JUST MY TYPE

Kevin Garnett

LOCKOUT VETERAN

The Celtics' forward was 22 during the 1998--99 NBA work stoppage. The 14-time All-Star is in the final year of his contract and due $21 million this season.

DAN PATRICK:What's the most fun you've had during the lockout?

KEVIN GARNETT: I had some cool moments at the playground with my daughter. I don't get a lot of time with my family.

DP:Do you trust the owners?

KG: You trust the players because we all are communicating. You never trust the other side because you don't know what they're thinking and you don't want them to know what you're thinking.

DP:Do you get the feeling the owners are willing to sacrifice a season?

KG: I think at the end of the day common ground will be found. This game is too beautiful. With all the story lines that surround our game, I can't see just blowing away the season. But if we do, both sides are prepared.

DP:With one more year left in your contract, have there been any extension talks?

KG: Truthfully, no. When I see Danny Ainge in passing, we laugh at it, but there's nothing concrete.

DP:How long do you want to play?

KG: I don't know. I'm enjoying the guys I play with. I'm enjoying the game.

DP:If you hadn't left Minnesota, would you still be playing?

KG: I wouldn't still be in Minnesota, first off. Minnesota's always been my second home. But going through the process, I probably would have [left] a little sooner. Just knowing where management's mind was—not on the same page with me.

DP:How close were you to joining the Lakers?

KG: I was pretty close [in 2007]. What disturbed me about the whole Lakers situation was Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson at the time. They were at each other pretty bad, and a new situation full of uncertainty wasn't something I wanted to get into.

DP:It was your choice not to go to the Lakers?

KG: It was my choice.

DP:Is there any chance I could get a 10-day contract with the Celtics?

KG: We'll give you a three-day.

DP:Could someone like me score in a preseason game?

KG: No, you could not. For the simple reason, if a guy is really trying to get a job, and Dan Patrick is on the floor, and he's guarding you ... there's no way.

DP:What if they ran a picket fence like in Hoosiers and I came off the screen?

KG: You can get three picket fences. You can get a whole gate if you want. You have a better chance of hitting a home run over the Green Monster than scoring a bucket in an NBA game. It's not even mean. It's just real, Dan.

DP:Have you ever had a chance to take batting practice at Fenway?

KG: No, but we did play softball there. I hit the top of the Green Monster. I saw Shaq hit it over the Monster.

DP:Can you imagine Shaq playing baseball?

KG: Shaq's the dopest. It was truly an honor to play alongside him. This year was probably the most fun I've had in a long time in the NBA.

"The media has to grow up. You guys act like we're in the sixth grade again. I gave an opinion on [Jay Cutler]. That's the only controversy [the media] had in the two weeks before the Super Bowl, so they jumped on it."

—Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew on his critical tweets about Jay Cutler during last year's NFC Championship Game

Guest Shots

SAY WHAT

Tigers ace Justin Verlander continues to strengthen his case for MVP, but some people around baseball think pitchers don't deserve consideration—including some pitchers. "The pitcher's MVP is the Cy Young," Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels told me. "I don't know how much we can affect a team by winning all 33 or 34 starts, because you still have to win 90-something games to make the postseason."... Several NFL players have told me Philip Rivers is one of their most vocal opponents. I asked the Chargers' QB to give me a clean version of his trash talk. "Every version is clean," Rivers said. "I can share all of them with Mom. For example, a DB from Alabama, maybe I give him a 'Roll Tide' as I jog by."... The Dodgers sent season-ticket holders a questionnaire asking them to rate their announcers, including Vin Scully. Bob Costas scoffed at the notion of evaluating the 83-year-old Scully. "I think the last refuge of a Dodger fan is to just listen to Vin Scully," Costas said. "The overwhelming consensus is that Scully is the greatest baseball announcer ever."

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MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II/1DEUCE3 PHOTOGRAPHY (PATRICK)

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BRIAN KERSEY/UPI/LANDOV (GARNETT)

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NOEL VASQUEZ/FILMMAGIC/GETTY IMAGES (SCULLY)

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (RIVERS)

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PORTER BINKS (HAMELS)