Subscribe Feed (RSS)Kevin Garnett has been troublesome to the Trail Blazers, both with his play on the court and his talking. Or shall we say taunting. In fact, the last time the Blazers played the Celtics, in Boston, Garnett got down on all fours and mocked Jerryd Bayless late in the game.
I’m not sure this is the game when it’s going to happen, but at some point, somebody with a Trail Blazer shirt on is going to respond to this guy. And in a physical way. I can just feel it. At the very least, someone is going to have to send him a message, even if it’s just in the form of a very hard, but clean, foul.
(By the way, Anthony Peeler was once a teammate of Garnett and knew exactly how to handle him when his team met the Timberwolves in the playoffs one year. Remember this? Garnett didn’t know whether to spit or go blind.)
Portland coach Nate McMillan isn’t the kind of guy who will tell his players to go lay one on Garnett. What he’d rather have is for his players to stick it to Garnett where it hurts the most — on the scoreboard. But don’t take that to mean he’s told his players not to respond to Garnett in some way — with words or actions.
“I won’t tell them not to respond,” he said. ” You can’t put your tail between your legs. But the important thing is to just play. Talking is one thing, but you’ve got to play.”
People always talk about teams taking on the personality of their head coach and I think that’s happened in Portland, where the Trail Blazers don’t complain, they play hard and do things the right way — just as McMillan did as a player. But one thing is missing and that’s McMillan’s physical toughness. Trust me on this, as a guy who watched him play a lot of times, Nate McMillan took no guff from anybody.
And at some point, his players are going to have to pick up that physical toughness trait. When they do, they’re going to be a better team, not only against Kevin Garnett but against everyone else.
Tags: Anthony Peeler, Boston Celtics, Dwight Jaynes, Kevin Garnett, Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers
hope some of the players read this, specifically,
“‘I won’t tell them not to respond,’ he said. ‘ You can’t put your tail between your legs.’”
KG needs to stay the hell away from Bayless or the whole team should take him down! Seriously that was not a cool thing to do. I have always liked KG’s passion for basketball but he has to find another way to keep his head in the game. As always, thanks for your blog. Go Blazers!
so john canzano thinks oden should play 10 minutes a game?!?! I dont think he sees the big picture. Thoughts dwight?
I couldn’t agree more. Strong messages need to be sent, and I don’t care what sport you play, whether it’s soccer, american football, hockey, baseball or basketball.
I am sick of the Blazers not sticking up for one another, it’s time to grow up. You don’t need to be the biggest guy on the team, it’s more of an attitude. Although Nate was tough, the real heart and soul was Gary Payton as the mouthpiece. Does anyone really think GP would let Garnett talk like that to Nate. Does Nate remember tough guys like Michael Cage, Benoit Benjamin, Xavier McDaniel and Dereck McKey. Garnett would have been fouled hard. I hated those Sonic teams but admired them.
Here is a list of enforcers from past NBA championship teams in no particular order, who is willing to step up for our nice guys and willing to be the dirty work guy.
1. Rick Mahorn (just about every Bad Boy, but nobody messed with Mahorn)
2. Michael Cooper
3. Rick Fox
4. Bill Wennington
5. Bruce Bowen
6. Ben Wallace
7. Maurice Lucas
There is another trash-talker that didn’t get much attention when the Blazers played his team, and that was Rasheed Wallace. I think it was just last season when Sheed mocked the Blazers and said, “It will be years before they make the playoffs. YEARS”. I didn’t read a whole lot from Rasheed after Portland beat the Pistons 96 – 85 in Detroit back in November.
Now you’ve got Garnett, who is the bully on top of the mountain. He seems to take pleasure in mocking this young team, and it appears that he has already forgotten about the years he spent in Minnesota pining for a championship and being nowhere close to achieving it. I have lost a lot of respect for him in the last year.
And while a Blazer win tonight won’t do much to derail another championship run by a great team, it sure would be nice to throw a little mud in the eye of that bully on top of his mountain. Who knows, it may also shut him up…for a day or two.
luanne, garnett knows what he’s doing with his antics and trust me, his head in the game at all times. can you tell that the guy has never responded when someone has actually squared up to him and popped him in the mouth i.e anthony peeler above?? that’s his MO and he’s not about to change.
his trash talking is just that–talking. he’s not interested in getting in fights. he knows that 90% of the guys he gets into it with tend to play worse.
one thing i loved about bayless was that he did not look intimidated for a second when garnett started taunting him. it was as if he wasn’t even there. more imporantly it didn’t affect his game, and that’s the best cure to shut someone up like garnett.
Ike or Frye need to take one for the team and let loose the haymaker!
Were a young team and Nate rightly so stresses that we have to show composure. Getting a young team rattled is a sure way to lose…
We haven’t yet learned how to give the hard foul or send the tough message without getting too emotionally involved. These young Blazers need to learn how to detach when giving the tough love back. This is not something you learn in a book. Only experience teaches you this
Once we learn how to do that…that is when we will advance as a team and begin to enter true contender status
marko: I know that KG has trashed talked since his high school playing days. It clearly works for him but it doesn’t work for our Blazers! We need to get past his distractions and kick some butt. I hope that the Blazers realize that this game is just ONE game. Approach it as no biggie. Take care of the basketball and talk to each other on the court. Let the Cs talk to themselves. I’m not bashing KG’s game just what he did to Bayless as that was ridiculous. Go Blazers!
I don’t think toughness is something you learn. You’re either that way, or you’re not. As far as Channing Frye throwing a haymaker at Garnett for the team… please.
Chris, or should I say Captain Obvious, it is called sarcasm.
Three words for Ike and Channing:
“Contract Extension Bounty”
Activate Coach Lucas for one game… he’ll take care of the issue if no one else will.
Great game, Blazers proved they could win without Roy. Aldridge and Oden stepped up. And Outlaw and Blake too
How about a clothesline for Garnett ?
Ok,ok,it’s not right,but I sure wouldn’t mind it it happened.
Remember that Laker game in Phoenix ?
I vote yes for punching Garnett in the chops.