When the Minnesota Timberwolves brought back Kevin Garnett so he could help mentor the young guys, this probably isn’t exactly what they had in mind. Regardless, rookie hazing is a rite of passage in the NBA, and it’s hard to imagine a better spiritual guide to the mystic arts of aggressive male-bonding than one of the most tightly-wound intensity gurus in league history.
So, it’s no surprise that Garnett takes this responsibility seriously. Consummate veteran that he is, the Big Ticket recognized an opportunity for a teachable moment at practice earlier this week and pulled aside a couple of the team’s sophomore stars to offer them a few quick pointers on how to effectively make life miserable for the rooks. Via Ananth Pandian of CBS Sports:
At Minnesota’s morning shootaround on Tuesday, Garnett instructed Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine to kick balls into the stands. Garnett then sent rookies Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyus Jones and Nemanja Bjelica to retrieve [sic] the balls, which were scattered throughout the stands.
For obvious legal and ethical reasons, there’s a careful balance that has to be maintained.
How do you make them do things that are adequately degrading/irritating without crossing the line into physical or psychological abuse? Apparently, by forcing them to complete a task that is spectacular in both its banality and utter pointlessness. Well done, KG. Well done.
(Via CBS Sports)
