Kevin Garnett has been prominent throughout this year’s All-Star break, and we take a look at his USA Today interview. Also, Karl-Anthony Towns and family on his first All-Star appearance.
On Saturday, we detailed some of Kevin Garnett’s Area 21 All-Star Weekend shenanigans along with Rasheed Wallace. But Garnett isn’t just interviewing players and celebrities on and around the court; he’s giving interviews of his own. It’s a little out of character for KG, to be sure, but his sit-down with Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today was interesting nonetheless.
Garnett talked a lot about Area 21 and how his ongoing segment on TNT came about. He also spoke to how much fun he’s had working one-on-one with the likes of Giannis Antentokounmpo, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Joel Embiid, and others (he mentions Towns as someone he speaks with but hasn’t worked with directly in awhile), but reiterated that he doesn’t see himself getting into coaching.
Perhaps the most interesting response had to do with what Garnett doesn’t like about the league today.
"KG: As a former player, you want to see guys play a lot more. I see guys taking a lot more rest, taking time off. The culture of the league is that we play every night, and the ones that do it every night I respect – not that I don’t respect the ones who do. The ones who push through and play through pain, that’s the culture of sports. You grind through and you do it the right way."
For Wolves fans, it’s clearly a hot-button issue. Tom Thibodeau is notorious for playing his starters heavy minutes, and it’s unclear if Garnett is referencing minutes load in general, or the teams that give their best players entire nights off. The fact that this is Garnett’s opinion isn’t a surprise at all; KG consistently played through pain early in his career and rarely missed a beat.
Elsewhere, The Undefeated spoke with Karl-Anthony Towns and his family about his first All-Star game appearance. In case you missed the Towns’ family’s reaction, here it is:
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/955978989012529152
The article focuses largely on Towns’ mother’s Dominican Republic heritage and included quotes from fellow Dominican big man Al Horford, as this is the first All-Star game with two Dominicans participating.
Towns and his dad, on looking forward to Sunday:
"“I’ve been involved in Friday and Saturday, but I didn’t know how Sunday feels,” Towns said. “I’ve always left by that time. I’m already humbled. It’s going to be an emotional moment when I say, ‘Hey, I got to get ready for Sunday instead of just Friday and Saturday.’…Towns Sr. said there is no place in the world he and his wife would rather be than watching their son in the NBA All-Star Game.“That is something you dream about,” Towns Sr. said. “All the years of practice. All the games. It was not every day that the people in the league give you the respect in what I consider a very tough division to get in. If you’re in the West, to make the All-Star team is a big achievement, with all the talent they have out there.“I would tell other parents, and this is coming from the heart, just enjoy your kids’ journey no matter where it goes. Everyone’s journey is so different in life. Just support your kids from top to bottom.”"
Wolves fans have no doubt noticed that Towns’ parents are at virtually every one of the games. It’ll no doubt be really cool for them to get to watch their son on the game’s biggest mid-season stage on Sunday evening.
Next: 5 things the Timberwolves need to do to grab the No. 3 seed
We’ll have continuing All-Star break coverage throughout the break, as the Wolves won’t suit up again until Friday night.