Kevin Garnett Contemplating Retirement After the Postseason?

By: Stephen Patterson

There have been multiple reports in recent days, including one that came from NBA.com, that Kevin Garnett might retire once the Boston Celtics' postseason run comes to an end.

Garnett is finishing his 17th season in the NBA, and although he is still performing at a fairly high level, he is considering walking away from the game while he is still a solid player, not someone who stuck around a little too long and saw their game completely disappear.

In fact, a friend of Garnett's actually said that the Celtics power forward would rather walk away from the game proud and with his head held high than wait around a few more years and watch his skill set slowly dissolve.

"I think that's what we've been seeing in these playoffs," the friend of Garnett said. "The way he's been playing, it's like he wants to go out on his terms."

The Celtics' forward has had a pretty decent postseason run, including several really big games and clutch shots that have Boston in position to potentially win a second championship during his five-year run with the franchise.

For the playoffs, KG is averaging 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 37 minutes per game through the first 16 games the Celtics have played. Those are his best numbers since he left the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2007-08 season.

After being called the "dirtiest player in the NBA" by Atlanta Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. following Game 5 of the Celtics first round series against his team, Garnett responded with a monster Game 6 performance that saw him score 28 points, snatch 14 rebounds, and block five shots in the deciding game that eliminated the Hawks.

Against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, Garnett came out of the gates in Game 1 with another monster showing, as he scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also had a solid game in the deciding seventh game of the series, dropping 18 points and and snatching 13 rebounds to help Boston knock off the Sixers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Garnett's scoring averages have increased with each series as his team advances further and further in the postseason (he averaged 18.7 points against the Hawks, 19.7 against the Sixers, and has averaged 21.7 against the Heat through the first three games of the series).

Since head coach Doc Rivers shifted Garnett over to center back in February, KG has seemed like he is almost playing with a new found energy. He also has gained a huge offensive advantage as many big men guarding him won't come out far enough from the rim to cover Garnett and his 20 foot range.

If Garnett does decide to hang 'em up and call it a career, he is almost certainly headed for a spot in the Hall of Fame in Canton when his name comes up on the ballot.

He spent his first 12 seasons in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves after they took him fifth overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, determined to turn them into a winning franchise and carry them to an NBA title despite the fact that his best supporting casts included the likes of Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, Wally Szczerbiak, and a young Stephon Marbury.

Despite the horrendous supporting role players around him, KG still picked up an MVP award (2003-04), eight All-NBA team appearances, and eight NBA All-Defensive team appearances (six of which were first team selections) while he was with the Timberwolves.

Garnett finally gave up on his mission of winning a championship with the Timberwolves and was eventually traded to the Boston Celtics for Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and a 2009 first-round draft pick.

During that same summer, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge also pulled off a trade that landed Ray Allen in Boston to form the team's "Big Three" with Paul Pierce, who was already on the roster and had spent his entire career waiting for a solid team as well.

The trio led the Celtics to a championship in their first season together, however, they have failed to pick up a second one despite coming about as close as a team can in 2008-09 when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games in the NBA Finals after Kendrick Perkins was lost for the series in Game 6.

However, Garnett has still continued to rack up accomplishments, landing another spot on the All-NBA team in 2007-08, as well as four more NBA All-Defensive team appearances, three of which have been on the first team.

Garnett also ranks fairly high in a few major categories in career totals, including minutes played (45,779; 12th all-time), made field goals (9,729; 16th all-time), defensive rebounds (10,302; 4th all-time), total rebounds (13,313; 13th all-time), blocks (1,908; 22nd all-time), and points (24,270; 23rd all-time).

According to basketball-reference.com, Garnett's probability of making it to the Hall of Fame is 99.85 percent, which is third in the league only behind Tim Duncan (second) and Kobe Bryant (first). Both of those players obviously rank higher than KG due to their massive collections of championship bling.

I think one major factor in Garnett's decision will come down to how Boston's season ends in these playoffs. If they lose their current series against the Miami Heat or advance to the NBA Finals and fall to either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, I believe KG will be much more tempted to make one more run at a title.

However, if the Celtics somehow manage to beat the Heat and overcome the winner of the two monster heavyweights in the Western Conference to pick up another NBA championship, I think Garnett will almost certainly walk away from the game while he is on top.

If he does decide to continue playing for at least another season, the question will become which team will he be suiting up for and chasing that second championship with?

The Boston Celtics are almost certain to break up the "Big Three" during this offseason, when Garnett and Ray Allen hit the free agent market. Most reports say Allen is the most likely to find himself playing in a different uniform next season, while Kevin Garnett's situation is much more foggy.

The Celtics might find themselves in a situation where they need KG to add depth to their front court and make a reasonable offer that suits both the franchise and Garnett. Or they could find themselves heading more toward the direction of rebuilding and pass on bringing Garnett back.

Do you think Garnett will call it a career once the Celtics' postseason run comes to an end? If not, where do you envision him playing next season? Share your thoughts below in the comment section.