KG very high on Austin Rivers, wants him on the Celtics

So if you've been reading this blog you know that I'm very high on Austin Rivers. Some people point to his uneven Freshman year at Duke and think his stock has dipped, but what I saw this season just confirms to me more that Austin Rivers will be a great NBA player. I'm pretty sure if Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady had been forced to go to college for a year they would have had questions about their games as well. Some players have more NBA games than NCAA games. Austin Rivers is one. I've stated that the Celtics should definitely draft Austin if he's on the board when they pick and I also believe the Celtics would be wise to trade up if it's looking that he won't be available that deep in the draft.

Austin Rivers got a much bigger endorsement this week when Kevin Garnett was asked about the young Rivers in a WEEI Interview:

He's going to be one of the best to go down to playing our game.

I've always said if he ever joined the C's it would probably be one of the dopest things that ever happened.

It's about a 16 minute interview and worth a full listen. KG says a lot more about Austin and the father/son dynamic, but the above two lines were the ones that stood out for me. KG doesn't toss around praise that frequently and this was no small amount at that.

For those wondering how Austin would fit with Rondo, well it's simple- Rondo is a true point guard and Austin is an NBA 2 guard. Though not huge in size, Austin at 6'4" and with a long wingspan is plenty tall enough to play the shooting guard position. The fact that he can also handle the ball is only a plus. If you recall our own general manager Danny Ainge could also handle the ball and paired well at the 2 spot next to Dennis Johnson.

But what about Avery Bradley? Yeah, what about him? Bradley would still fit in the mix, as the 3rd guard. He could backup both Rondo and Rivers. Between the three, they could make 96 minutes work. It worked for Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie Johnson. In fact if I recall that threesome did pretty well for themselves.

Skip to about the 12:50  mark to hear KG talking  about Austin Rivers.

The Celtics must draft the best player available this June. They can use free agency to fill "needs." If the Celtics are lucky enough to have the opportunity to snag Austin, they should be overjoyed. I see the same drive in him that his father had, and his father was a damn good player. KG sees something special. Garnett's endorsement should be enough to sway some fan opinions of those who were either on the fence or were against drafting Austin. Here's hoping KG is invited to the Celtics draft night war room.