Kenny finally poses the KG question that's been on my mind for years...

It really isnt about being able to score 40, but rather being a reliable consistent low post player. KG is not a reliable low post player.

 

I read somewhere (I think it was on Truehoop) about someone saying the reason why Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber (both very similar players offensively) always seem to have that rep of not taking over in the 4th. It went something like:

The reason why those two players can't take over in the 4th like a Kobe or a Shaq or a Duncan can is because of how they play their game. Their game is soley based at the elbow of the paint. Meaning, their primary offensive game is about 15 feet out. It works well during the regular season and maybe the first few quarters in a playoff game, but when a crucial time like the 4th comes, opposing teams swarm and close out that area where both players are most effective at. A perimeter player like Kobe or even James, for instance, can start their drive well behind the 3 point line--their advantage is that they can either drive into the lane or pull up for a 3 pointer. A traditional low post player like Duncan or Olajuwon or even Shaq starts down low and pretty much stays there--their advantage stems from the fact that they're so close to the basket, that it translate into an easy bucket, a trip to the foul line (or both), or if they're excellent passers they can get the ball out to an open man for a 3.

Webber and Garnett, on the other hand, don't have the same advantages. Their game isn't around the 3 point line. Their dribble drive isn't as advantageous. Their game doesn't start in the low block where you don't have swarming guards coming at you in different directions (behind, side, blind side, whatever) like they would up at the top of the paint. Hence, there's more pressure for them to get a good shot off at where they're most comfortable at--which is why they tend to fade in crunch time.


That was the gist of it and, in a way, I can see what the writer was saying. But that doesn't excuse a player like Garnett from taking over a game down low. He's fast enough, tall enough, strong enough AND good enough to do that. I don't watch enough regular season games when he was a Timberwolf but I've seen enough playoff games where he always had one of his teammates bailing him out--whether it be Sam Cassell, Spreewell, Szczerbiak, and even Troy Hudson.

 

This is not a homer-esque statement either but in crunch time, when you're team needs a bucket, I'd want Yao before I'd take Garnett. Yao might be slow but he's more reliable down low (where easy shots can be had) than Garnett is. Tack on the fact that he's an 80+% FT shooter, a defense can't play him too tight down there either.

 

I didn't say KG was as good as Magic. What I said was that KG was a superstar similar to Magic was. They are all-around kind of player rather than dominant scoring kind like Jordan and Kareem.

Magic never had to carry a team all by himself. He never had to be the scoring threat. So he never had the chance to prove it night in and night out, like KG had to when he was in Minny. We never know how Magic would do if he didn't have at least 3 great scorers on the floor with him.

 

I concur with someone's comparison of Pippen to KG then to Magic.

Magic just had a better understanding of the game and controlled the game better then almost anyone who played the game. He was also known as a facilitator, not really a finisher. That's why he didn't have to score 40 to help his team win.

KG, on the other hand, is a 7ft post player. 7foot post players should not be facilitators. They should score rebound and block shots, which KG does. But KG doesn't have much of a post game and instead hovers around the perimeter alot. So he's like Pippen in that way, he gives you a little bit of everything but is more of a supporting superstar. Unlike Magic who was the centerpiece of Showtime Lakers.

 

KG brings a whole lot of intangibles that dont show up on the box score sheet. Hustle, Heart, Intensity, Defense, Leadership, Key Baskets, etc.Thats his greatest asset IMO. Unlike other stars, he doesnt have to score 40 to impose his will, something i believe is greater than scoring 40 to impose your will.

Look at Kobe for example. Sure he can go for 40 on any given night, but if you look over the years, particularly post shaq, the Lakers have probably lost more games when he scored 40+ then when he didnt. Perfect example is the 05/06 season when he averaged 35ppg. This proves the value of intangibles.

 

Sam I Am needs to jack the ball up in the critical points of the game,
KG hasn't proven he can hit crunch time shots. Ray Allen messed up last game and Pierce was too busy in the trash talking with the Hawks.

 

Nah. More like

KG = rich man's Dirk Nowitzki

KG does not have the back to the basket skills that Duncan has. He's a 7 foot tall small forward. Dirk is the better shooter, but KG makes up for it with defense, rebounding, and speed.

 

FALSE

 

KG is the kind of player that will put up superstar numbers when his team is up by 18 but will wilt under pressure if the game is close. He's too in love with his jumper. Hell, you don't even need to double the guy. Even the Malone's, Webber's, Dirk's and whoever else you want to throw in there NEEDED to be doubled constantly. KG is a rather easy cover for a superstar.

People act like the fact that he runs around diving after loose balls, beating his chest after hitting 21-footers and blocking shots after the whistle is blown somehow negates his pathetic post-season record. Like he's some kind of championship player beyond all the reality? I just don't get it.

 

Amare ain't nothing but this generation's version of Shawn Kemp. The guy's already missed a season to microfracture surgery. What happens if he loses hops due to age or another knee surgery? He can't bang down low. He's got zero low post game. Just like Kemp, much of his high flying offense relies on athleticism and a penetrating point guard to get him open.

 

I agree, Dirk and KG are very much alike. They haven't won championships because you can't build around a 7 foot jumpshooting forward.

 

Can't drop 40 when you need it? Didn't he drop 40 on Stoudamire and the Suns twice last season?

 

I understand your point,but Kemp was way better at his peak than Amare. Shawn was a solid rebounder, a physical defender and he was a better low post scorer as well who was strong in the clutch. He was the 2nd best player in the 1996 NBA Finals after Michael Jordan. He was a major factor in stopping Karl Malone that year as well. Amare can't do any of these things.

 

Yup, He was dunking in Amare's grill too......

 

Garbage.

 

I disagree. How is it garbage. I mean, i havnt gone into it and looked at stats but when kobe is ball-hogging and jacking up 30 shots a game the Lakers dont win as much as when he gets his team mates involved early on and picks his spots later on in the game.. Same with Houston and Tmac.

 

Chris Bosh and KG's games are very similiar. Of course, Chris Bosh is the poor man version of KG. Both of them are athletic, long, slender and slight build. They can never add enough body masses to take the beatings from the post and become effective low post players. They would drift away from the post and become an excellent jump shooter. And KG is indeed a hell of mid-range jump shooter up to 22 feet.

I think poster steddinotayto's post #23 has a very good explanation to why KG's game doesnt impact game as much as big man like Tim Duncan. KG's game is too far away from the post and he also doesnt have the ball handling to attack from 22 feet. KG has superstar numbers but an embrassed game that trapped between 3/4.

In a close game, I would rather PP or Ray Allen to have the ball.

 

Exactly how I feel.

DD