I don't know how anyone could say anything but TD. Replace Dirk, KG, anyone on that list and their team gets better. Put TD instead of KG on that Boston team and their losses are in the single digits.
I'm not sure about that. KG plays a very different style. You exchange him for a post-up, interior player like Duncan and the results could be very different. Boston plays an aggressive, trapping style on defense which I think suits Garnett more than Duncan. And their offensive chemistry would change as well by pairing an inside player like Duncan with Perkins.
What a dream lineup it would be if we could get any of those guys mentioned above playing next to Yao.
I agree with the sentiment--and I'll add. They both have 2 other all-stars quality players and both teams have had some injuries of those stars. Boston is 55-15 and SA is 47-23. In the West Boston is 23-5 vs 25-16 for SA. Garnett also has better PER, and the difference when they both play PF is even greater (Duncan really plays much more at C, he IS more of a C). This season KG is the best PF in the game. Would I count on him in the playoffs over Duncan though, no.
You make a good point about style of defense, but you'd be hard pressed to make me believe exchanging Garnett for Duncan would make a defense worse. On the flip side, having TD in the post commanding double teams would leave Ray Allen and Posey even more wide open 3's to knock down. If they choose to double from Perkins, just swing the ball around and get an open shot or find KP open for the dunk. Perkins doesn't demand any touches on the block on his own, so I don't think that'd be an issue. And as far as intangibles go, Duncan brings experience, poise, and leadership in spades. He's not going to wow anyone like KG might, but his consistency and dominance when needed is just demoralizing to a team.
Against someone like Amare or Dirk--yeah I'd rather have KG guarding them. KG is also better on switches with guards and SFs (trapping and switching defenses). But Duncan has Manu, Parker, Finley, Barry (most of the season), Udonka, etc. They actually take more 3s than Boston does. Yet Boston has been the much superior team--and THE best defensive team in the league by a wide margin. I don't think bringing in Ray Allen has had much to do with that turnaround. Tim Duncan for the last 5 years or so has really done most his talking, and raised his level of play, in the playoffs. Regular season KG and a few other bigs have been better, more dominant.
If anyone keeps saying that Tim Duncan is a center, instead of PF.....I think you would need to back off that argument.....since he has started only 14 games at center in his entire career...while he has almost started 800 games as forward. I'm not making this up..... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3173/splits?year=career&type=Fielding/ Situation G Min M A Pct M A Pct M A Pct Off Def Tot Ast TO Stl Blk PF PPG As Start F 797 37:17 8.3 16.4 50.7 0.0 0.2 18.9 5.0 7.4 68.4 3.2 8.7 11.9 3.2 2.9 0.8 2.4 2.7 21.7 As Start C 14 32:30 7.9 14.6 54.4 0.1 0.2 33.3 4.1 6.1 68.2 2.6 9.3 11.9 2.8 2.6 0.7 2.1 2.2 20.1
Al Jefferson is a good power forward, I forgot about him and David West when I was making the poll. Both of them I think are at least better than Sheed.
Maybe you should look at where he plays, not where he starts... Current season, over 90% minutes at Center. http://www.82games.com/0708/07SAS19C.HTM Last season, about 70% at C (75% in the playoffs). http://www.82games.com/0607/06SAS13C.HTM Basicially since Robinson left Duncan has been a center 1st, PF second, and the trend has only gotten more stilted to center. Duncan is more of a center masquerading as a PF just at the start of games.
So Robert Horry it is!!! No, I think the debate is who is the best PF right now--not who has the best career (Duncan--not withstanding he is at least as much C as PF) or most rings (Horry).
Can I change my vote to Amare? Is anyone else watching the Suns Celtics game? Amare is by far the best offensive PF.
I'm watching that game, but that's exactly why he's not the best PF He needs to play some defense to be be considered the best PF...
Where is David West at???!!!! He's one of the best power forwards in the game. Either KG or Duncan is the best though.
