Source: www.rrstar.com
Is $291 million enough for a star who is slightly undervalued historically because he owns only one NBA title? The Chicago Bulls better hope so, because the easiest way for the Bulls to become an NBA champioagain is to sign Kevin Garnett as a free agent.
Garnett will turn 36 on Saturday, but he still has plenty left, especially on defense. Garnett ranked fourth in the NBA in defensive Win Shares this year and second last year. The 6-foot-11 forward was worth 10 wins on defense alone the last two years, and 83.5 wins on defense for his career, eighth all-time.
And Garnett can also still play offense, a rather important characteristic for a Bulls team that has no reliable scorer after Derrick Rose. Garnett averaged 15.8 points -- his highest in three seasons -- and 8.2 rebounds and shot 50.3 percent this year. In the playoffs, Garnett is averaging 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds and shooting 52.3 percent.
The Bulls can't afford to pay Garnett the $21 million he made this season. But neither can the Celtics. The only way he returns to Boston is for a big discount, and why would he do that when most critics think this is the last go-around for Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the so-called Big Three, in Boston?
Why not a return to Chicago? Garnett played his senior year of high school basketball in Chicago.Garnett recently spoke in Chicago about mentoring kids. He has made at least $16 million for 13 years in a row. He's got the money.
What he doesn't have is the same amount of respect as Tim Duncan.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett shoots over Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (right) and forward Carlos Boozer during the second quarter in Boston, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010.
Win-Shares says Kevin Garnett has had the most valuable career of any current NBA player. He is No. 1 in Win Shares among current players and No. 8 all-time with 181.6. But how many people think he has been better than Tim Duncan (No. 11 all time) or Kobe Bryant (No. 18)?
I'd say very, very few.
Kevin Garnett has more points (24,270), more rebounds (13,313) and more assists (5,065) thanTim Duncan (22,558 points, 12,533 rebounds and 3,428 assists) and they've played more or less the same position, with Garnett even shifting to center for the first time this year when the Celtics needed him. Garnett has even earned $87 million more than Duncan. But Duncan gets hailed as the greatest power forward of all time while Garnett gets listed fourth or fifth, becauseTim Duncan has won four NBA titles to Garnett's one.
Well, Garnett has an outside shot to make it two this year, especially if Chris Bosh stays out with an abdominal injury for the Miami Heat in the next round of the playoffs.
And he'd have a real good shot if he signed on with Chicago next year.
The Bulls have little room under the salary cap. Even if they cut Carlos Boozer and declared amnesty on the $50 million remaining on his contract, they couldn't pay Garnett anywhere near what he made last year.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett yells and pounds his chest prior to facing the Chicago Bulls in an NBA basketball game in Boston on Oct. 30, 2009.
But if they amnestied Boozer, they could pay Garnett several million. And they certainly wouldn't miss Boozer, whom they benched for the final 16 minutes of their final playoff game this year, when he shot 1-for-11 in the Bulls' elimination loss to the 76eers.
If he's going to leave Boston, why not go somewhere that would make him happy? Playing with Derrick Rose would certainly do that. Winning a title would certainly do that. It's hard to think of another player who would fit the Bulls more seamlessly than Garnett, who is as passionate about defense as coach Tom Thibodeau and does not demand the ball on offense. And if Rose is healthy, the Bulls would fit Garnett as well as Garnett would fit them.
At this point in his NBA career, about the only thing Kevin Garnett does not need is more money.
Here's hoping the Chicago Bulls make a hard push to give him enough of everything else to make him want to come to Chicago.
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