NBA: Small Town Hero

By Noah Davis UsFANS.com Managing Editor

It’s hard to understand why Kevin Garnett would still want to wear a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform. Especially after the last 22 months, where the T-wolves have lost a plethora of talent, including Stephon Marbury, Tom Gugliotta, Terry Porter, Malik Sealy, Joe Smith, and five first-round draft picks.

But Kevin Garnett considers these his salad days. How else would you explain his explanation of his loyalty to Minnesota and the T-wolves.

"If I was a Caesar salad, the croutons would be my friends, the lettuce would be my family and the dressing itself would be my mom," Garnett told reporters. "Because you can have the lettuce and the croutons, and it can be called a Caesar, but until you have the dressing and it actually tastes like a Caesar....

"So my mom would be the dressing. I was taught by old people the [ways of the] game. With those people, respect was a big, big component. That's the way I approach this game.

"It's easy to run when the [stuff] is bad, you know what I mean? Just think about, when you have a bad day, someday you've got to stand up to it. That's the only point I'm trying to make. I've just got to stand up to it. I'm the type of person that thinks that way."

(It’s obvious that not only has Garnett polished his basketball skills, he also gives great quotes.)

Most star athletes would be running for the hills when faced with the situation Garnett is. They’d hold a press conference, or better yet just leak to a few well-placed reporters, that they demand to be traded.

But not Garnett. He’s headed back to the supermarket, er, back to the locker room. KG’s staying in Minnesota because he’s a loyal, stand-up type of guy. And according to The Kid, it’s all due to his mother’s rearing.

It’s also due in part to the support system (read: posse) that KG brought with him to Minnesota.

While most NBA players' posses are seen as a detriment (see Allen Iverson), Garnett's buddies are a positive part of the package. Most of them work for him and with him, in their group known as the OBF (Official Block Family), and they go back to his days in Mauldin, S.C.

It’s certainly a good thing that Garnett has this self-styled family to look after him, as his basketball family is all gone. They had something in Minnesota once, a reason to think those winter nights would feel a little warmer. The Kid, KG, was in the early stages of a superstar career. Marbury was one of the league's best point guards, Gugliotta was a versatile forward.

But before you could blink Googs left as a free agent, Marbury forced a trade, and Sealy was killed in a head-on collision. Then David Stern wielded a wrecking ball on the franchise for signing Joe Smith to a not-so-secret agreement.

Even though Smith wanted to come back to the Timberwolves, Stern made it clear that he would make life miserable for everyone involved if Smith didn't pack his bags and head elsewhere. Part of the demolition will probably also result in the U.S. electing two presidents before the Timberwolves get another first-round draft pick.

If the Timberwolves couldn't get past the first round of the playoffs when they had everyone, how are they supposed to do anything now? Will his gifts - his soft jumper, one-on-one moves and aggressive defense in a package that reaches almost 7 feet; one of only nine players to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a season - go wasted?

What possible reason is there for Garnett to stay?

"I'm not saying I want to stick around; I'm going to stick around," Garnett said. "I'm here. A lot of people tend to jump ship when they see things are bad. I'm not one of those type of people.

"I don't know why everybody expects me to leave when stuff is bad. You go through life dealing with bad days, but you still go. I've got a great perspective of the game. I just don't jump ship when things are bad. The future is a very bright future."

This is why we like Kevin Garnett. He's that rare figure who is both a hero to the hip-hop set and beloved by the old school. He may not be the first guy in the free-agency era to stick it out when things get tough - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres comes to mind – but he remains one of the exceptions. And it's always worth pointing out the ones who do keep such a good attitude.

"We've still got life, we've still got our health, we're still in the NBA, still playing the game that we love," Garnett said. "That's my perspective."

That's not a bad view, considering it comes from the produce section.

Article courtesy of UsFANS.com