis story is only a story because KG made him cry. This shouldn’t be about KG, but about a young man making a lot of money who couldn’t suck it up when his teammate (and acknowledged team leader) asked his team mates to lift their intensity after the bench had coughed up much of a big league. Team leaders do this at time outs and between quarters. You see Kobe do it, you see Le Bron do it. The reason why this doesn’t get commented on in every blog this side of Sydney is because Pau Gasol, Lamar and whoever the other players from Cleveland are don’t cry about it afterwards on national freakin’ tv!!!!!!!! This is about Davis’ reaction and he should be the one criticized for his behavior, not KG.
The Bayliss incident is more than just a little bizarre and I hope, not indicative of where KG is headed. Unfortunately, this is the sort of thing that we are seeing more and more often from him and it is a worry. Don is right (puked up a little in my mouth typing that) when he points out that rookies and guards are often on the wrong end of these oddities. I don’t want to see him doing them to someone his own (or Shaq’s own) size – I want them to disappear all together.
The only reason KG was going to leave Minnesota was to take a run at a championship. When the Celtics first talked about a trade they didn’t have the pieces to do it. The trade for Ray Allen was the piece that made it worthwhile and reasonable to assume that the C’s could take their shot, that’s when he agreed to the trade. That’s just good sense.
I’m going to sit on the fence for a little while longer. I worry a little about KG’s on-court behavior and hope that he goes back to intimidating the opposition with his defense, rebounding and scoring instead of the weird stuff. Having said that, I will be in Canada over the Christmas break and come 8:00pm EST on Christmas night I will be in front of the TV with a cold Sleeman’s Honey Brown in my hand ready to watch the Cs and Fakers go at it. I wouldn’t mind even a little bit if KG tried all of this out on Kobe…..

remember last season when garnett had an incident against pachula? man, garnett really is a bitch.

sure, moving to boston only made sense when the right pieces were already in place. there's no doubt about that. but garnett's crazy antics lately are really classless. I mean, you just won a championship the previous season, i guess it wouldn't hurt to act like a true champion.

I completely agree with DeROK. Also, KG gets into it with everyone, not *just* players of small stature or rookies or whatever. That's what happens when you are intense as he is. Heck, he's probably the most intense player in the NBA from the time the ball tips to the ending whistle.

It's a shame that more people don't play hard and give 110% like he does. He should be applauded, not despised.

DeROK that is just silly. Be the bigger person? Are you kidding me? Bayless is PLAYING BASKETBALL. He doesn't have to "know his role." His role is point guard. His role is NOT KG's personal whipping boy. He is not lesser because he is not as talented. KG is lesser because he is acting like a child.

It is not intensity. It is foolishness. I used to like this thug, but now he's right behind Robert Horry as the player I'd most liked to see set on fire.

Forgive me if I think that both CW and DeROK still have a lil' bias in your hearts CW... and understandably so. I really hope that when KG goes to the HoF, he has the class to do so as a T-Wolf.

Anyway, those that say "oh, he does this to everyone", are a lil' duplicitous in saying that - it's untrue. He doesn't. Plainly, he rarely does it to guys who wouldn't back down, or are physically 'prepared' to take on KG toe-to-toe. If he had, we'd all be watching the fisticuffs that ensued on youtube. He's played against Artest before, he's never done this against him... or Shaq. Or any of the teams with guys who'd give him something in return.
The one mark that he's attempted and failed is Luis Scola... and we all saw/talked about that.
I really look forward to that Houston@Boston game...

It's interesting that the one Celtics fan who has responded here is at least a little bit concerned about the way KG's carrying on.

It's about time he started intimidating people with his game rather than childish taunts. I fear it's pure arrogance stemming from him collecting that ring to complete his HoF resume, its disgusting to watch

Another well written artlice malice.
I've already had a few sprays about KG and his antics, in fact I was the one that came up with the Award for man most deserving of a punch in the nuts.
I let his over-the-top, nneee-fing-issss-posssuuubulllll, celebration when he won the title. Granted, it did look very much scripted, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was carried away with emotion.
The Bogut incident was a non-event. That was something that happened in the heat of the moment, no intent meant by either player I don’t think.
Then came the mocking of Calderon. Yeh, big man KG, picking on someone 1 foot shorter then you.
Its like the Bayless incident. Not just the walking on hands and knees bit, but the incident after that, where KG went screaming in his face because it turned it over. GARNETT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TURNOVER! HE WASN'T EVEN NEAR THE PLAY. If you reject someone, you can scream in their face. If you posterize-dunk someone, you can scream in their face. But if you have nothing to do with the turnover, then shut the fuck up!

I’ve said this before, I wish he would go and say something to Shaq. Shaq would turn around and punch him in the face with his 4 rings. That’s right. FOUR. All of which he earned. When he got traded to Miami, he didn’t wait until the team had 2 all-stars. He just went there. And he turned them into a title-winning team. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to take away from Boston’s title. They earned it last season, and fully deserved it. But KG’s going round acting like he is the king of the NBA.

I went for the Celtics last season purely because I did not want Kobe to win another title. But if the Lakers & Celtics were to play in the Finals again this season, I would have a great deal of trouble cheering on KG. if he acts like this with one ring, imagine how he'll act with 2!

With all due respect, this article reads like it was written by a Lakers fan....

Ill stick by my previous posts on this blog. KG is an MVP winner and has a championship ring and yes its probaly turned him into a spoilt man child who is losing respect fast, but thats his perogative i guess and hes put his money where his mouth is. Wouldnt be the first player to showboat his acheivements now would he?

Showboating is one thing. Picking on a rookie half your size for no reason is another. If KG is to 'showboat' to anyone, it should be LBJ or Gasol, who are the same size and have yet to win a ring. Not a 1st year point guard.

Ouch... that's more than a lil' rough - to tell me "all due respect", and then to proceed to tell me that I'm unable to write on the poor behavior of a player due to the fact that the team he plays on beat the team I follow... due to 'bias'.
So... who can I write on?

And please - tell me how do you feel it's biased? In what way does this "read like it was written by a Lakers fan..."?
Will any criticism of anything Celtic is automatically sour-grapes from a Lakers fan? And honestly man (and believe me, I love a good debate - there's no ill-will here at all!), to me it's irrelevant who he plays for.
But really Markymark, there are a lot of people out there disgusted by him, and it's got nothing to do with what team they follow.

I'm also unsure as to how him "putting his money where his mouth is" or "showboating" fits into dropping to all fours whilst defending someone... could you clarify that?

The absolutely amazing thing about it is that he's not more denigrated than he is currently being. If this were Kobe, or Ron Artest... or hell - even Paul Pierce, they'd be trashed by now.

I guess it's just testament to the respect he built.
And is tearing down.

Just to clear the air. I'm not a "Laker" fan. I love the NBA, ever since Barkley went to Phoenix, I had said, that I'd root for whoever, Rodney Rogers played for (get well soon)! That Included the Nuggets, Clippers, Suns, Nets, Sixers, and CELTICS! Currently I'm rooting for Josh Howard and the Mavs, that is until Avery Johnson comes back. If I had to pick a team I didn't like it'd be Pissons(any team with aiou), though the Celtics are climbing up the hate list, because of Thug G. I don't even hate the Spurm, I just can't stand to watch play, atleast Manu is back so they are slightly more tolerable.

So, No, I'm not a Laker fan. I'm just a FAN.

And dammit, Why do I still have a penguin?!?!?

I mean no disrespect don. And yes im a Boston fan but this aint a Boston Lakers thing. Im not a KG fan either and i was never rapt when he came to Boston. I thought it was a bad move and i would have rather of seen a young team build up to greatness with PP captaining the ship. But he came and done his little KG dance and Boston won a title and kudos for that im a happy Boston fan

However, hes still an idiot. Success has made him this way and hes not going to go down as the only superstar in sports to ever have been a bad sportsman. Michael Jordan was no stand out guy. The difference between him and KG? MJ did it better than anyone to ever play the game so hes kind of forgiven. KG may win win another title with BOston and maybe even end up in the hall of fame. So he acts like a tool while he does it. Not good for the game. Not good for the young fans but at least hes showing hes a little human. And when his time is up we has basketball fans will judge what he has done and decide how history will remember him.

and i love the little penguin.

keep up the good work

Would you rather have KG and his "antics", or a player that has no "antics" because he doesn't care about whether his team wins or loses?

I guess I'd take KG and his "antics"...

Fair call Mark... gotcha on that.

CW - does it have to be an "either/or" situation? There are plenty of guys who care about winning or losing, and don't act like this. It's not like it's a prerequisite.

Fair enough, I can't argue that. I guess it does come with the territory though. I don't think KG is the same if you ask him to tone things down.

Also, I think this is partly being overblown now that he's in a huge market and they are one of the top teams in the NBA. I bet if these exact same things happened and he was still on the 4-17 TWolves, not near as many people would care.

First off, yes, KG gets down on all fours seemingly at least once per week. Typically in the 4th quarter and it always gets the crowd on their feet and gets them screaming. It's a move that simply rallies Celtic Nation. Not really geared to "disrespect" whichever player is bringing the ball up the court.

And for him "intimidating" smaller players. Well, of course. Doing that stuff to Shaq isn't going to intimidate him, so why try? If he can get in the head of the opponent's PG and throw him off his game, why wouldn't he? It's not about trying to show he's the toughest man on the court, it's about winning a basketball game. If that means psyching the smaller players out, then get down on it!

Hear Hear

I keep hearing how the tiger crawl against a "small, back-up rookie" is disgraceful and that KG'd never do anything like that against someone bigger or more established. And that this is all because he's won a championship, that success went to his head.

Nonsense. Here's KG doing the EXACT SAME THING last year to ALL STAR POWER FORWARD David West, before he won any kind of title: http://redsarmy.wordpress.com/...awl-thing/

Pretty sure he did it against Andre Iguodala a year or two back as well. And other times, but for some reason now everything he does is under a microscope. Folks are looking for anything, and blowing things WAY out of proportion.

Hmm. The link is acting funny. Anyway, if anyone is really that curious just google "Kevin Garnett David West Reds Army" and it's the first article that comes up.

Usher Prince: I may have something to say to you on whether or not Shaq 'earned' that ring in Miami.

I think most of the arguments I would have made have already been made, so I'll keep it brief. I think that KG is probably being a bit of an ass in doing these things, but there are definitely other asshole players in the league. That's not against the rules. The real issue is accountability. For one, KG needs to be held accountable my the media/general public. Normally that's just a weak-ass representation that means "something I heard somewhere" but I legitimately think we're giving him too much slack for this kind of behavior on the whole. Similarly, the league needs to take a similar approach. Yes, he was punished for harassing Bogut, but aside from that we haven't heard a peep from the NBA. The best example I can give to point out the double standard would be to put another player in KG's situation: what happens if Kobe, Artest, or say, Bruce Bowen does what KG has been doing? All intense guys, no doubt, and they would all be bringing their particular brand of intense to a league-sentenced suspension and a healthy dose of public ridicule.

Wait a second...you think Kobe would have been suspended for pointing at Jose Calderon? Really? Or that Bowen, who has done MUCH worse without suspension, would be sitting out for going to his knees on defense? Seriously?

How dare an athlete try to intimidate an opponent!!! I blame the movie Little Giants!

Yeah, that's pretty absurd.

Bowen gets away, and has gotten away with a lot. His situation was more to illustrate public/media retaliation. Kobe got suspended for flopping on his follow-through. You don't think somebody would have a sit-down with him if he got down on all fours and barked at somebody? Hounded a player he had no business guarding all the way up the court, clapping in their face and generally being a jackass? Directly taunting a rookie on the opposing team because they committed a turnover in the final minutes when the game had all but been decided? Suspension was probably hyperbole. But how is that kind of behavior any less "unsportsmanlike conduct" than a taunt after a dunk?

And though the results were exaggerated, the point was made: I think any of those players would be hiding under their umbrellas from the shit storm of backlash right about now.

“Where we stand depends largely upon where we sit.” This quote sums up many of these assumptions based on the misinformation you all seem to have been fed. The few games you've seen of Kevin Garnett and the few things read about him display a small part of him as a person and as a player. Undoubtedly some of it is associated with negative, emotional, immature outbursts. Frankly, it seems outright ignorant to judge a man based on watching a few months out of his almost 15 year career. Let’s not hold these men to standards we couldn’t hope to measure up to ourselves. Players like KG, Sheed, Artest, AI, Kobe, Josh Howard, Plexico, Randy Moss, etc. are all players that are great at sports and because of that are scrutinized for everything they do. Nobody gives a shyt about the good things they do, the leadership they exhibit, or the ubiquity of altruism oozing from some of these men’s pores. We simply catch them during human moments and proclaim them unfit to be role models.

I’ve followed KG since 95. I followed as he toiled in obscurity for 12 years without faltering ONCE in the ways that so many others in the spotlight have. As Randy Moss was judged for not being the perfect role model KG just kept it moving, giving us solace in the fact that we’ll never wake up to find out KG’s out on bail for gun charges or for running over a parking attendant. We knew that no matter how selfish Marbury would become, no matter how inept McHale would prove to be, how unaware Glen Taylor would be, how stupid Spree would be, how fragile Terrell Brandon would be, or how bad the franchise would be, KG would be an unwavering sign of commitment. He wouldn’t bad mouth people in public, but might periodically punch a teammate in practice.

I matriculated through high school and college finding some comfort in the fact even though KG took a ridiculous contract (oh no, another sign of him being human) he displayed a sense for his social responsibility unseen in this state, ever. As other celebrities spent their time occupying our gossip conversations KG spent time being courted by Oprah and in the communities, carrying out what Oprah proclaimed a mission by a man big enough to realize just how small he is in this world.

On the court, I’ve watched a young man do some impressive, unfathomably athletic, and talented things. I’ve watched him do some straight out strange things. I’ve watched him do some stupid things. After watching him never throw in the towel even when he was surrounded by Ricky Davis and Mike James as second fiddles (I’m embarrassed to even say that) one gains an appreciation for his commitment to the game. After watching his countless emotional interviews, most memorably the John Thompson interview, one understands how dedicated to achievement he is. Then I’ve also seen him get down on all fours, something he started in the late 90’s (to the best of my knowledge) and has done when he is pumped up and intent on imposing his will on the defensive end. Disrespectful or not, it’s fun(ny?) to watch and always makes me chuckle. There could be much more disrespectful situations than that.

I remember KG crossing AC Green over so bad he slipped out of bounds, then continuing to the hoop for a dunk only to get thrown to the ground by the Big Fella. He got up clapping in Shaq’s face to let him know he wasn’t fazed. Shaq proceeded to dunk on him a few possessions later, proving that he’s not the one to aggravate. KG has since learned his lesson there. He also slapped Duncan in the back of the head after Joe Smith and The Admiral got a little heated. Duncan responded by sheepishly growling at KG and running to Pop to ask if he could file a police report or something. KG’s continued to be an annoying pest to Duncan as he gets away with it. He’s punched Wally and Rickert. As a Wolf he’s gone face to face with A. Peeler, McDyess, Sheed, Christie, Clifford Robinson (probably because he could NEVER score on him, fyck I hated that), and countless others. When the confrontations worked, he kept it up, when it didn’t, he quit. I suppose that makes him a bit of a bully on the court. He messes with people if it intimidates them and doesn’t if it’s not worth the hassle. Anyway, these situations don’t even account for his post Wolves’ altercations, which have been much better documented because he’s now in the spotlight.

The above paragraph proves he’s prone to the immaturity of a man as flawed as the rest of us. He's less prone to ever provoke Shaq again because he visibly lost that battle. He's more likely to prod Zaza Pachulia again. But then again Kobe got beat up by Reggie Miller and Chris Childs. Michael Jordan was the biggest A-Hole of all time...and he cheated on his wife. Shyt, even MLK Jr. compromised his fidelity time and time again while on the road. That's called being human. I know my place, and it's not in passing judgments on others' lives based on what they don't do, because then I'm missing out on what they have done.

“Let everyone sweep in front of their own door and the whole world will be clean.” Let’s worry less about what others aren’t perfect at and start worrying about what we, the everyday people who are no less important in straightening our spokes in the wheel of life, are doing to make our contribution felt.

KG has gotten into it in the past with Soudamire, Duncan, West, Al Jefferson, need I go on about how wrong you are about KG only going after smaller players? Even if he is going after smaller players is he hurting them in any way? No.

Ask the Hawks how KG's ass tastes? Or ask pachula how parquet tastes? How about asking the hawks how it was when they got owned in game 7. Why don't you ask the cavs, pistons, and lakers how big a bitch KG is when they're the ones getting bent over?

Preach.

Typical Lakerstrash who are just frustrated that their fearless hated leader Kobe will never carry a team to a championship. Shaq, where you at?

Yeah. Please do. Preach how your actions off the court, condone how you treat people on the court.

Double standard much?

This article is absurd. I was planning on typing a lengthy response, but Mr. Daddy Fat Sax did a very fine job of summarizing the majority of what needed to be said. With that being said I feel the need to still say a few words, as some of you are WAY off on this one.

First of all, Kevin Garnett is far from a punk or a bitch, and it is pure ignorance to label him as such. He is widely regarded as one of the most, if not the most, intense players in the league. And most people view that intensity as a good thing, as an endearing asset, as something that more players should possess. So with that intensity are going to come some things that are a bit unorthodox or "off the wall". The thing with him going down on all fours is not meant to disrespect the opposition, but rather something that Garnett does (and has done for a decade) when he is locked in at one of his highly intense moments, and just FEELS it. He's not doing it to disrespect anyone or act cocky, he is just that engaged; that into the moment. I think it is great, and every time he does it, it is an exciting thing. It's the same type of thing as when he gets put on a switch and suddenly finds himself on the perimeter guarding a guard or a wing. He will often either clap his hands or slap the floor, not to disrespect, but to signal that he is ready to get down and dirty and play defense like a guard. He has done this throughout his career, and now that he is a champ the haters are coming out? Don't stoop to that level people.

I have more examples & topics I would like to address, but due to time, length of post, and the fear of repeating others I will stop. The bottom line is that Kevin Garnett is intense, and this is not a bad thing. Some strange or abnormal things will sprout out of that intensity, but rarely are they classless, and when they are, they are not intentional.

Also, as many others have now mentioned, he has gone at it with little & big men, scrubs & stars alike. Amare, Howard, Duncan, Gasol, and Brad Miller are some of the bigger more established players that he has gotten into scrums with (off the top of my head), so to say he only gets into it with scrubs is uneducated.

Finally, to criticize his post-finals conversation/hype-fest with M. Tafoya as classless or scripted is once again just plain uneducated and ignorant. I have seen many a postgame interview with Garnett throughout his years where he comes across as uber-hyper, weird, emotional, and scattered. He cares so much and takes the game so seriously, that after a big win or a big play, it's like he almost doesn't know what to do with himself, or he can't properly keep his emotion harnessed in. I have seen postgame interviews with Garnett in the past where he has either been basically unable to speak at all, has spoken a mile a minute, or has been either inaudible or profanity laden. This is unbridled, vintage Garnett. And it is 100% authentic.

I would have to agree with DeRok on the nation that this is such an absurd argument. Being from Minnesota and a season ticket holder through the KG glory years if you will, you would not have dared called any of his actions detrimental to the game. This guy loves playing basketball, if you don't believe that, watch his interview with Bill Russell where broke down in tears at the constant losing that was happening in Minnesota. Yet through of all the down years that we had here, he never opened his mouth and complained to the media. If he had gripes with coaches or management he took it up with them, he didn't want the national spotlight on him as most of these players do. By the way, have you ever seen Garnett's name involved in any bar fights, marijuana incidents, traffic violations or ANYTHING of that matter? No. Yet you are calling him the most hated player in the league? Ridiculous.www.playorgeplayed.wordpress.com

Wait... 'pointing' at Jose Calderon? Interesting choice of verb.

Again, I think you need to have a look from your own stance of bias. The fact that I follow the Lakers has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion.
If Kobe behaves badly again, I'll state so as well. Have in the past, will again.

Brian... you start with

"Being from Minnesota and a season ticket holder through the KG glory years if you will..."

. Excuse me if I get the feeling that maybe you're carrying your own bit of bias there, and are willing to forgive in Garnett what you wouldn't in others.

DaddFatSax makes some good points, but

"Let’s not hold these men to standards we couldn’t hope to measure up to ourselves."

is something 'we' (I use the term generically) do daily. People condemned Kobe (still do, daily) of rape, even tho' he was excused from that charge in a court of law. Also bitch at him for being unfaithful, when statistics point to some sort of infidelity occurring in over 2 thirds of marriages in the US. Same with Ron Artest, Allen Iverson, and even Stephon Marbury.
But here's the true double standard: it's ok for KG to act like an ass because he's intense? As Rob Mahoney pointed out - if it were one of the people he mentioned acting in this way, the furor would be enormous.

LMAO. your kidding me, right? Comparing someone's speeding ticket or marijuana use to being an outright asshole is the most absurd thing I read. So you NEVER got pulled over? Really? Then you mustn't drive very much. I've never smoked weed, but if someone wants to that's their choice. Hardly a criminal offense, in fact, you can get prescriptions for it!

Kevin Garnett is a thug, if you deny that you're blind. Being intense doesn't give you a right to belittle another player.

So when I go to work tonight, and someone is not doing their job efficiently enough, I'm allowed to get down on all fours and chase after them?!?!?

WoW. There are a lot of fanbois but anyone defending Thug G takes the cake.

Hey but what I do helping out our local firehouse, makes me a good person, and allows me the right to belittle other competitors when I play basketball. Check.

I think my general stance Brian amounts to that I really did like him - but this recent spate of lame behavior has seriously eroded that.
And regardless of whether he deserves it or not - have a look around at the general community... KG's definitely not liked, and at the moment? As I've stated: he'd be #1 on most hate-lists.

I don't think he needs to do it, his game is intimidating enough.

you morons do know that KG didn't make Glen Davis cry, right? He wasn't even addressing him specifically. Davis himself admitted that he was just reacting emotionally to the situation. the tape shows that KG was simply trying to pull Big Baby into the huddle and wasn't even looking at him while he was talking. As for the rest of his teammates, they were all sitting there calmly listening like a bunch of grown-ups.

Yes Dave, we're all 'morons'. And you do realise that "I did not have sexual relations with that woman".

It's funny how I get dismissive of someone who starts a sentence like "you morons do know..." and fails to even capitalize the first letter of his sentences...
Tsk, tsk 'dave'.

The one thing that becomes readily apparent (note that I capitalized the start of my sentence) is that there are some pretty strong views on KG out there. I have been a Celtics fan since the start of the 80s when I first followed the NBA and have been a vocal supporter here at WM. And as a Celtics fan I take issue with Don's characterization of KG as a "punk" and the most hated man in basketball"..... but..... I am a little concerned by his behaviour this season.

Happy to see so many opinions expressed here - even the ones that are so obviously wrong (kidding!)

With Malice, you responded to my statement about the standards we set by saying they are

something 'we' (I use the term generically) do daily. People condemned Kobe (still do, daily) of rape, even tho' he was excused from that charge in a court of law. Also bitch at him for being unfaithful, when statistics point to some sort of infidelity occurring in over 2 thirds of marriages in the US. Same with Ron Artest, Allen Iverson, and even Stephon Marbury.

My point exactly. They are all just human. Quit playing God with these men's lives. In fact, get one yourselves and let's all go do something more productive. I heard the auto industry was in a bit of despair...

That's disappointing... you're delving into insults (if I misread that, apologies - end of a long day here)? I'm not sure how people voicing their opinion ends up as "playing God"... verily, pretty damn sure that KG himself doesn't give a damn what we discuss here. Isn't discussion - even a relatively heated one - what makes sports so damn fun? Isn't it hubris for someone to tell people to stop discussing the foibles of our sporting heroes as it's "playing God"?
I think we could iron with that.

Sigh... I hope you're including yourself on that "in need of a life".
Me? I'm fine. Gainfully employed in a good job, and my family's doing well too - but thanks for the concern.
Auto-industry over here is in great shape too. I'll pass on your well-wishes to Toyota tho'.

Glad to argue with you tho'. Your first response was interesting to read. Hope to see you 'round here again!

Cheers,


Don

Not sure anyone is "playing God", just offering an opinion on a subject that a number of us obviously have opinions on.

Auto industry in Vietnam going gangbusters BTW......

listen clown. watch the suns game from last yr in phx. him and amare were going at it all game and he was doing the same shit. kg's obviously tapped. but i have less of a problem with him than i do with clowns like varajeo and ginoboli flopping all over the place. and guys like lebron and d-wade who are two of the most condescending, arrogant players i've ever seen.

or that cry baby vooyachick. ray allen blew by him like boo-ya-bitch!

"Clown"? Man... seems the respondents are devolving. Lemme guess: Boston fan?
Sigh...

Even Henry Abbott at True Hoop thinks that KG's at least *selective* of his 'recipients of attention'. http://myespn.go.co/blogs/true...Mouth.html

I agree with you on Ginobli flopping, Varejao's not quite as bad. And once Bruce Bowen gets into his dancing feet routine then I'll probably do a piece on that.
But LeBron? D-Wade? You're reaching. Arrogance? You might want to look at your own Paul Pierce's declarations of who the best player in the world is before you start throwing those accusations around.
Thanks for stopping by tho'. Hope you can *share* with us again.

but LeBron? D-Wade? You're reaching. Arrogance? You might want to look at your own Paul Pierce's declarations of who the best player in the world is before you start throwing those accusations around.
Thanks for stopping by tho'. Hope you can *share* with us again.

I like.

Nope, probably won't see me here after this. I stay over at TwolvesBlog to converse in a relatively insightful little community about hoops. I don't spend enough time online to read these other boards, although ones such as this are obviously good.

I wasn't insulting you, just pointing out all of our constant obsessions with these men and trying to unsheath their demons as if they aren't present in all of us. It's easy to condemn a man for what he hasn't handled well while it's difficult to praise the same man when he's done so much more for the game, his community, and his fans. You all haven't been privy to him as a contributor for long enough so it's hard not to judge based on tidbits of misinformation. These judgements are what I referred to as playing "GOD," as it's obvious we're in no place to determine who a man is and who he isn't.

I was including myself with reference to "getting a life" as the second I had to resort to spending time talking about a man's character who could care less about any of us (As you pointed out), I was out of my element. Because what makes sports fun is to discuss what happens on the court, field, octagon (UFC), etc. I could care less about wasting my time discussing what I think Plexico's fate should be or how KG should stop being so darn mean to these young men.

Garbage. Pure garbage.

Thanks for sharing that Ryan. Yet another Boston fan?

I just wrote a long post and it didn't show up. But something else just came to mind. What about Shaq. Hasn't he gotten into it with lesser players, throwing punches at Brad Miller, Joel Pryzbilla, etc. There is a lot more on him I do not feel like typing out.

I take it from that comment that that's a tacit agreement that yes, KG does get into it with "lesser players"?

Anyway, huge difference between he and Shaq. Physically, everyone in the entire league is a "lesser player" for Shaq.