TheGoldSeat

By now even the deafest timberwolf fan should have heard the news that Kevin Garnett has been traded to Boston. It is a trade that I agree with in principle, but am sad about from a nostalgia standpoint. It’s the end of an era in Minnesota sports history that began with so much promise and ended with too many regrets. To avoid shedding a tear over the recent developments, I will focus on which players the Wolves got in return for sending KG to finally play with Ray Allen. Before I get started, here is a refresher on what the trade entailed: Kevin Garnett for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, the first round pick that we gave Boston in the Davis/Szczerbiak trade (likely a 2009 pick), and Boston’s 2009 pick.

Potentially one of the most important pieces of the deal for us is Gerald Green.  I say “potentially” because that is all that Green is: Potential!  Gerald is a freak of nature from an athletic standpoint, but hasn’t as of yet transferred that talent to the NBA beyond dunk contests and highlight reels.

High School 

In his senior year at Gulf Shores high school, Green averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocked shots per game.  For this effort he was named an All-American and played in the annual McDonald’s All-American game, which features two teams composed of the best high school basketball players in the United States. Green also won the McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest that year, defeating former Duke player Josh McRoberts.

Draft 

Green originally committed to attending Oklahoma State University, but after his success in the All-American game and festivities he decided to enter the NBA Draft upon graduation. He hired an agent, thereby making himself ineligible to participate in NCAA athletics. Green was expected by many analysts to be one of the top few players chosen but he fell to the Celtics, who selected him with the 18th pick in the draft. His fall is attributed to his decision to give individual work outs only for the teams with the top six picks prior to the draft

Green drew comparisons to Houston Rockets superstar Tracy McGrady in the period leading up to the 2005 NBA Draft.

Green was one of the last players to enter the NBA directly from high school, as the collective bargaining agreement between NBA owners and the NBA Players’ Association now mandates that American players who enter the NBA Draft must be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class and reach age 19 no later than December 31 of the calendar year of the draft.

2005-2006

During the pre-season, Green averaged 8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game for the Celtics in the 2005 Las Vegas Summer League^.

After seeing limited playing time during the first part of the season, Green was placed on the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA D-League by the Celtics in January of 2006. He was recalled and activated to an NBA roster position on February 3. He was reassigned to the NBDL, to the Florida Flame, on February 16. He was recalled and activated again on February 21, and saw his first significant NBA game action on the following night, scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in 23 minutes.

He appeared in 32 games and averaged 11.8 minutes, 5.2 points, and 1.2 rebounds during these contests. Gerald Green left marks on the league with his highlight plays including a shot clock beating half court three against Indiana and two Sports Center top play dunks in the closing seconds in two games against Toronto.

2006-2007

Over the off-season, Green aimed at improving all aspects of his game in order to gain playing time. He had shown flashes of his capability during the end of the 2005-2006 season, but started off the 2006-2007 season slowly, earning a somewhat limited role and playing time behind captain Paul Pierce, and swingman Wally Szczerbiak. With injuries to Szczerbiak and Pierce, his playing time increased, but he has been unable to nail down a starting role. Green started his first ever game early December against the Philadelphia 76ers, but then lost his job to a returning Szczerbiak. Green finished the 2006-07 season averaging 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

On February 17, 2007, Green won the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, beating out Nate Robinson, Tyrus Thomas, and Dwight Howard.

The objective of the Kevin Garnett trade was to get young potential in return, which we would then add to our current crop of young potential, with the hopes of winning a championship when that potential blossoms in 3 to 5 years.  Whether Gerald Green will ever turn into an All-Star or even an NBA starter we don’t know, but we will all enjoy the highlight reel dunks en route to whatever his destiny turns out to be…

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• Green had most of his right ring finger amputated at age eight after an accident
• Has a 48-inch vertical leap
• At the Celtics practice facility, caught and dunked a basketball bounced off of the 1986 championship banner, which is approximately 30 feet in the air
• Owns three dogs, one named Joker
• Prior to the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Reebok began a promotional campaign called “The Gerald Green Show” in which posters and tshirts were distributed promoting Green. Green wore special Reebok Pump sneakers at the contest
• Was born at halftime of Super Bowl XX