NBA (DR) / All the Smoke (DR)
If you don’t know the guy Kevin Garnett, know that the Hall of Famer had a sometimes… overflowing behavior. In 2018, he notably allowed himself a violent tirade concerning Jimmy Butler! It must be said that this also concerned Minnesota, a sore point for the big man.
Impossible to dissociate Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves, of which he is simply the best all-time player. If he never managed to go far with them, the former interior made an absolutely phenomenal passage there between 1995 and 2007, even becoming MVP in 2004. In order to close the loop, he ended his career in Minnesota in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Recently, he even tried to buy the franchise back from its owner, to no avail.
Inevitably, the Big Ticket is therefore particularly protective of its former team and does not hesitate to defend it tooth and nail. Ask a little Jimmy Butler… In 2018, the full-back caused quite a drama by forcing his departure from Tom Thibodeau’s roster. He had also created an anthology scene during a work-out, during which he humiliated Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. An attitude that the Hall of Famer did not appreciate at all, as related The Athletic :
Kevin Garnett cashes in on Jimmy Butler case at T-Wolves
The pre-game locker rooms for KG-led teams were painfully quiet, with Garnett making it clear that this was a time of focus, preparation and attention. Those who did not support it were castigated. Those who didn’t like it…well, here’s what he told me in 2018 during the height of the Jimmy Butler drama:
“I built this franchise,” he said when I asked him why he never asked for a trade back then. “I’m not going to quit this fucking franchise. This is what I say to Butler: You can get out of here. If you don’t like it, then kick your ass. I heard a lot of whining about how it’s snowing and cold and why we should train.
Dude, you knew full well what the situation was going to be like when you signed up here, so stop whining. If you don’t want to be here, just get the fuck out. The guys know why they are there. Guys know what you’re getting into. I never asked for a trade because I didn’t want to be traded.
KG wasn’t known for being sloppy when trash-talking his opponents during his career, and he didn’t change his approach once he retired. History finally remembered that Butler went to Philadelphia, before signing a year later in Miami and becoming an undisputed leader there. We will particularly remember the heroic Finals in 2019-20 against the Lakers, while Minnesota completed yet another season in the Western slums.
No matter how hard Kevin Garnett addressed the situation, he was right about one thing: It didn’t make sense for Jimmy Butler to stay at the Timberwolves any longer. His departure was a blessing for everyone, including the franchise’s lack of collective results since.
