A few days ago we let you know that Kevin Garnett was shutting it down for the season. The reason that was given was that he needed to take care of a nagging quadriceps injury, but with the decision coming less than 48 hours after Minnesota was eliminated from the playoffs, people were questioning the legitimacy of the superstar taking an early vacation.
Elton Brand was asked about this, due to the fact that his Clippers are battling the Warriors for the final playoff spot in the West, and the Warriors just happen to play the Timberwolves today. (Not that anyone can watch it.) As you might imagine, EB was less than thrilled that Minnesota won't be at full strength to take on Golden State:
"I would definitely say you've got to take care of your own business, but it's disappointing if an organization doesn't want to win," said Clippers forward Elton Brand, not commenting specifically on the Wolves, of teams trying to improve their draft status by going less than all-out to win games, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
"We've got teams coming up that don't have a chance to be in the playoffs, but I don't expect them to roll over for a draft pick or whatever. An organization, coaches and players should always want to win regardless of what went on earlier in a season."
I can understand where Brand is coming from. His team is still in the playoff race, so he wants the teams that aren't in to keep playing so the competitive balance is maintained. But I don't blame KG for shutting it down with even a hint of an injury, if there's nothing left to play for. There's no reason to risk your future over a few exhibition games.
The Clippers are in the driver's seat here, because all they have to do is win out and they're in the playoffs. And if Brand looks at the rest of his team's schedule, he'll see that he may actually benefit from a team playing at less than full strength. The Clippers play the Suns the second to last day of the season, and Phoenix could very well have wrapped up the two seed by then. So the Clips may get to continue their fight for a playoff spot against the Suns' reserves, which would give them a much better shot than they would have playing against the starters.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hey moron, if an athlete is healthy enough to play without being a detriment to the team or causing himself significant further injury then he should be out there. Hard to say whether or not Garnett is injured to that degree or not, but your suggestion that even a hint of an injury should sideline a player if his team is out of playoff contention is shallow and misses the point. It's not the world's fault if your team is disqualified from the playoffs with a few games still remaining, has nothing to do with being a professional and giving it your all as long as you can. Also, the last time I checked Garnett will get paid for sitting on the bench in street clothes, so they're hardly exhibition games whether you choose to deem them as such or not.
Well,I'm pretty sure if the Clippers had wrapped up a playoff berth earlier,Brand would'nt be playing much either.Maybe a token appearance and back to the bench.Whats the difference?The fact is,Dunleavy should be fired for his steadfast refusal to play Maggette the first 2/3 of the season.His personal vendetta against Corey cost them a playoff berth now.Dunleavy also failed to integrate his bench players,specifically Jason Hart,until he was forced to because of injuries.Even then,he turned to Daniel Ewing instead of Hart.Big mistake.This guys ego is much bigger than his coaching ability.
I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that the Clippers get the Wolves' 1st rounder if it's not in the top 10. Nothing at all.