Kevin Garnett: 'You've Got to Be an A-----e' to Survive in the NBA
Kevin Garnett has some advice for anyone who aspires to play in the NBA and doesn't already make a habit out of stealing grandma's Social Security checks to fund his setting-money-on-fire addiction.
Stop being so nice.
OK, that's not exactly what the 19-year veteran said. But that's definitely the gist of his recent musings.
"[You don't last long in] this league by just whispering or being a nice guy or a guy the ladies like," he explained, per Newsday's Rod Boone. "You’ve got to be an a-----e."
Some context is admittedly needed here. Garnett did not make this totally Garnett remark unprompted:
Ah yes, Joe Johnson. The reason we're all really here, reading and thinking about Garnett's potty mouth.
Even though the Brooklyn Nets are off to a 4-2 start, Johnson felt the need to call out his teammates for being selfish.
Below you'll find some snippets of what he said, courtesy of Bleacher Report's Fred Katz:
"Offensively, I just think guys kind of exhaust their options and then, when there's nothing else for them, then they'll pass when they have to. But for the most part, we've been very selfish. I mean, 4-2 is pretty good, but I wouldn't say it's where we want to be right now against teams that aren't playoff teams.
"
On the one hand, the timing of Johnson's criticism—which began on Twitter (NSFW)—is weird. His team is 4-2 and primed to make a run in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
On the other hand, it's totally justified. The Nets rank 29th in assist rate and haven't been unseating championship contenders. Their first four victories have come against sub-.500 teams. Their two losses, meanwhile, have been handed out by the rebuilding Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.
But that's neither here nor there. Some mysteries still need solving.
First, who, specifically, was Johnson referencing while speaking about the Nets' selfishness? Was it one player? Two players? A bunch of players? Was he merely angry that Jorge Gutierrez is hogging Brooklyn's community hair gel?
The Brooklyn Game's Devin Kharpertian has some theories:
"Johnson may not be talking about anyone in particular. Maybe he’s mad at everyone on his team, maybe he’s mad at himself, maybe he’s mad at Lopez. But he’s still got the feeling. You can prove some things wrong with hard evidence, but if Joe Johnson feels like his team isn’t passing the ball enough and backs it up with game film, not much will change his mind. Saying the Nets pass 280 times per game is empirical; actually performing a successful offense with the right passes to the right players is more theoretical.
Johnson’s argument basically boils down to: they’ve got the third-best offense in the league, but given their level of competition, shouldn’t they be better?
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All good points.
Equally important: What is Garnett doing here?
From where we're standing, it sounds like he's speaking out in support of Johnson's rant. At the very least it seems as if he's saying this type of outspoken behavior isn't atypical of Brooklyn's shooting guard.
Johnson doesn't normally make headlines for anything other than his shooting and scoring. He's (usually) also not one to chirp like a canary during interviews. Rare is the sound bite like this one, in which he says something controversial—which means Garnett is schooling us in the art of NBA longevity.
We can now look back to this moment and remember that NBA players don't last by being nice or quiet. They have to be tough and callous. Occasional snark is probably required. Johnson is not stoic or emotionless. He's a ticking time bomb.
In the end, though, Garnett's and Johnson's assessments only mean so much to the Nets.
Games against contenders await. Each of their next four games come against projected playoff teams: Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat. Upon finishing off this stretch, the Nets will have a better idea of where they stand.
And if the world is lucky, the wisdom Garnett imparted will have also stuck, allowing young NBA hopefuls everywhere to model their lifestyles accordingly.
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