dude, you're 18... if you want to pass along your reflections of what the "people" around the teeter-totter were saying back when his pro career began I'm sure we'd all enjoy them... don't let me stop you. I know that I was involved in discussions about him with some "people" in this same chatsite community a decade back when the internets was catching on, and those weren't entirely complimentary discussions. Along with comments about his obvious talents and All NBA play, posters spoke to his overly emotional BS that would take him out of games and his idiotic faux gangster statements/behavior on and off the court. We talked about his sucker punching teammates when it happened. Posters called it karma when x-teammate Peeler clocked him. Some people took a lot of pleasure in this hothead consistently choking in the 4th. As you'll recall he came into the league as a beanpole primarily playing SF... he wasn't even pretending he could play inside or be an intimidator except in his stupid commercials. The loud rumors out of Chicago were that his grades and test scores were such that he couldn't qualify for D1... that he was a meathead. Early on he'd beat his chest after making buckets in the 3rd quarter, glare at the fans, and drop audible F-bombs throughout games. Fans and media noticed and complained. I'm sure some of us remember the Scarface sillyness. My favorite commercial for blind idiocy was the one where with diamonds the size of quarters in each ear he riffed on MLK's dream speech about how he longed for the day where basketball players are all created equal with no superstars or superstar calls and everyone just playing for the love of the game. "People" weren't complimentary when he boasted of all the guns he was going to be packing to a playoff game. He has bulked up some putting his SF days behind him and seems to have become more aggressive and entitled with the superstar treatment he's receiving in Boston. The cheap shots and technical fouls have increased with added exposure to a national audience, and so has the level of discontent about his play among some fans. But complaints about his act have been around a lot longer then he's been suiting up in green. STOMP
So what you're trying to convey is, a small community you posted in took offense to Garnett's trash talking. So he had bad grades... I already knew that. Thanks. And it contradicts the last part of your post, where you mention his increased sense of entitlement since coming to Boston. Today's KG would not give that interview, at least not in that manner. As for the article itself, yes its kind of silly, but I'm sure if LMA did that, he would get rave reviews from these parts. That I can agree was stupid. So you just make my point for me. The vast majority (as I'll say now, since you claim to have seen complaints about Garnett since the interwebs' early stages) of people only notice his shit because of national TV. So why should their opinions be taken seriously? They must have taken a break in the 2000s, because all I remember hearing for the 6-7 years prior to the KG trade was how fierce of a competitor he was, how dedicated to his team he was, and how winning is the single most important thing to him.
ehh, why not? so people who don't watch the sorry minnesota timberwolves aren't allowed to dislike garnett now that they've actually seen him play and act the idiot he is?
regardless of all the people hating on KG now...he is not the first and only guy talking trash and sliding in cheap shots and he damn sure won't be the last...it's something all player do at various moments. Even the "cleanest" of players can be found guilty of at least talking trash, at some point. Only if the player is winning does it become an issue. When it's all said and done KG has solidified himself as a sure fire Hall of Famer! And no amount of hating can take that away....which is something the KG fans can bask in!!!
Well according to our fine sources here, KG's always been a punk. Any somewhat consistent NBA fan had plenty of oppurtunities to watch KG's Timberwolves and decide for themselves whether he was a punk. This is pretty much a moot discussion anyways. We've gotten away from the original topic.
As much as I don't like it, I've resorted to trash talking to get into the head of an opposing player...it's part of the game...anytime you can get the opponent out of playing "thier" game and out of the thier comfort level...you help your whole team. I've always been a fan of KG (not a blind one) I just realize that having played...sometimes you have to play that way to get respect on the court, field, ice...or wherever. This crap is nothing compared to what goes on under a dogpile on a football field (wear a cup...nuts are never safe). It all comes down to your team mates and winning...Does anyone even think about how if benifits his team when KG draws all the anger and attention from the opposing team? The team is busy concentrating on KG, where he is and what is gonna do next to mess with us.....and before you know it...Pierce and Allen has been killing em softly...lol...Hell, I'd even play the role of a pompus ass if it meant taking the cross hairs off my team mates. All I can say is....after Boston won...KG even remembered to give a shout out to Minnesota....that's loyalty and respect...I can get behind that.
No silly. National media (print, TV, radio) ranted on this subject around quite a few times... my links are a small sample of this. I recall Rome ranting on these issues for hours on end. Our chatsite community often reflects what fans are saying nationally and I was giving you a first hand example that directly contradicts your claims. Trying to act like people are just starting to complain now is just flat wrong. the point was to show that he's always been a moron... which is the root cause of what people have been complaining about him since he came into the league. Stupid is as stupid does. thats not an interview I linked, that was his commercial which genius thought it was a good idea. Geez, some of those quotes are incredible. If LA were to act this, I'm sure someone would defend it... someone always seems to go way out on a limb on every issue with your posts in this thread as example 1A. But having been here daily for years I can assure you there would be many more who would be very concerned as it would be playing right into the Jailblazer image... which would be monumentally stupid. unfortunately it's far from isolated because image matters especially to the casual fan. Trailblazer fans know this as well as anyone. If I were a Celtics fan, I'd be hoping management would be trying to get through to this dolt about how his cheap shots/techs are playing. Dude needs to reel it in or risk the Celts losing the casual fan. The casual fan represents a whole lot of marketing pull/$$$, which Stern cares deeply about. Losing the casual fan and Stern through his striped minions may not so accommodating come playoff time. the links I provided are from 2002 and 2004... where were you? If I were making up the best starting 5 I've seen in 30+ years of watching pro hoop, I'd strongly consider young KG as the starting SF... dude was/is an amazing talent. But he is also the same self absorbed idiot he's always been and lately his stupid acts have been increasing and getting a lot of negative attention. That doesn't turn me off to watching him, but I'm not one of the fans who imagines I'd be buddies with the players or is surprised when a dumb jock reveals himself to be just that. I can enjoy KG's play warts and all... but I'm not the casual fan concerned about what the kiddies are absorbing. STOMP
As I said before, this is a completely moot argument, but I have to respond to this: How in the hell would KG alienate the casual fan? His act, as it relates to this, would draw in the casual fan if anything. Who do you think the casual fan would tune in to watch first... choir boys, or trash talkers? Don't say choir boys, because you would be wrong. The suggestion that KG alienates the casual fan is ludicrous.
