KG arrives in Boston

As if those winters in Minnesota weren't cold enough. Kevin Garnett's career with the Timberwolves spanned 12 years, in which he averaged 20.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 4.5 apg, and 1.7 bpg. Incredible stats by any one's measure.

But his tenure with the Wolves has been characterized by dismal results; having the notorious reputation of being perennial 1st round losers. Although there was one bright season in which he was joined by allstars Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell to claim the West's best record of 58-24 heading into the playoffs. Garnett finished with MVP honors posting impressive numbers yet again. But his team would go on to lose in the Conference Finals against the Lakers.

This was his city, his fans, and his mentor Kevin McHale.

Loyalty meant as much to him as winning.

Any other player would have bailed out long ago, but he stayed committed to a team that he felt responsible for. He was the franchise player. He never once doubted his abilities, nor did any one else for that matter. But he never won. Simple as that.

If there's anything harder for a professional athlete to do, it's to lose. Lose consistently enough and one begins to question their abilities to lead a team.

He saw Shaquille O'neal and Tim Duncan, arguably two of the greatest centers to play both get titles with their respective teams. But they were under much favorable circumstances; playing alongside great role players, a great coaching staff, and other great superstars.

After much speculation at the end of the 06-07 NBA season, the time finally came. It was time for KG to leave for greener pastures. The Wolves agreed to the biggest trade for a single player in NBA history, trading away Garnett for nearly half of the Celtics' roster along with two future 1st round picks.

He's got some help now. One is a veteran sharpshooter by way of the Seattle Supersonics, Ray Allen. And the other, a veteran scorer with the Celtics, Paul Pierce, who I'm sure is just as ecstatic to run with a veteran big man.

So the question is this. Will this work out for Kevin Garnett and the rest of the Celtics organization? It's really any one's guess at this point, but this team is in the East, and KG will likely be a dominant force in the middle. His turnaround 10 footers are still as good as any, and with Ray Allen opening up the floor, it'll be interesting to see how they turn out by mid-season.

One thing is for sure. From the Midwest to the Northeast, in KG's mind, green is as good as gold.