KG not going anywhere...yet

Trade rumors have been swirling around Kevin Garnett's name in recent days.

Since the moment the news broke of Rajon Rondo's season-ending ACL injury, many have speculated whether the Celtics' brass would be inclined to "blow up" the team. That idea became even more popular when Jared Sullinger's season came to an end on Thursday.

One must keep in mind that you can't blow up a team just for the sake of blowing it up. Why would the Celtics do that? They're on a four-game winning streak and are currently in position to qualify for the playoffs. They're only four games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the fifth spot in the East, but that's a different discussion for another day.

Back to current events.

On Sunday -- coincidentally the same day the Clippers made their only visit to the TD Garden this season -- rumors began to spread that the Celtics and Clippers were in discussions of a trade that involved Kevin Garnett. The consensus proposed trade would be Kevin Garnett going to Los Angeles in exchange for point guard Eric Bledsoe -- who is averaging 13.0 points per game in Chris Paul's absence -- and forward Caron Butler.

In addition, Sean Powell of SportsonEarth.com tweeted last night that Garnett will only accept a trade if Paul Pierce is also traded, and that he would only accept a trade to Los Angeles. It's highly unlikely that that Los Angeles team would be the Lakers, considering their under-performance and large payroll. That leaves the Clippers as Garnett's lone destination.

Garnett addressed these recent trade rumors that have linked his name to the Clippers after today's practice.

"Well [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] made it very, very obvious since Day 1, since he brought Ray Allen and myself here to be aligned with Paul [Pierce] that he was going to do whatever is best for this organization," said Garnett. "He's always made that apparent, so I've always understood that. I bleed green, I die green, that's what it is. But it is a business and when that crosses the paths, I deal with it."

Garnett reassured the media that the recent reports are indeed false.


"If I were ya'll, I wouldn't read too much into it."

We all know that Danny Ainge is notorious for his audacity and for doing what he feels is in the team's best interest, whether that be trading away an icon or adding someone on a 10-day contract. Ainge has not addressed the Garnett rumors, but he did say the following last week:

"My job is to do what's in the best interest of our team, regardless of my personal ties or my personal feelings with the players."

Garnett is one of very few players in the NBA with a no-trade clause. The clause was included in the three-year deal he signed this past offseason.

Coach Doc Rivers called the recent rumors "silly" and driven solely by the media.


"All from [the media]," said Rivers. "None from us. Really. I would like to say that. Sometimes I like [the media], sometimes, some of the stuff that happens is just silly. It really is. When I wake up in the morning and I hear a trade rumor that I haven't heard in my office, that's silly, and that's what happens."


* The Celtics practiced today before embarking on a brief trip to Toronto to face the new-look Raptors.
"Well they're better," Rivers said. "They've added a great scorer [Rudy Gay] to a team that could already score, even though they hadn't been scoring much this year. And [Kyle] Lowry, now full-time, they're running a lot more. So, they're really pushing the pace. And that may be because they haven't had a lot of practice, so they don't have anything to run. But now that they have, they're going to be a much better team."

* Rivers had no update on Rondo. When asked when the Celtics' point guard would undergo surgery, Rivers said, "I have no idea, to be honest."

* Boston will travel to Toronto later today, play Wednesday night, then fly home to take on the travelling road show that is the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.