For the second season in a row, I’ve landed the fourth pick in the DroppingDimes Mock Draft Blog.  For the second season in a row, I’ll be selecting none other than Kevin Garnett.  Last season, it was Dirk Nowitzki that was ahead of the Big Ticket, and this season it is Kobe Bryant. 

Granted, Kobe had a knee injury that kept a lot of drafters (present company included) away from him in the top five, but there’s little doubt that he should be taken within the top three this season.  And while the aforementioned Nowitzki is still available, I’ll take one of the most dominant big men in the fantasy realm over the past five seasons. 

Last year, I compared Garnett to LaDanian Tomlinson, as if you all recall, there was no clear-cut #1 pick in fantasy football leagues – which turned out to be one of the biggest jokes ever with Tomlinson putting up disgusting numbers.  Garnett obviously didn’t replicate this feat, but in the terms I was using the analogy, it worked perfectly…until the fantasy playoffs.

Check out some of KG’s numbers over the last three years:

2004-05: 22.2 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 5.7 apg, 50.2 fg%, 81.1 ft%, 1.5 spg, 1.4 bpg, 2.7 topg
2005-06: 21.8 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 4.1 apg, 52.6 fg%, 81.0 ft%, 1.4 spg, 1.4 bpg, 2.4 topg
2006-07: 22.4 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 47.6 fg%, 83.5 ft%, 1.2 spg, 1.7 bpg, 2.7 topg

Now, I’m not a regression expert, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that these are some of the more consistent numbers of any fantasy player over the same time frame.  The one number that I’ve left out of the above figures are games played – and this is the down side.  In 2004, Garnett logged in playing time in all 82 games.  For the two years following, KG’s games played fell to 76 in both seasons.  Unfortunately, it was the same stretch of games – the last two weeks – that was missed in both periods, likely causing head-to-head owners a playoff win or two.

It’s no secret that Garnett is unhappy in Minnesota, and unless you think that Corey Brewer is the answer to the misery, we may be in store for yet another season of depression.  Thankfully for owners, KG’s unhappiness has yet to impact his play on the floor, as he’s as intense as ever.

Bonus points for the rumors that Garnett could wind up in Golden State.  Not only would this provide the Big Ticket with an improved roster of teammates, it would land him in a very high-paced offense that would allow him to flourish.  If players like Matt Barnes, Al Harrington and Andris Biendrins can have success in Oakland, just imagine what Garnett would be able to accomplish. 

I would have no issue with taking Garnett with any of the three spots above, so I’d gladly take him with the fourth overall selection.

See you all with the eighth pick.

Previous Picks This Round:

1.1 LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
1.2 Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
1.3 Shawn Marion, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns