Kevin Garnett 'Not Opposed' to Celtics Signing Stephon Marbury

Before this "Stephon Marbury to the Celtics!" craziness gets out of hand, let's stop for a moment and remember that Marbury is still a member of the New York Knicks. There's been no apparent progress in negotiations to buyout his contract, and so long as Marbury refuses to give up a nickel, there's no incentive for the Knicks to do anything but keep him in limbo.

That said, conventional wisdom dictates the Knicks will release Marbury at some point, and there's undeniably growing sentiment that his eventual destination will in fact be Beantown. He's had permission to seek out future employment for weeks, and he told reporters last month that "a lot of people will be shocked" at the team he's apparently settled on. Certainly, latching on with the reigning world champs would be shocking.

While the Knicks actually releasing Marbury is the biggest hurdle to such a union, Marbury did clear a smaller obstacle over the weekend: getting a stamp of approval from Kevin Garnett, who finally addressed the issue after last night's game. From Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe:

"I'm not opposed to Steph, I feel like he's got a lot of basketball left in him. I know his IQ is very, very high. He is one of the best point guards out there. I wouldn't be opposed to it.

"If Steph came to this team, I'm all for that. ... If anybody came to this team and made it better, I would be all for that.''

Garnett's endorsement is key: he may not have the final say in signing Marbury, but he likely had veto power to block Marbury's arrival. If he embraces him in open arms (much like that four-year-old pic above), this thing has a good chance of becoming reality ... assuming, of course, the Knicks do their part.