OK, so it was a wonderful achievement for Kevin Garnett last season when the big guy stepped into the Garden, and into local sports lore, by helping lead the Celtics to their 17th NBA championship.
After all those years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, all those years of missing out on the NBA's grand stage, Garnett brought his talent, his desire, his smarts and his work ethic to Boston. And it paid off with a championship. But now, the question must be asked: Is that the best Garnett could do?
The question isn't being raised by some media member, but, apparently, by Kevin Garnett himself.
So says Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, Garnett's one-time teammate when they both played in Minnesota.
Last night being the Raptors' first visit to the Garden this season, Mitchell was asked the obligatory question about what he thought about his good friend playing on an NBA championship team.
At first, he offered up a nice, safe comment about Garnett's admirable work ethic, saying that, ``Nobody can teach that to you. It's got to be in you, and he had it from the first day. The guy just competes so hard.''
And then Mitchell talked about a summer conversation he had with Garnett.
``I was telling him how proud I was,'' Mitchell said, ``and he was like, `Yeah, but, you know, I gotta do this,' and, `I gotta do this,' and I'm listening to him, and, you have to realize, in his mind, he still doesn't think he's quite good enough. And I guess that's what you have to have to be great. You don't believe what people say about you.
``Somewhere in his mind, he probably doesn't think he's quite good enough.'' During the conversation, Mitchell asked Garnett, ``Have you ever sat down for two minutes and thought about where you've come from your rookie year to where you are now, an NBA champion?'' According to Mitchell, Garnett's response was, ``No, I'll do it one day when I retire, because I can't let up. I'm afraid if I stop and sit back, and enjoy some of what I've done, I'm afraid I may let up. And I can't do that.'' Mitchell paused.
``You know, I had that fear of not being good enough, because I good enough,'' he said. ``So my fears were legit. But I guess the great ones, that's what they have. He's just amazing.''
Thinking globally and acting locally, Mitchell brought up Chris Bosh, the Raptors' sixth-year forward.
``I see a lot of that in my young fella now,'' he said. ``Just how he prepares. He's still a young player. He's only 24 years old. And we look at him and it seems like he's been around for a while, and he has a chance to be something special. And I tell him this all the time. He can be an All-Star. There's another level he can get to.''
With all respect to Bosh, it's doubtful Celtics fans will keep a candle burning, awaiting the young Raptors star's ascension to true greatness. As for this business of Garnett not yet being good enough and hoping to take his game to a higher level, now a drama worth following. OK, OK, so a lot of what Sam Mitchell was saying was the pregame blueplate special. What'd you expect him to say, that
Garnett can take it easy now that he has his ring? But it was the WAY Mitchell described his conversation with Garnett that made all this so fascinating. It was hard not to picture Garnett sitting there with Mitchell, wringing his hands, wondering how to get better, hoping, hoping, he can put it all together. Look, Garnett is 32 years old. He is a future Hall of Famer. He IS good enough. But this inner turmoil, if that's what you want to call it, can't be a bad thing. The real problem would be if he woke up the morning after banner No. 17 was secured and came to the conclusion that he's all set.
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