Should Kevin Garnett’s number be hanging next to Pierce’s?

Should the Boston Celtics retire Kevin Garnett’s jersey next?

The Boston Celtics just wrapped up a phenomenal ceremony for Paul Pierce‘s jersey retirement. When you think about the kind of player he was throughout his career, and the impact he had on the Celtics franchise, this was an easy no brainer. We have long known that Pierce’s number would be hanging in the rafters, but the number that lands beside him is a much bigger question.

The name everyone is going to be talking about, and the next person that is going to be seriously discussed is Kevin Garnett. Whether or not he should have his number retired is a much more complicated issue that Pierce, because the vast majority of his career was spent with a different team.

When you think about the kind of players who have their numbers retired, and the legacy they have left on the Celtics, you can understand some uneasiness about retiring Garnett’s number after just six seasons with the team. That being said, there are so many reasons that justify retiring Garnett’s number, and with the way he embraced the franchise, I find it hard to believe that there will be much resistance in retiring his number.

Pierce was the face of the franchise and the go to player, but Garnett may have been even more important in winning that championship. It does not need to be said that they do not get that banner without him, and his biggest impact may have been recapturing the mentality that lead to so may championships in the past.

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Garnett was the one who sacrificed, because he went from a revolutionary offensive force, to a second or third option. He is the one who anchored the defense, and did all the hard and gritty work that allowed the rest of the team to function. He was the best teammate in the NBA, and helped reestablish a true culture of winning in Boston.

Six years is not that long to get your number retired, but you would be hard pressed to find many players that had a more impactful six year stretch with any team. Garnett is arguably the most beloved and embraced player on that championship team, and it would be fitting to have his number next to Pierce’s.

The Celtics do not want to be lowering the standards of what it takes to get your number retired by Boston, and you might get that sense with a player that has spent just six years with the team. That being said, when you think about the way Garnett’s has embraced the franchise, it does not feel like it was a short time.

Even after retiring, Garnett continues to embrace Boston as his home, and he will forever be one of the fan favourites. You can look at everything he did on the court, and his impact makes enough of a case. When you think about the impact he had off the court, and the way he has become an integral part of the Celtics culture, and it would not feel right to keep Garnett out of the rafters.

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Everyone knows that he is more than good enough of a player to be up there. The only real argument against is that he did not have enough time to have big enough of an impact. If you take into consideration the years he has embraced this franchise after parting, he should have a place right next to number 34.