Kevin Garnett's homecoming fuels young Timberwolves over Wizards

At this year’s trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t so much acquire Kevin Garnett as his legend.

Rob Mahoney | Feb 26, 2015

Kevin Garnett's homecoming fuels young Timberwolves over Wizards /

At this year’s trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t so much acquire Kevin Garnett as his legend. He is, without question, the greatest player in Timberwolves franchise history. Yet with Garnett’s best basketball behind him, there’s all the more reason to dwell on what he means to the city of Minneapolis and the Timberwolves as opposed to what he might still contribute on the floor.

In essence, Minnesota acquired Garnett for the power and influence of his homecoming. The moment wasn’t wasted on Wednesday night in Minnesota's 97-77 win against the Washington Wizards, Garnett's first game back in a Timberwolves uniform:

There’s bound to be sugar-coating on any video tribute, but it really cannot be overstated how much Garnett did for Minnesota in his first term. He spent 12 years in Minnesota and was named the league’s MVP in 2004. He is the franchise leader by a wide margin in games played, minutes played, points, field goals, field goal attempts, free throws, free throw attempts, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Garnett’s years were the best the Timberwolves ever had, and while a few minutes of video could never capture that fully, the emotional beats of the Timberwolves' tribute did at least tap into the mood of the evening.

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Garnett’s presence, after all, packed an arena that had been sparse all season. Fans stood anxiously as the team, a conference-worst 12-43, went through routine warmups:

There is a pulse here tonight. Fans have been standing last 15 minutes while final moments of warmups now tick down and nobody sits down
— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda) February 26, 2015

Minnesota predictably tried to work the ball to Garnett on the game’s opening possession, but squandered some of the energy in the building as Washington’s Garrett Temple poked the ball away from Kevin Martin. This kicked off what would be an inauspicious start: an early 18-3 deficit en route to a 20-11 opening quarter. Garnett clanked his first trio of shot attempts, all long jumpers he had hit many times before. In those opening 12 minutes, Minnesota played to what it was: unbalanced and outmatched in the face of a superior team.

Timberwolves welcome Kevin Garnett back to Minnesota with video tribute

What followed cannot be divorced from Garnett's influence, if only because the game was played in his shadow. Minnesota technically broke even with Garnett on the floor for the day. It had more prolific producers in every statistical category, save blocked shots. Yet it was because Garnett returned that the crowd (and, by extension, the young Timberwolves) never faded. His every entrance and exit was greeted with a standing ovation, his every deflection met with roaring applause. Garnett's impeccable approval rating gave Minnesota a margin for error on a night when it stalled in getting over the hump.

Yet by halftime, the Timberwolves' had already erased their early deficit. A 31-point second quarter tied the score at 42, after which Martin (28 points on just 15 shots) and Andrew Wiggins (19 points) did the heavy lifting. Every Minnesota basket seemed crippling on a night when Washington struggled for offense. Credit the lively Timberwolves for staying engaged, though the Wizards seemed sickly by equal measure. This team, once considered an Eastern Conference contender, is in rotten form. Minnesota capitalized with verve. This was what Flip Saunders, as team president and head coach, hoped for in engineering Garnett's return. This was the kind of spark that no losing team could manufacture so late into the season.

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With it, the Timberwolves held the Wizards to their lowest scoring total for the season. John Wall, who finished with only one more point (five) than turnover (four), had all but folded by game's end. Minnesota ate up eagerly whatever momentum was to be had in the game. Washington was left to its own devices, scoring in fits and starts.

Garnett tallied five points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in playing just 19 minutes. This wasn’t the Garnett of old, clearly. Those in attendance didn't mind much. Garnett was lauded at every turn, his name chanted and his play cheered. This was the allure of his homecoming. He could have ridden off into the sunset in Brooklyn. He could have tutored young players on most any team. But only in Minnesota could he find this kind of affectionate glow, dormant through the years but never extinguished.

GALLERY: Rare photos of Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett

Rare Photos of Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett

KG starred at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, where he led the squad to a 28-2 record his senior season and earned National High School Player of the Year honors. Though the T-shirt may indicate he had dreams of playing in Ann Arbor, he instead chose to enter the NBA straight out of high school.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett poses outside of Farragut Career Academy. KG played for Mauldin High in South Carolina for his first three seasons but transferred to Farragut before his senior year.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett was named Mr. Basketball for Illinois after averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocks his senior season at Farragut.

Kevin Garnett and William Nelson

Garnett and his Farragut Academy coach, William Nelson, arrive at a news conference to announce Garnett's intention of skipping college to jump directly to the NBA.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett became only the fourth player to jump directly from high school to the NBA, following Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. KG was joined in the Top 5 by Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace.

Stephon Marbury and Kevin Garnett

Garnett was joined the next year by Stephon Marbury and the two were expected to be the future of the organization. After leading Minnesota to the playoffs in 1997 and 1998, Marbury was traded to New Jersey after a dispute with management.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett's entourage -- called the OBF (Official Block Family) -- includes friends from Beachwood Drive in his hometown of Mauldin, S.C.

Vince Carter and Kevin Garnett

Garnett puts his arm around Vince Carter after leading Team USA to the gold medal in Sydney.

Kevin Garnett and Darius Miles

In 2000, high school star Darius Miles skipped college for the NBA and immediately drew comparisons to Garnett for their style of play. Those comparisons proved to be incorrect as Miles played nine injury-plagued seasons and is now out of the league.

Kevin Garnett and Japanese students

Garnett shows his skills during an NBA clinic in Tokyo.

Latrell Sprewell, Kevin Garnett, and Sam Cassell

After years of first-round playoff exits, Garnett was joined by Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell for the 2003-04 season. KG was named NBA MVP after averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. The Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals before bowing out to the Lakers.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett travels to New Delhi to debut his limited edition 'Adidas KG basketball shoe.'

Kevin Garnett and Serena Williams

Garnett offers words of encouragement to Serena Williams at the Matt Leinart First Annual Celebrity Bowling Night in Hollywood.

Kevin Garnett and Barry Bonds

Garnett chats with Barry Bonds before the 2007 All-Star game in Las Vegas.

Kevin Garnett and David Ortiz

A day after being traded to the Celtics, Kevin Garnett reconnected with his old Minnesota buddy David Ortiz after throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park.

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce

After the trade, Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were immediately dubbed "The New Big Three" in Boston and became one of the favorites to win the 2008 NBA title.

Kevin and Brandi Garnett

Garnett poses with his wife, Brandi. The couple married in 2004, which forced KG to miss a chance to defend the gold medal in Athens.

Kevin Garnett

A 15-time All-Star, Garnett finally won his first and only championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett averaged 20.4 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game during the 2008 playoffs.

George W. Bush and the Celtics

Garnett and his Celtics teammates meet President George W. Bush after winning the NBA Championship.

Peyton Manning and Kevin Garnett

Garnett poses with then-Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning during a promotional press conference for Wheaties.

Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett

Tim Duncan (left) and Garnett shake hands before a game between the Celtics and Spurs. Garnett and Duncan have dominated the power forward position over the past decade and a half.

Kevin Garnett and LeBron James

Garnett and LeBron James share a laugh on the bus ride to the stadium prior to the 2010 NBA All-Star game in Dallas.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett poses for a portrait as part of the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Kevin Garnett

Garnett battles it out at the first ever Call of Duty XP at the Stages at Playa Vista in Los Angeles.

Kevin and Brandi Garnett

Garnett and his wife, Brandi, attend Day 11 of the 2011 U.S. Open.

Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett

Fans wearing masks of guard Rajon Rondo and Garnett pose before a game with the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Garnett has adopted the city of Boston as his home since his arrival in 2007 and has become a favorite among the Celtics faithful.

Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant (right) and Garnett talk during the NBA All-Star practice in Houston. Garnett made 12 consecutive All-Star appearances from 2000 to 2011.

Published Feb 26, 2015

ROB MAHONEY

Rob Mahoney is an NBA writer dedicated to the minutiae of the game of basketball, its overarching themes and everything in between. He joined the Sports Illustrated staff in 2012.