Phil Jackson may have been the master of Zen in the NBA, but he never hesitated to express his sentiments, whether directly or through a subtle hint.
During the historic trade that sent Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics, Jackson had some interesting thoughts on how things unfolded.
Dealing with the devil you know
Pulling trades off in the NBA is a complicated endeavor, and rarely do all the parties involved walk away feeling like winners. Between making the numbers work and ensuring the team acquires the pieces it needs, completing trades is as tricky as it is complex. So, one can imagine how problematic trading someone like Kevin Garnett was in the summer of 2007.
After spending his first 12 seasons in the NBA in Minnesota, the partnership between “The Big Ticket” and the Timberwolves had run its course as they couldn’t return to the postseason after their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2004. With Garnett set for a new deal, the Wolves’ brain trust thought it was best to push the reset button and send their biggest superstar away for a boatload of assets…