Letters

Kevin Garnett will receive an education nightly, when the pros take him to school.
THOMAS JAMES LONG, CHICAGO

Garnett's Gambit
You ask whether Kevin Garnett is ready for the NBA (Hoop Dream, June 26), and the answer, most definitely, is yes. Instead of betting against him, everyone should root for him. A man with talent should use it.
JOSH KRANISH, Rockford, Ill.

I attended the recent NBA draft at the SkyDome with visions of getting the young stars to sign my basketball. Unfortunately I was in for a disappointment. Nearly all of the draftees were very cold to the crowd, except Kevin Garnett. This supposedly brash, cocky young phenom was fantastic. Following his interview he went to the fans and spent the next 20 minutes signing autographs, clowning for pictures, joking and shaking hands. Apparently not only do you hone your basketball skills at college, but you also learn to become aloof. That's one college lesson I'm glad Garnett missed. Best of luck to him.
ANTHONY NUCCI, Brockport, N. Y.

Garnett has my support. But he should be the rule, not the exception. It's time that the NBA and the NFL formed their own farm leagues to develop promising players instead of relying on the colleges and universities to do so. Such a system would eliminate the current practice of treating schools as little more than a rung on the ladder for talented athletes.
ANDREW KEARNS, Wrightstown, N.J.

We shouldn't be asking if Garnett can make it in the NBA. We should be asking why he can't get the test scores to enter college.
TONY HARDIE, Edison, N.J.

It's hard for someone who studied her butt off in high school to get into a good college to understand why Garnett is treated like a god.
TANYA GYOMORY, North Branch, Mich.

In this day of sports figures being role models for young kids, and with the effort to keep student athletes in school for all four years, you have glorified a 19-year-old who decided to jump into the NBA instead of attending college and trying to earn a degree. Plastering him on your cover glorifies Garnett the athlete. You have acted irresponsibly and failed to recognize what is really important at this stage of his life.
JOSH LITE AND ANDREW SLUTZKY
Upper Montclair, N.J.

I won't be surprised if Garnett turns out to be an NBA standout, as long as he does not let fame and fortune go to his head.
DANNY AGUILAR JR., El Paso

An Unfitting Tribute?
What do the Houston Rockets have to do to make the cover of SI (Rocketing into History, June 26)? Last year they lost out to the World Cup. Now, after being the lowest-seeded team ever to win the NBA title, Houston's winning its second straight championship is buried almost halfway through the magazine. Despite winning back-to-back titles, the Rockets still get no respect.
KIERA REILLY, New York

Tall Tale
I know firsthand what a nice guy Randy Johnson is (The Intimidator, June 26). When I was 11, my grandpa introduced me to Randy, who sometimes played golf with him. Randy was the tallest person I'd ever seen in my life. When he threw a no-hitter four months later, he sent me two autographed posters and a signed picture of the game.