Who Really Tanked?

Does anyone find it odd that one year later, we’re still talking about tanking in Boston?

After Minnesota’s owner accused Kevin Garnett of tanking… Johnny Ludden of Yahoo Sports says someone in Minnesota DID tank it… and it was owner Glen Taylor

if there’s anyone who submarined the Timberwolves, it was Taylor himself. He cost Minnesota three first-round draft picks for signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract. Taylor also has continued to employ GM Kevin McHale even though only once did he put together a team Garnett was capable of lifting out of the first round.

Really, the best quote out of all this comes from Sam Cassell:

“Ask anyone in this organization if Kevin tanks anything,” said Cassell, who played with Garnett in Minnesota. “Games? Practices? I wish he did tank a couple of practices.”

Hardwood Paroxysm asks why everyone babies Kevin Garnett.  I get where he’s going with it… but I think this notion of tanking is universally dismissed.  Now… if Sam Cassell didn’t hit that big shot against San Antonio and the Celtics lost… and someone wanted to pull out the “KG doesn’t want to take the big shot” discussion… then his defenders (of which I would have been one) could be accused of overlooking some things and “babying” him.  But this comes down to a player with a history of never taking a minute off… versus the owner of a perennial loser with a history of bad decisions.