Duncan or K.G???

[Mudcutter]

Who would you rather have on your team, Duncan or K.G???

Who would you rather have in the playoffs?

Whou would you rather have in the 4th Q of a big playoff game?? Who do you want on the line in a tight playoff game??

I'll take Duncan each and every time. Nothing to do with supporting casts, Duncan gets it done. He doesn't take stupid shots and plays under control in crunch time. Only active 2 time MVP in the league speaks for itself. 2 time Finals MVP also. The guy is well on his way to his 3rd title in 7 years. Not many can say that, JOrdan and his teammates and the 3 peat Lakers is what I know off.

This will upset some Wolves fans (I'am a big one) but trade him while you can. Do you think the Spurs would accept a straight up deal for K.G for Duncan??? If the SPurs were too, they are nuts.

I agree, the Wolves need more quality clutch players. Spree and Cassell/Szcerbiak are not Kobe, AI and Labron, but are they much worse than Ginobil and Parker/Berry??? or worse than Billups/RIP and Prince??? Coach POP is a big key also, But you throw Duncan on the WOlves right now in place of K>G, and they would be better off.

Curious to hear some responses.

[rundrave]

Dont get me wrong I love KG, but a title, let alone 3 titles says alot. So I would have to go with Duncan hands down.

They are both stand up class act guys, and both great players, duncan has just had the success and proven he can win in big games.

I however dont agree that putting Duncan on todays wolves roster in place of KG would make them any better. I think the spurs have a way better supporting staff to compliment their big guy. I would take tony parker, ginobli, berry, and horry over spree, cassell, hudson, and wally any day.

[Pig_sticka]

To put people in the seats I would take KG, to win a title I would take Duncan.

The Wolves organization is a good one and they just have to relate that to adding new talent to their team.

[PierBridge]

I'll take Garnett on personality alone.

I love seeing Nesterovich ride pine.....

Ginobli is a super star in the making we don't have that.

[Scott M]

K.G. any day. He's put up better numbers head to head. I know supporting casts are chucked out the window, but if Garnett would have wound up in San Antonio, he's have AT LEAST 3 championships and finals MVPs, just like Duncan. Garnett gets his in the playoffs and took a lot of heat for passing off to wide open teammates. Get some guys on his team and that strategy would pay off (See Jordan to Paxson or Kerr, Duncan in game 7 to Bowen, Ginobli, Parker, etc.). Garnett is such a great allaround player, but I think he really stands apart from Duncan in #1 Assists and #2 Free Throw Shooting. He betters Duncan in a couple other catagories, but not as significantly as he does in assists and FT%.

It goes without saying that you would take Garnett if you wanted to sell tickets since Duncan has as much personality as a cantaloupe.

Mudcutter, if you can't tell I couldn't disagree with you more about the roll reversal. Duncan would not make the current Timberwolves any better. Would the San Antonio brass take Garnett? No, because if it ain't broke don't fix it and because the salaries don't match (that in my mind is a good reason why Garnett may have a problem winning a championship here). But I bet if Garnett was in San Antonio they would be just as good if not a smidge better. Garnett brings it every night, has the edge in statistics, and is a more versatile offensive and defensive player than Duncan is.

Also, I wouldn't give Duncan such a vote of confidence for the crunch time/4th quarter. He's had some stinky "clutch" games over his time in the playoffs. Even his "clutch" game seven the other night....He took 27 shots and only made 10. That's not that special. (They key was probably making his free throws and his teammates playing the best defense in the NBA). I know how much Garnett wants it and again, with the right team around him to accentuate his passing skills, they could win it. You look at all the Finals MVPs and they all had at least one man, often two to defer to in big games off the double team.

I'm pretty sure Garnett would do pretty darn well with Big Shot Rob or Ginobli, or go back a few years ago and let him work with David Robinson a backcourt of three point shooters like Elliot or Kerr. A few of those players have delivered Duncan from a few games that he should have lost.

[ozzie]

da chise31- You pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one I couldn't agree with you more!!!!!! Mudcutter has a personal grudge KG and it is getting old!!! LOL

[Mudcutter]

Ozzie-

I have no personal grudge agst K.G. He's a awesome player. I like him a as MN T-wolv. But I don't see him winning a title. I cheer for my team to win the title. My team is the Wolves. So I say; get rid of him and bring in some proven wCHAMPIONS in the post-season. Does that make me out to have a grudge agst KG?? No-- I strive for MN teams to bring championships to the state, not great all-around players.

I don't know the formula-- just get some CHAMPIONS on the team-- not winners. Winners put up stats--- CHAMPIONS bring you GLORY!!!!!!!

[ozzie]

Mudcutter- KG is a champ that has had alot of chumps around him!!! KG will be the one to lead the wolves to a championship if they are to see one in the next 10-15 years.....GO WOLVES!!!! GO KG!!!!

[Scott M]

Mudcutter,

Your comment begs the question: Who do you want to bring in to win a championship? In other words, you would trade Garnett for whom to win a championship?

You say

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bring in some proven CHAMPIONS in the post-season

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, but who or what does that mean? Trade garnett for some lesser tier players or get another stud superstar straight up? Is there a stud superstar that is a better all around player than Garnett? Either way, throw these new guys in with the current guys and that makes them better? How? We have personnel-around-Garnett issues and salary issues (which I admit as I did above are a result of Garnett's fat contract).

Another thing I don't understand is how anyone can say that Garnett plays for statistics. That's just stupid. Losers that play on winning teams in wads of garbage time play for stats. Garnett's teams have always been playing for playoffs, even in the years they didn't make them. You're telling me that a guy that plays the most minutes on the team, plays all 5 positions, and is a top 25 guy in every major statistic is just playing for stats? I sure as heck hope not. Garnett only cares about winning, as evidenced by his defensive and passing statistics and playing through injuries.

For straight-up skills, not including salaries or age, Garnett is the best player in the league PERIOD. For more remedial reading, please see above.

[ozzie]

great post!!

[Scott M]

Duncan had a great game tonight and I want to give him props for doing so. My roommate and I were discussing Garnett and Duncan tonight, so I had to look this thread up.

Duncan's on his way to what looks like his fourth championship. I still maintain that Garnett is your player because he does everything Duncan does.

Yes, the wolves have missed the playoffs for 3 straight years, but look at those years. 04-05 Spree and Cassell go off the deep end sabotaging the season, 05-06 A new coach enters the fray, personnel is completely switched 06-07 Another new coach enters the fray, after a short taste of success team tanks the season to save a draft pick having desperate needs for youth. Would it have been better to make the playoffs any of those years and lose our draft picks AND get bounced by a better team in the first round of the playoffs?

Advantages Duncan has had over KG

*Tutelage under David Robinson

*Clutch shooters like Elie, Kerr, Barry

*Young players (Spurs keep their draft picks)

*Consistent rosters and coaches

*Military no-nonsense head coach, which really helps if you had problems with:

*no headache players (read Spree, Cassell, J.R. Rider, Steph

*a shrewd front office

*a manageable contract (can't blame KG as a basketball player for accepting such a huge contract)

I've read some national people comparing the two and saying how similar there numbers are but that Duncan has a huge edge in leadership...well, things were certainly set up that way by the front office. Those same national people don't account for the huge differences in personnel. We had high caliber player around Garnett for 2 seasons and they all came together to play for one season. That was all KG got. By many accounts Garnett is very intense in practice and demands the same from his teammates. Ask former players or training camp tryout and ESPN blogger Paul Shirley. I don't know how he is off the court, but is it his job to referee the locker room or the coaches? I think Garnett is a great leader. He leads by example...to bad there isn't enough talent to follow that lead.

Basketball is a team game and no one can do it by themselves which is something that I think a lot of people forget when comparing the two. I love KG, I love how he plays the game, I wish he was winning championships here but the Twolves front office has really wasted a once in a lifetime talent. I hope he doesn't get traded.

Bottom line, I still maintain that if the two had switched places things would have been just as good for KG as they are for Duncan. The better question might be which has been toiling under better circumstances....

[Mudcutter]

duncan had another great game tonight in the Finals. Something KG has never seen or will see with the Wolves.

AS a MN sports fan, I get sick and tired how the T-wolves and Vkings are run, and love how the Twins front office is run. In a nutshell, the T-wolves are the CUbs and KG is Ron Santo. Years from now people will know KG's name and all, but Tim Duncan will be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time. and Horry is still a pretty (Contact Us Please) good player. Spurs- old school. and they get it done- with one of the greatest coaches that doesn't get the credit he deserves. IF the Spurs win it this year-- thats 4 in 8-9 years. that's just about a dynasty,, ie Pats-49ers-Cowboys etc, but nobody is talking about it. They are also the winningest franchise in all sports in the last 10 years on a W/L %. The thing I like about them thou, is they back it up with CHAMPIONSHIPS, and not many teams that make the list of W/L % can say that.

I'd also like to know the times Duncan and his team has faced elimanation (college and Pro) in the tournament or playoffs and how he and his team has done in those games. KG also but just pro.

Bill Russell never lost a game he had to win in college or pro.(Oylmpics also) He was 27-0. The most amazing stat in all of sports.

[Coach Dog]

Sorry, but I'm not a KG fan at all. I'm tired of hearing "KG doesn't have any help". Well, he has, but when he can't step up nd even "try" to take over a game in the 4th quarter, he just isn't the superstar everyone has him marked as. Trade him while he is still worth something, because he will never be a leader on a team, but may serve as a 2nd fiddle somewhere. Duncan, on the other hand, is by far the better player and has proved time after time that he steps up and delivers. But, I don't like either one of them.

[riversmallmouth35]

Sorry, but I do not agree with you at all. KG as been the leader for the wolves the past 10 years and was doing a good job at it until 3 years ago. Yes Tim Duncan is a better leader but he has also had a great supporting cast every season. In the 1995 season David Robinson was MVP. Then in 1996 he was out for pretty much the whole season. Then he came back in 1997 when Duncan was drafted. Duncan had a pretty good teammate to show him how it was done.

On the other hand KG came into the NBA with the best person on his team being Gougliatta.

KG will still be the leader of the timberwolves the next 2-3 years if he stays.

Duncan is a great player and the best power forward in the leauge right now. He is also going to get another Championship in the near future.

[Mudcutter]

people forget that KG had Cassell and Spre in 04 and made the conf finals. They didn't get the job done. He has had help. manu and parker are soild players now-- but who would have taken manu and parker and bowen over spree ,cassell and szerbiak in 04?? not many. My point is, not only is KG not a step up true bleeding chamiopship player, but neither is the timberwolves front office. the have a horrible draft record. True- Duncan had Robinson to mentor him, but KG has had MCchale for quite some time and has nothing to show. Then again, if MCchale is as good a coach as he is a front office leader, will then, KG has no help.Duncan has been what makes the Spurs click for years- and yes he's boring, but gets the job done.(even hits free throws in the clutch, which is KG's weak point in big games) I've said it on this post for years that the T-wolves should have traded KG a long time ago, and that Duncan is a better big game player. And big games is where it counts. Every big game that KG has played in (elimantion games) he hasn't faired too well. I love the T-Wolves and KG, but like I said after they lost to lakers (04) ,, time to trade KG. Now is too late.

If Horry wins another champ, that's 8. I think only Russell has more (11). Thou he's not what he was with the lakers and the rockets, the guy is a gamer and still a underated defender and he can have the ball for a last second shot anytime if he's on my team.

[Mudcutter]

correction-

if Horry wins another title, that's 7 for him, not 8. Russell had 7 not 11, as 11 was the # of years he played I think. Horry for being 36 is still a darn good player, see stats from game 2. the guy is a flat out STUD athlete.

The ABC crew hit the nail on the head when they called Duncan the best power forward of all-time. Not that they know everything, but gives kudos that Duncan is better than KG. He's got help and good help, but he's still the best at his POS and the team has run off him, thou I think PArker is a star in the making being only 25-26. The guy in the open court too the basket into the trees is breathtaking. He doesn't pass enough, but if he did, another Nash in the making???

[Mudcutter]

YEs Sir. MR duncan now has 4 titles. When people talk about the best power forwards of all-time, Duncan takes #1 on all but a few of the lists. KG is behind the likes of Malone,Mchale and in my mind, not even close to those guys.

No question- Duncan is a better player, team player and leader than KG will ever be. And he hits his free throws.

T-Wolves should have traded him a long time ago (after the 2004 season) when he was worth more on the market. KG is still a heck of player, no doubt about it, but he will not win a title in MN, or is he the player Duncan is when it comes to crunch time.

[bgreen82]

i would personally rather have mchale, malone or barkeley on my team instead of either duncan or k.g.

[DinkADunk]

I would rather have James Worthy Dr. J, Havlichek, or Bird as forward (Barkley too).

[zamboni]

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i would personally rather have mchale, malone or barkeley on my team instead of either duncan or k.g.

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I know I would rather have McHale playing for me than running my team- Frankenstein was one helluva player- but not the sharpest crayon in the box, too bad Glenn can't see it