Minnesota Sports Forum

khans2k5 wrote:At the end of the day KG is/was the best defensive anchor of the last 20 years in the league and our biggest weakness is protecting the rim. I don't see how he won't help us become a better defensive team. Duncan never had to carry a team by himself. He has always had HOF support. KG was doing it with no help except for 1 season that we conveniently made the WCF so it makes sense he is more broken down at this point. They are both great players. Duncan will go down as the better overall player, but KG will go down as the better defender. We need defensive help anywhere we can get it even if it is only to start and close games.

Don't agree. I agree KG was an incredible defender.....but an anchor, by definition, he was not. Duncan made All-Defensive teams 14 times to KG's 12, and truly has anchored one of the best defensive teams year in and year out that we have seen in the past 20 years. And you talk about Duncan's support, well that Boston team wasn't too shabby. And while Duncan may have HOF type talent around him on the offensive side (although that is questionable), outside Leonard, guys like Parker, Ginobli, Diaw, etc certainly haven't been lauded as defensive players. Duncan is the common anchor that makes that team great defensively, regardless of other rotating pieces. KG, while great in his own right, is just not in the same class IMO.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

TheGrey08 wrote:
If it was about money or winning to him at this stage in his career he would not have agreed to come here and he would have stayed or been looking to go to a better team than the nets. He's back playing in his adopted home state and the team that first drafted him.

So, he's back because he loves us?
Not because he knows he could get paid without even playing?

It's about going back to where he started, where he has interest in being involved in the front office of the team, and clearly has interest being a mentor as he showed during games & on the bench. It's his love for the game that is unmatched by most.

Hicks123 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:At the end of the day KG is/was the best defensive anchor of the last 20 years in the league and our biggest weakness is protecting the rim. I don't see how he won't help us become a better defensive team. Duncan never had to carry a team by himself. He has always had HOF support. KG was doing it with no help except for 1 season that we conveniently made the WCF so it makes sense he is more broken down at this point. They are both great players. Duncan will go down as the better overall player, but KG will go down as the better defender. We need defensive help anywhere we can get it even if it is only to start and close games.

Don't agree. I agree KG was an incredible defender.....but an anchor, by definition, he was not. Duncan made All-Defensive teams 14 times to KG's 12, and truly has anchored one of the best defensive teams year in and year out that we have seen in the past 20 years. And you talk about Duncan's support, well that Boston team wasn't too shabby. And while Duncan may have HOF type talent around him on the offensive side (although that is questionable), outside Leonard, guys like Parker, Ginobli, Diaw, etc certainly haven't been lauded as defensive players. Duncan is the common anchor that makes that team great defensively, regardless of other rotating pieces. KG, while great in his own right, is just not in the same class IMO.

Duncan always had more help both offensively and defensively. The Spurs are known to for finding defensive wings like Bowen (3 & D at it's finest) and Robinson, Jackson, Rose weren't too shabby. Duncan is great, don't get me wrong, but he definitely had help and one of the best coaches in NBA history. Pop is fucking legendary and his teams play team defense well. That's a big factor.

As for KG, he anchored the Boston D and there's no debating that. Defensive anchors set the tone for their teams defense and KG did that most of his career. It's not just about blocks & steals or 1 on 1 D either. Team D is important.

TheGrey08 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

TheGrey08 wrote:
If it was about money or winning to him at this stage in his career he would not have agreed to come here and he would have stayed or been looking to go to a better team than the nets. He's back playing in his adopted home state and the team that first drafted him.

So, he's back because he loves us?
Not because he knows he could get paid without even playing?

It's about going back to where he started, where he has interest in being involved in the front office of the team, and clearly has interest being a mentor as he showed during games & on the bench. It's his love for the game that is unmatched by most.

He didn't show much interest in being a mentor when he was resting at home and the team struggled mightily without him during games.

TheGrey08 wrote:

Hicks123 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:At the end of the day KG is/was the best defensive anchor of the last 20 years in the league and our biggest weakness is protecting the rim. I don't see how he won't help us become a better defensive team. Duncan never had to carry a team by himself. He has always had HOF support. KG was doing it with no help except for 1 season that we conveniently made the WCF so it makes sense he is more broken down at this point. They are both great players. Duncan will go down as the better overall player, but KG will go down as the better defender. We need defensive help anywhere we can get it even if it is only to start and close games.

Don't agree. I agree KG was an incredible defender.....but an anchor, by definition, he was not. Duncan made All-Defensive teams 14 times to KG's 12, and truly has anchored one of the best defensive teams year in and year out that we have seen in the past 20 years. And you talk about Duncan's support, well that Boston team wasn't too shabby. And while Duncan may have HOF type talent around him on the offensive side (although that is questionable), outside Leonard, guys like Parker, Ginobli, Diaw, etc certainly haven't been lauded as defensive players. Duncan is the common anchor that makes that team great defensively, regardless of other rotating pieces. KG, while great in his own right, is just not in the same class IMO.

Duncan always had more help both offensively and defensively. The Spurs are known to for finding defensive wings like Bowen (3 & D at it's finest) and Robinson, Jackson, Rose weren't too shabby. Duncan is great, don't get me wrong, but he definitely had help and one of the best coaches in NBA history. Pop is fucking legendary and his teams play team defense well. That's a big factor.

As for KG, he anchored the Boston D and there's no debating that. Defensive anchors set the tone for their teams defense and KG did that most of his career. It's not just about blocks & steals or 1 on 1 D either. Team D is important.

And Duncan was/is magical as a team defender. Sans guarding multiple positions for stretches in his prime, I can't point to one thing Garnett was noticeably better than Duncan at on defense. That's not saying Duncan was a lot better. Only that he was better protecting the rim... which pays off in the playoffs.

Again, 2003 was incredible. Duncan carried that team any way you want to look at it.

I'm all for bringing KG back next year at a reasonable price (give him a discount when buying the team if necessary, wink wink), and he's still very athletic, however like others have said, his body is more worn than Duncan's as he relies more on his athleticism

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

TheGrey08 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

TheGrey08 wrote:
If it was about money or winning to him at this stage in his career he would not have agreed to come here and he would have stayed or been looking to go to a better team than the nets. He's back playing in his adopted home state and the team that first drafted him.

So, he's back because he loves us?
Not because he knows he could get paid without even playing?

It's about going back to where he started, where he has interest in being involved in the front office of the team, and clearly has interest being a mentor as he showed during games & on the bench. It's his love for the game that is unmatched by most.

He didn't show much interest in being a mentor when he was resting at home and the team struggled mightily without him during games.

Agree abe. If kg takes 5m or more to play part time next season then he really isnt helping us much. Kg got an opportunity to possibly play 1 or 2 more season at a good salary compared to retiring at the end of this season.

Yes, coming back to the wolves and helping the young guys play a part in his decision but money and legacy and easier transition to ownership are just as much of a reason.

Also, duncan is better tha kg period. Whether we are talking about their prime, late career, Championships, playoff performance, mvp, regular season wins ( duncan has never had a losing season). its no contest in my view. Kg is a hof but duncan is just a different beast.