Jared Sullinger comes home with stories to tell

As he comes back to Ohio for the first time since leaving Thad Matta and his teammates at The Ohio State University, Jared Sullinger speaks of the few wake-up calls he has had during his young career as a power forward in the NBA. It was not much into his Sullinger’s season when teammate and future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett was digging his broad and boney left shoulder in the chest of the rookie. Attempting to gain position against a player who is more of a house than a habitant, Garnett jabbed and jabbed until Sullinger’s body gave an inch. It would be at this point when the 6-foot-11-inch veteran would take a step back and effortlessly sink a jump shot over the extended arm of his would-be defender. As the ball splashed through the net, Garnett, with his trademark scowl, barked at his first-year teammate. “Welcome to the NBA, rookie.” Though there has been some natural growth in Sullinger as a player and as a person, Doc Rivers — his new head coach — claims that his rookie power...