Kevin Garnett's Assessment of Charlie Villanueva Proved Correct

Back in November last year, there was a huge debate as to whether Kevin Garnet called Charlie Villanueva a “cancer patient” or whether Garnet told him he was “cancerous to his team.”

There is no evidence to support either player’s claim; however, after last night’s near fight between Villanueva and Ryan Hollins, it is easier to give Garnett the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe the backlash of Villanueva‘s tweet, questioning his toughness, must have gotten to him as he was trying to get to Hollins like a crazed animal. The guy was possessed. Clearly all those responses saying he should have left it on the court has gone to his head.

"At the end of the day, that's something that happened on the court. It should stay on the court. I overreacted.” Villanueva said after the game. “He said some things that kind of got me upset."

Well, it did not stay on the court, Associated Press reported that teammate Rodney Stuckey, along with a security guard and assistant coach tried to restrain Villanueva and he eventually ran down the wrong tunnel. Not to be out done, the Piston’s forward was later prevented from entering the Cavaliers locker room by a police officer.

Someone should tell Villanueva that ‘leave it on the court’ means allow the referees to make the best call and avenge the situation through your play. These are things Kevin Garnett has done throughout his career.

There is no rule in the NBA about talking to rival players on the court to gain an advantage. Obviously, if the referee overhears such a conversation, the content may be deemed a violation if it does not measure up to sportsmanship behavior. But as far as I know, Garnett never chased another player off the court with violence in mind.

If Garnett called Villanueva, who suffers from Alopecia Areata, a condition which causes baldness, a "cancer patient" that would have been a really nasty thing to say as it discriminates against a collection of people suffering from a condition outside of their control. Garnett later claimed he actually told Villanueva that he was “cancerous to his team and to our league.”

After last night, Garnett is clearly correct.