Remembering Kevin Garnett

There seemingly comes a time during every NBA season in Chicago when the rumors start.

He's coming.

Soon he'll be here and the Bulls will be title contenders.

If you've been paying any attention to Bulls basketball the last few kabillion years or so, you know exactly who we're talking about.

Kevin Garnett.

Well, with the Timberwolves coming to town tonight to play the Bulls at the United Center, it's that time of year again.

We tend to hear these rumors every season, so we've grown numb to them. That doesn't mean we still don't want Kevin Garnett. Seriously, who in the Eastern Conference would be better than the Bulls if they added Garnett?

Using the trade John Jackson suggested in his column -Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, PJ Brown, Mike Sweetney, and draft pick - this would be the Bulls' likely starting lineup:

• G Chris Duhon
• G Kirk Hinrich
• C Ben Wallace
• F Luol Deng
• F Kevin Garnett

That's not bad.

Our question is, do we still need Garnett? The way Luol Deng has developed this season, KG's addition might slow that growth. Lu is becoming the Bulls' go-to guy, and with KG in town, that would change.

Of course, you know what else would help Luol Deng develop into a go-to guy? A run deep into the playoffs, and an NBA Finals appearance.

Ya, so it's official. We still really want to see Kevin Garnett come back home to Chicago and play for the Bulls.

See, we have a special connection with KG. He got us on Sportscenter.

Back when we were the sports editor at Proviso West High School, KG came to play at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. The tournament is held annually and features the best high school basketball teams in the Chicagoland area.

So, we had our press pass, and were standing on the baseline on one night when KG and his Farragut team was playing. We'd heard a ton about Garnett through the media cuz everybody knew he was going straight to the league, and this was our first chance to actually see him.

He had a teammate at Farragut named Ronnie Fields who, if not for a car accident and broken neck, would also be in the NBA right now. The two of them were amazing together.

On one play Fields threw a lob pass to Garnett from about midcourt, from our vantage point on the baseline and below the rim. We're pretty sure KG jumped about 50 feet in the air, one-handed it and threw it down while giving out that yell we've all grown accustomed to hearing.

It was easily one of the coolest things we've ever seen.

So we go home that night, and we're watching Sportscenter, and what do ya know? They're featuring KG on the Top 10 plays of the night, and it's that dunk.

The kicker?

As they zoom in on KG screaming after he landed back on Earth from across court, who's that in the background making the "Daaayyyyum" face?

Us.

So, we have always had a special connection with KG. We love him as a player (seriously, of Garnett is playing in Chicago, LA or New York for most of his career, we would all consider him one of the best ever to play this game) and we really love him for getting our gorgeous face on Sportscenter.

Now we want to see him playing for the Bulls. We like winning championships in Chicago, and KG definitely deserves one for himself.

Bujt there is a possible snafu. Now that Allen Iverson has said he want's to be traded, the Timberwolves have emerged as a possible destination. If that deal goes through, KG won't be going anywhere.

Said Garnett,

"Bring it on, I love 'The Answer.' We welcome A.I. with open arms. Where's Kevin McHale?"

So we don't know about you, but we're praying that Allen Iverson is a Denver Nugget next week.