Kenyon Martin Suggests Kevin Garnett's NBA Persona Was an Act, Calls Him a 'Porch Puppy'

During his NBA heyday, Kevin Garnett was notorious for his trash talk. But his longtime rival Kenyon Martin never bought it.

In a new essay he wrote for Basketball News entitled "The Death of the Enforcer: How the NBA Lost its Physicality," Martin wrote that he played against guys who were "physical" and who "really wanted the smoke." He listed Derrick Coleman as someone who "didn't take shit from nobody," alongside guys like Zach Randolph, David West, Antonio Davis, Dale Davis, and Kurt Thomas. "They didn't back down and I had a lot of respect for those guys," he explained.

As for his thoughts on Garnett, however, Martin just didn't have the same level of praise, and implied hat he was more of a timid player.

"You can’t turn a porch dog into a guard dog, and there are a lot of poodles in the NBA right now," Martin continued. "There were some guys like that back when I played, too. Kevin Garnett was a porch puppy—a miniature chihuahua in a Dobermann’s body. I told him to his face, 'You’re a porch puppy. All you do is bark.' He never wanted smoke from me. I told him straight up, 'You better take your ass back to your huddle before I get mad.' Dahntay Jones heard it; you can ask him."

Considering Garnett's reputation, we likely won't have to wait too long to hear a response.