TNT
Kevin Garnett was one of the most outspoken players during his 22-year NBA Career, often playing with tons of emotion and known for some legendary trash-talk. Now an analyst on TV, KG’s giving his voice towards a topic that’s been picking up plenty of steam in the past few weeks; the Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers rumors, where the former No. 1 overall pick would pair with LeBron James to, presumably, form a monster duo of superstars in LaLa Land.
As I first reported a couple weeks ago, via my buddy Brandon “Scoop” Robinson’s sources, there was a lot of speculation that Davis might have been sent from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Lakers before December 15th. While that didn’t happen, the chatter hasn’t stopped much, especially after both James and Davis had dinner following their latest matchup this past Friday night.
Garnett, who helped form one of the most modern superteams when he was traded to the Boston Celtics before the 2008 season to team up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, thinks that the Davis to the Lakers should be more than speculation. In fact, he flat out said that “it has to happen,” per USA Today.
“When Anthony Davis suits up for the Pelicans, that’s the best the Pelicans are going to be right there,” Garnett said. “They are capped out. They are playing at the top of the level they can play at. Davis with LeBron James — he goes to another level and that’s scary.”
“That’s why he needs to go to a team where he has a chance to hoist the trophy or at least have a chance at going in that direction. He doesn’t have that. Great players need to be with other great players. He is still ‘the guy’ when LeBron is there. They are both ‘the guy.’ That’s why you bring your superpowers together.”
Kevin Garnett does have a point here. Having gone through a similar situation himself during his first go-round with the Minnesota Timberwolves, The Big Ticket took that team as far as he possibly could with the pieces around him, peaking in 2004 by reaching the Western Conference Finals — where they lost. It took him finding a new franchise to ultimately win a title, joining a team of other All-Stars who shared the load rather than try to do all the heavy lifting.
Garnett doesn’t think it should happen, but, in his mind, it’s going down already because Anthony Davis is represented by LeBron’s agent, and buddy, Rich Paul.
“I definitely get the sense (it is in the works),” Garnett laughed. “This is the craziest (expletive) I have ever seen. Rich Paul, LeBron’s best (expletive) friend is representing him? Come on, man.”
With LeBron James still playing at the highest level, even at (nearly) age 34, and the four-time league MVP having the Lakers in the mix of things in the Western Conference, if the team did land Anthony Davis, they may find themselves as serious threats to reach the NBA Finals. Yes, that’s how much of a two-headed monster James and Davis would be together, so we’ll have to see if Kevin Garnett’s right in saying this should (and could) happen.