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Kevin Garnett receives hero’s welcome in return home (video)

By Ethan Finkelstein

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Kevin Garnett’s return to the Minnesota Timberwolves is attracting a hero’s welcome.

The “Big Ticket” is heading back to Minnesota, and with Kevin Garnett’s return to the Timberwolves comes a lot of crazy and differing emotions. Most are feelings of joy and nostalgia. Others question why they ever traded the 2003-04 NBA MVP in the first place. Everything else aside, however, the greatest player in franchise history will be sporting Minnesota blue again for the first time in eight seasons.

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Garnett, 38, is producing a 14.8 PER this season, after spending his second year in Brooklyn for the Nets, who find themselves struggling through a 22-31 campaign. He will be joining a Minnesota team that is even worse. The Timberwolves are just 12-42, tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the second worst record in the league; only the 10-44 New York Knicks are more dismal.

While his production has been slightly below average, Garnett’s return serves as more of a mentoring experience than that of trying to remaining competitive this season. With the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoff race a full 17 games out of reach, Minnesota does not really have much to play for at this point in the season.

However, the presence of the Timberwolves all time leader in points, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, and minutes played should be a valuable experience for young up and comers like Shabazz Muhammad, and former no. 1 overall picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, both of whom were acquired for Kevin Love prior to the 2014-15 NBA season. Ricky Rubio also gives Garnett a point guard with similar ability to a Rajon Rondo, who he absolutely missed when dealt to Brooklyn two years ago.

If this is where the train stops on Kevin Garnett’s brilliant career, it has been quite a ride. The power forward/center has come a long way from the 1995 NBA Draft, when he was selected right out of high school, fifth overall. In addition to his MVP honors, he also won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, a gold medal with the United States in 2000, the 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year award, and was named to 15 all star teams, nine all-NBA and 12 all-defensive teams.

His versatility for his size should be noted. As it currently stands, Garnett is the first, and only player in NBA history with at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 blocks, and 1,500 steals.

H/T Bleacher Report

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