Kevin Garnett could retire this summer, according to reports

It was a different time when Kevin Garnett first entered the NBA as the fifth-overall pick in the 1995 draft.

President Bill Clinton was in office. The San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers were good enough to make the Super Bowl. Yahoo! was just being born. Cal Ripken Jr. was still setting his consecutive games-played streak in baseball. Calvin and Hobbes was still being published.

Some could say those were the “good ol’ days,” but the next 21 years were pretty darn good, too, especially for Garnett, who came out of high school and into the NBA and instantly made a name for himself. His list of accomplishments has been well documented, and well-deserved. An NBA champion. The MVP of the league. All-Star. Defensive Player of the Year. All-NBA. And the list goes on.

He started his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and will likely end his career there, especially if reports of his contemplation of retirement prove true.

According to an article by Steve Aschburner at NBA.com, Garnett is unsure if he’ll be able to compete next season. The article indicates that Garnett has talked with Minnesota’s coach and president of basketball operations, Tom Thibodeau, but hasn’t given him a direct answer about his return or retirement. And he’s not the only one who’s asked.

The same goes for owner Glen Taylor, who said Wednesday in Las Vegas he had dinner with Garnett about a month ago.

“I just asked him, ‘Kevin, what are you going to do?’ His answer was, ‘I’d really like to play next year ‘cuz I’d like to go out knowing we got into the playoffs,’” Taylor said.

”Then he said, ‘I don’t know if I can.’

”I asked him, ‘What does that mean?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know.’

“So I asked the question but I didn’t get an answer that helped me. Yes, theoretically, he’d like to play. But he has some doubts of his knees holding up. I believe he told me exactly the truth.”

If Garnett stays, he’ll set the NBA record for the longest career at 22 years. Currently, he’s tied with Robert Parish and Kevin Willis. He’ll also earn $8 million owed to him on the second year of a two-year contract he signed with the Timberwolves.

Last season was not the best for Garnett, who missed every game after Jan. 23 due to his knees and played in just 38 throughout the season. He averaged 3.2 points and hauled in 3.9 rebounds while playing an average of 14.6 minutes per game.

That’s a far cry from the Garnett of old, who averaged 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per game throughout his storied career, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

In a year that has seen Tim Duncan (who entered the league in 1997) and Kobe Bryant (who came into the NBA in 1996) retire, it’s easy to understand why Garnett — the very last player from his draft class to remain in the NBA — might be considering that option.

But if he doesn’t retire, it’s not as though the Timberwolves can’t find a use for him — it’s just a question of whether his knees can hold up.

The Wolves were better with Garnett (14-24) than without him (15-29) last season and, according to NBA.com stats, he had the team’s best net rating (plus-6.6). That was better than No. 2 Ricky Rubio’s plus-1.1 and No. 3 Gorgui Dieng’s plus-0.8.

Garnett still has value as a defender, rebounder and old head in game situations or off the court. But his mobility and offensive value are shadows of his prime (from 1999 through 2007, he averaged 22.4 points, 12.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists).

“I think he’s worried if he can play,” Taylor said. “I worry about that too. When I talked to him last year, I said, ‘Is it your knees or what?’ He said, ‘It’s my whole leg.’”