Kevin Garnett may be out for the Year!

Before you go making a bet on the Celtics to defend their NBA championship, know that emotional leader and floor general, Kevin Garnett isn’t ready to start the playoffs. Not only that but Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that there’s a strong possibility that he will miss the entire postseason.

"He’s not going to be ready. After watching him practice, there’s no way," Rivers said on WEEI-AM. "The way I saw him move today, I don’t know if he’ll be ready."

Rivers went so far as to say that there was a chance Garnett could be out for the rest of the season. This is obviously huge news as the impact of Garnett’s absence has been very noticeable since he went down with the right knee injury in February 19th. He missed his next 13 games before returning to test it out but never really looked comfortable and didn’t play more than 18 minutes in the four games he was back.

KG became in instant legend with Celtics after joining them in a 2007 in a trade that brought together the now infamous Big Three. Garnett created a new culture in Boston through hard work and intensity and propelled the franchise from a notorious bottom dweller to the NBA title in just one season. He averaged 15.8 and 8.5 rebounds per game but it was his presence on the floor and in the dressing room that was the life blood of this team.

When he went down, the Celtics were already a lock to secure a high playoff berth and it was almost viewed as a blessing as it would give the big man time to rest for the playoff run. Rivers had planned to bring Garnett back for the last three games of the regular season to knock the rust off. That number soon became the last two, then the last one, and now he may not make it back at all.

Even if they manage to get past the Bulls in the first round, they can’t expect to compete with the Cavaliers or Magic in the later rounds with out KG. The Celtics managed an 18-7 mark without him in the lineup but the playoffs are a different beast and KG was the biggest beast of them all.

The Chicago Bulls must have welcomed the news and now should like their chances heading into their first round matchup with the Celtics that begins this Saturday.

It will be interesting to see the line on this series when it comes out, as it will no doubt be much closer to chalk with the Big Ticket on the sidelines.

Stay tuned into the Sportsbook for the latest NBA Playoff lines and analysis on all your favorite teams for this post-season.