Is this how it ends for Kevin Garnett?

Brooklyn Nets center Kevin Garnett has missed 11-straight games due to back spasms and will not travel for the team's three-game road trip, according to coach Jason Kidd. The earliest we will see the Big Ticket back in action is against the Cleveland Cavaliers. A very real possibility of retirement when acquiring Garnett has become near reality through the season and in the wake of the postseason.

Kevin Garnett will NOT make the road trip. They will keep him home and reevaluate him when they get back. #Nets
— Tom Lorenzo (@TomLorenzo) March 22, 2014

With 12 games left in the regular season after the upcoming road swing and four back-to-backs remaining on the schedule, Garnett is mathematically slated to play just eight more games at most. Kidd has regularly rested Garnett for one of two back-to-back games and the remainder of the season should be no different. One should expect the 18-year veteran to miss more time.

I am all for getting a proven winner and veteran back on his feet in time for the playoffs but the Brooklyn Nets are a team on the verge of grabbing hold of an identity. The Nets have one of the league's best records at 26-10 since January 1. Brooklyn has always been desperate for that elusive "it" factor that makes them distinct and there is no way around achieving that without a consistent roster. For a player like Garnett who has repeatedly vocalized his disapproval towards missing time on the court, it is safe to say that there is something more going on than just extra rest and health precautions.

Regardless of Garnett's availability, the Nets cannot wait around for the former Most Valuable Player of the league. The Nets currently sit one game out of the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, and 1 1/2 games back of the Atlantic Division lead.

This past summer, the Nets selected Mason Plumlee in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft and the 6'11 engine has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise. The rook plays smart and brings to the team some emotion in his game which for me, has been a breath of fresh air. Plumlee has come into his own and provided the spark and heart that many Nets fans looked to Garnett for. In Garnett's recent 11-game absence, the Nets have finished 9-2 with the former Blue Devil in the starting lineup.

Fortunately, Nets general manager Billy King acquired roster depth in his win-now approach and I fear this could very well be the end of the future unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer's career.

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