Promoted FanPost

KG is not what he was even last year. This does not mean he won't get there later, but he's clearly not there now.

- His vaunted defense has been reduced to near-impotence. Guys like Greg Monroe are shooting AT WILL with KG right in front of them, or they're driving right by him....... like he's not there. Yes, he still talks a lot on D, and that's great.... but the problem is that he's not performing. He's slow, a step or three late on his rotations, and generally looks feeble and sometimes even confused.

- On O, he's refusing to finish at the rim unless it's a wide-open dunk. Like he's scared.

- He's also not fighting for rebounds at all, just tipping when possible.

Perhaps most telling of all is KG's body language. Except for a very brief appearance in game 1, his on-court ferocity is gone. He walks with his head either hung low or off to the side. To me, that body language is saying: "I think I'm too old for this. Wish I could retire right now."

And I've actually seen him give a "good job" pat to an opponent who made a couple of good plays against him (which is happening a lot lately). Who is that guy, anyway?! That's not the Kevin Garnett we know.

So, what does all this mean? It means KG could still make a comeback for one last push to the mountaintop. Or it could be that he plans to retire after this season, he sees the end too clearly, and his fire is extinguished.

The evidence so far points to the (very) sad latter narrative. But it's not certain yet.... lotta time left. There is still hope.