Shaking my head.

I love Kevin Garnett. I loved him as a player before he was traded to the Celtics. I respected him as a man crying because of his loyalty to a losing franchise. I’ve always respected the passion and the intensity that make him the player that he is. But when is it enough? When does the passion and intensity become more of a burden than an advantage? Maybe I’m wearing green goggles and I just don’t realize that we’ve already passed that point with Garnett.

What is it going to take to get Kevin Garnett to bottle his frustrations and save the intensity when the clock is at zero for another game?

Better question might be, is it even fair to ask him to tone it down? Is it hypocritical?

After all, how can you condemn a man for his intensity when it’s largely the very reason he is the player that you ask him to be?

Kevin Garnett is a lot of things as a basketball player. But he is even more as a man. A man wearing the right uniform. I’ve respected Kevin Garnett the man for a lot of the reasons that I don’t respect D-Wade, LeBron, or Kobe as men.

D-Wade is a jerkoff that makes fun of his opponents for being sick. And he’s a pansy that needs a wheelchair for a shoulder injury. LeBron is a tortured soul and a coward masquerading as a nice-guy and a winner. I actually feel bad for him and I used to be a big fan. Kobe is an ego-maniacal me-monster that cheats on his wife and throws his teammates under the bus. There’s nothing redeeming about any of that.

Kevin Garnett the man does none of those things (unless you believe he called Charlie Villanueva a “cancer patient”). By all accounts, Kevin Garnett the man is a loyal, respectable individual. But what Kevin Garnett the player did yesterday was not cool. I can deal with all the trash talk in the world (after family members and health, everything is in bounds). I can deal with stirring crap up after a dunk to get in an opposing player’s head. I can deal with getting on all fours and barking at a smaller player. But I can’t deal with yesterday. Grabbing another man by the neck is not cool.

He’s probably going to be suspended. And he probably should be. As a fan, I’m pissed. Because with KG and potentially Pierce still in street clothes tomorrow, the boys in green have almost no chance against Miami. So that sucks. But it’s become necessary. Garnett has to realize what is in bounds and what is out of bounds as far as intensity goes. Yesterday was not in bounds. And the message needs to be sent.

A player of his Hall of Fame stature should know what he can get away with and what he can’t. And maybe even more importantly, a player of his stature shouldn’t freak out when a nobody with a dog-poop-locks haircut like Bill Walker gets in his ear. The right way to respond would have been for Garnett to just take a mental note, and make Bill Walker’s life a living hell next game. Play the pick and roll game with Pierce and put Walker on the floor. After all, this is your court, Kevin. Bill Walker just plays on it.

But when you take yourself off the court, it doesn’t help your team.

What’s the solution?

Do Celtics fans want Kevin Garnett to “clean his image up” and be more likeable to the league and its fans? Hell no. We don’t care what anyone thinks about our players. We know that given the chance, every single NBA fan on the planet would take Kevin Garnett on his/her team in an instant. Every player would take Kevin Garnett as their teammate in an instant. And if you think otherwise, you’re either lying to yourself or you’re an idiot. “Oh the other fans and even the players hate him?” Boo-hoo. The fact that Garnett is such a polarizing figure for other fan-bases and players means he is doing something right (neck grabbing excluded).

At the end of the day, Garnett represents what it is to be a throwback. A man who will do literally anything for his team to win. A man who isn’t “tight” with other superstars. A man who will start a fight with anybody who disrespects him or his teammates.

What’s the solution?

The answer is there is no solution. This is Kevin Garnett. You love him or you hate him. I love him. And I’m glad my team has him.