Kevin Garnett's 22-point, 20-rebound Celtics debut on Nov. 2 against the Wizards was so emphatic, it drowned out all memories of the only other Celtic in franchise history to record a 20-20 game with his first game in green.
It was probably the highlight of Sidney Wicks' two seasons in green. As anyone who followed the team back then can attest, the forward's path quickly spiraled down. This former Rookie of the Year paired with the troubled Curtis Rowe for the most disliked twosome in franchise history.
And that's a shame, according to the man who coached Wicks for the first year-and-a-half.
``Believe it or not, Sidney was a terrific, intelligent player,'' said Tom Heinsohn, who remembers the days leading up to that first game well.
In what stands for Heinsohn as the weirdest season he ever coached, the Celtics lost Paul Silas to free agency due to a front office mistake just before the start of the 1976-77 season.
In response, the Celtics purchased the rights to Wicks from Portland three days before the season opener against Indiana.
``He was given the playbook for power forward, and then at the last minute we gave him the playbook at center,'' said Heinsohn.
The result was Wicks' 21-point, 22-rebound performance in Indianapolis on Oct. 21, 1976.
Heinsohn said the season may have turned sour, though the team, with Cowens back, took Philadelphia to seven games in the conference semifinals before falling, but that Wicks should not be tagged with the playoff no-show that followed in 1977-78.
Heinsohn was fired halfway through that season, and makes no excuses for Rowe, who earned his cancerous reputation.
But could Wicks, who averaged 14.2 points as a Celtic, have suffered from a bum rap? Heinsohn thinks so.
``Sidney wasn't a bad guy,'' said Heinsohn. ``The bad guy was Rowe. But Sidney was fine."
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