Ex- Boston Celtics guard Marquis Daniels thanks Kevin Garnett – NBA Update
Marquis Daniels has revealed how Kevin Garnett’s ringing words helped him stay calm after a horrific injury midway through the season. During a regular season game with the Orlando Magic, Daniels suffered spinal stenosis, a narrowing
of the spinal column, after his head hit Gilbert Arenas’ arm.
Daniels immediately went down, facing the floor, and the player couldn’t move a muscle. An eerie silence descended on the court as medical staff and players huddled around their fallen colleague. Daniels recalled the incident in
a recent interview and revealed that he was scared at the time but the words of his teammates kept him calm. He picked out one man in particular for his encouraging words, Kevin Garnett,
“I just remember I kept hearing Kevin [Garnett] telling me, ‘You’re gonna be alright. You’re gonna be alright,’” Daniels told a reported in a telephone interview. “I was like, ‘I can‘t move.’ He said, ’What do you mean?’ He kept
telling me I was gonna be alright. I think that helped me out a lot, just hearing his voice telling me I was going to be alright. I stayed calm, I didn’t panic.”
“It was a trying time for me. I didn’t take anything for granted. I was going to take everything seriously from now on.”
Daniels had to have surgery as a result of the debacle and is only now fully recovering from the injury. After the incident the player, who averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds a game, was traded by the Boston Celtics to Sacramento
Kings.
The 6ft-6in guard is now back to fitness and says he will be ready to play whenever the NBA season starts. His short time at the Sacramento Kings could also be coming to an end as the player is a restricted free agent this summer.
The Sacramento Kings have quite a number of young talented players on their roster, including Tyreke Evans and John Salmons, while they have also added rookie Jimmer Fredette to the list this summer. With the erratic but exciting
DeMarcus Cousins leading the line, the Kings have potential to spring a surprise in the playoffs if they can add some players in the free agency.
Sacramento are looking at some big names this summer and that could mean they need to free up some salary space, allowing Daniels to move elsewhere. Marquis said he didn’t have a preference for a new team, but Boston would be a
good destination as he is still in touch with his former teammates.
“I definitely would like to be anywhere where a team wants me,” he said. “I’m keeping my options open.”
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