KG's Big Mouth

by Jeff Clark on Dec 13, 2008 1:15 PM EST in News/Links Comment 21 comments

TrueHoop takes an in-depth look at Garnett's on court antics. It is worth the read all the way through, but here's the conclusion:

Through it all, I remain unconvinced that Garnett needs to verbally abuse people to play basketball well, just as I remain convinced that there is tremendous value, in all walks of life, in treating others with dignity.

Does that mean I'd be happy if Kevin Garnett toned it down?

Honestly? I can't say it's that clear cut to me.

Yes, he's rude. KG-5 is not PG-13. (I dare the NBA to mic that guy all night long.) The way he uses his voice is the kind of behavior that would get you kicked out of many pre-schools or fired from many workplaces. In almost any social setting, this would be considered somewhere between petulance and bullying.

That doesn't mean I want those social standards applied here. Sports are special. On the playing field, certain kinds of immoderate behavior are, thank goodness, not only welcome, but helpful. Kids who aren't supposed to jump on the couch, throw things, or run too hard in the living room are supposed to jump higher, throw things harder, and run faster in sports.

So all NBA players ought to have a certain leeway. And if Garnett goes even beyond that ... I wholly believe in the rule of doing things the right way. I also believe that sometimes, you break those rules, too.

For the most part, as a huge KG fan and totally biased observer, I've taken the "that's just KG being KG" attitude. I suppose that nobody is perfect, and at times he could tone it down some. However, all in all, I wouldn't try changing KG one bit.

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Right, and that makes perfect sense, because the NBA is just like your regular, run-of-the mill pre-school, right?

Boxing games display behavior which will put you in jail in just about any bar, you know…

by kozlodoev on Dec 13, 2008 1:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe I'm biased....

…but I thought Henry’s review of KG’s Big Mouth was totally wrong. He missed the boat completely I think. KG doesn’t talk to intimidate his opponents, he talks to hype himself up.

When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"

by Green17 on Dec 13, 2008 2:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Why is this all of a sudden news? he’s been doing it his entire career and now people are jealous or something? I mean seriously, I don’t get it.

Some people praise him for it, others codemn him for it, but for some reason all the attention its getting isnt exactly a good thing

by TheAncientRivalry on Dec 13, 2008 2:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know, because someone bothered to put together a three-page article about this in a major sports media outlet?

It’s not like the bull’s eye on Garnett’s back needs to get any larger right now — he gets called for just about anything these days.

by kozlodoev on Dec 13, 2008 2:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

KG is entertainment

TrueHoop, c’mon, you shouldn’t be running out of topics. There is no better entertainment than the characters in the NBA. Celtic chemistry is so above any other NBA team’s and KG being KG is part of that. For that matter, my man Eddie spins a profanity of two. Chest bumping, chest thumping, throat slitting… who cares, take it for what it is. The only time I wanted to whack someone was when Mark Blount skipped down the floor after scoring a few times after he was traded. Do you think Perk would let him get away with that now.
All in all, from the class acts like Ray, to the hyperactives like KG, to the proud Perk (who makes Mayor Menino sound like an elocutionist), to the big baby Big Baby just relax and love what we got. .

by Wildblu1 on Dec 13, 2008 2:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

TrueHoop picked up on it as he’s a Blazers fan and he saw it first hand with Bayless.

When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"

by Green17 on Dec 13, 2008 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

kg, like green 17 says, does what he does to rev himself up. the guys who hear his trash the most are his teammates in practice. do you seriously think he is the only one in sports or the nba with a bad mouth. leave him alone, or make a statement to all the players and enforce it unilaterally, including the refs.

by nazzbo on Dec 13, 2008 2:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

When KG

was with the Wolves, I remeber they did a “KG Cam” on FSN and they followed him when he was on the bench and wherever he went for a whole game. I don’t think they had a mic on him, but I think they did have one on the court and you could hear him quite a bit.

It doesn’t bother me, I know he does it to get pumped…

by Twins Territory on Dec 13, 2008 3:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

TNT does “player cams” on the web. There was one on KG for most of the game last Wednesday. No sound, though.

by kozlodoev on Dec 13, 2008 8:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RTFA

abbott says that KG does it to hype himself and his team up, as well. please read the article.

God bless and good night!

by BrickJames on Dec 13, 2008 3:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm shocked, shocked to hear of all this trash talking!

I suspect Garnett’s critics would also be calling him a loser if the Celtics, once they had acquired him, hadn’t won a championship.

by no kidding on Dec 13, 2008 4:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

KG

To KG,
Don’t change.
To everyone else,
keep whining (I bet it just fires him up more)
To all the small guards he seems to like to pick on,
Take a page from Bayless and make the shot.

Pretty simple. Let’s get back to basketball.

by socaltaoist on Dec 13, 2008 4:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well said

I second that.

by Amager Celtic Fan on Dec 14, 2008 3:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not his mouth, it's the (not called) taunting!

Double standards suck! I have to agree with this section of the article:

Kevin Garnett this year goes above and beyond that threshold. Crawling on all fours, clapping and pointing in a player’s face as he dribbles up the court … these antics are classless and have no place in our game. If Dikembe Mutombo can get T’d up for a finger wag (or a player who dunks on Mutombo can be T’d for wagging a finger back), where do you classify what Garnett did to Calderon?

The fact that the Celtics won the title last year (and continue to be the cream of the league this year) should not change the fact that what has been going on is unacceptable. As a league, we have certain guidelines and parameters for professionalism and sportsmanship, and these guidelines are not dictated by a team’s record.

I’m not saying get rid of all trash talking; basketball is a competitive sport, and letting those competitive juices fly on the court is a good thing. Passion for the game is a good thing. Being a complete jackass is not.

as long as it’s talking trash and firing himself up, fine. Physical actions which are obviously taunting, T HIM UP!!!

by nba is the worst on Dec 13, 2008 5:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The NBA is the Worst?

I don’t suppose, with a username like “nba is the worst”, that you plan to be a frequent visitor to this website.

by no kidding on Dec 13, 2008 6:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Isn’t trash talking verbal taunting? Why is one any worse then the other? Neither one is exactly complimentary. You can see the players talking as well. I don’t think either is as big a deal as some are making it to be. It mind games and it works. If other teams don’t like it, I see nothing wrong with them doing the same thing back at KG.

by NoraG1 on Dec 13, 2008 6:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Confucius say Trash talking like wheel- the longer the spoke, the greater the tire.

by charlie chan on Dec 13, 2008 6:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Give The Author Credit

This guy probably needed to get an article out and this is what he came up with. The problem is I don’t think he knows KG and he definitely doesn’t know what KG is about. Basically Green 17 in the second post has it right. The author may be trying to make implications about KG’s character. If he is he’s totally off base. I don’t know KG, I’ve only seen him on TV so I haven’t heard his words. But to get an idea of KG’s character the best I can do is see him thru his post-game interviews on Comcast Sports Net. I have never seen him be rude to a reporter. He answers their questions. Sometimes he doesn’t hear the question and asks the reporter to repeat it and then he answers. If the reporter is indicating that his words indict KG’s character then he only need to look at Doc Rivers. Doc is a family guy and a man of great character. Doc curses. Remember the big deal the media and people make of the incident with KG and BBD a few games ago. BBD, in explaining the incident, put it all on himself——and his play has improved in the following games. If the author is making a big deal of KG’s trash talking and actions vs opponents, then he just doesn’t get it. I don’t know what team the author roots for, but I would bet he would sure like KG on his team. Tough, we’ve got him in Boston and we love him.

by TrueGreen on Dec 13, 2008 7:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I just wish Garnett had been around when the Detroit Bad Boys of the 80’s were around to deal with Rodman and Wimpman.

by johnnymost on Dec 14, 2008 12:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Every forum I go to now has a thread “Losing respect for KG” “KG is a punk” it makes no sense at all, you respected him when he was losing and doing the same things but now you dont? LOL bitter

by TheAncientRivalry on Dec 14, 2008 1:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Respect or No Respect for KG

First of all who cares. Second do other players really disrespect him for his actions on the court. The year before KG came here he and Perk had some words for each other that were initiated by KG. Look at them now. Also, off the court, is there a better teammate than KG. Look at how he has supported a young player like Rondo.

by TrueGreen on Dec 14, 2008 7:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs