Kevin Garnett vs Tim Duncan: Why KG will always be The Man

In what was another dismal year overall for Minnesota Timberwolves fans, Kevin Love emerged last season as a bright spot, averaging just over 20 points and a staggering 15.2 rebounds per game. This year he's upped his scoring to 25 ppg and he's still banging boards like they're bitches at 13.7 rebounds.* As a stat freak, I was curious how these numbers compared to Kevin Garnett's numbers from back in the day. As we all know, Garnett fled Minnesota with our hearts to capture a title in Boston, but he will nonetheless be the standard by which Wolves fans judge players--big men in particular--for at least a generation or two to come.

In comparing the numbers between Love and Garnett a few fun facts popped out right away. For all his prowess on the boards, KG never averaged 15 a game. His closest was 13.9 in 03-04. Also, it remains to be seen if Love will be able to continue or improve his current pace, but Garnett never averaged 25 ppg in a season. His best scoring season was also 03-04--his MVP year--where he averaged 24.2 per contest.

These were just a couple cursory observations on my part, but after taking in the data what really stuck with me was KG's consistency. As a sucker for a well-rounded stat-line (see Albert Pujols stats), I couldn't help but notice the nine consecutive seasons between 98-99 and 06-07 with Minnesota that Garnett averaged 20 & 10. I also couldn't help but notice that, despite reduced scoring and rebounding in Boston, he's still averaging the career double-double at 19.4 and 10.6.

This level of consistency in scoring and on the boards has been matched in this era only by San Antonio's Tim Duncan. Now, as a biased fan, I've long thought that KG's greatness has been under-appreciated specifically because of Tim Duncan. Despite what I think is an expert consensus (if only by a slight margin) that Duncan is technically the better player, I've always felt very strongly that I'd rather have Kevin Garnett leading my team. After looking at the stats, I now know I'm right.

Born just 24 days apart back in 1976, the similarities only begin there. Both listed at 6'11'' and about 255, these guys were both, at their prime, among the most intimidating defensive/rebounding forces in the game. Garnett, the fifth overall pick in '95 and a 9-time All-NBA selection, has been selected to 11 All-Defensive teams. Tim Duncan, 1997's top pick after two years at Wake Forest, was selected to 13 All-Defensive teams in his first 13 All-NBA seasons, a feat never before accomplished.

Now firmly in their mid-30s, both of these guys have seen some drop-off in their productivity over the last couple seasons, but there can be no arguing that they are each among the greatest power forwards of all-time. Based on the hardware, the edge is clearly Duncan's (2 MVPs & 4 Championships) over KG (one of each). This, though, is not as objective as looking at the raw numbers, as the Spurs were a much, much better team than the Wolves, where KG spent the majority of his career.

Stat Lines (PLAYER: PPG/Reb/Blk/Ast/FG%/FT%):

Garnett: 19.4/10.6/1.5/4.1/.498/.788

Duncan: 20.4/11.3/2.2/3.1/.507/.688

So, what do we see here? I can tell you what I see, and it's pretty damn close to even. Having played two more full NBA seasons than Duncan (which are much more grueling on the body than an NCAA season), I think KG's marginal deficits in PPG and rebounding are pretty excusable, particularly when you also consider the learning curve he faced jumping directly from high school to the NBA. By contrast, a two-years-older Duncan averaged 21.1 points out of the gates for the Spurs in his first season in 97-98. While Kevin Garnett has averaged 0.7 fewer blocks per game, his full assist more per game I feel at least evens this out. Also, the slight disadvantage KG has in FG%, which is so small as to be essentially irrelevant, is much more than made up by his being a full 10% more accurate from the line.

So if the stats are this close, how can they make me more sure than ever that I'd rather have Kevin Garnett starting for my team? It's simple really--the X factor. In any statistical dead heat, I'm going to side with the person or idea that has that ethereal something. In this case, the something is personality. Kevin Garnett is a motherfucking competitive force on the hardwood. He'll yell, he'll scream, he'll get in somebody's face. He's vocal. You can see it in his face when he's pissed the fuck off and, other times, you'll feel the levity in his jumping to goal-tend an opponent's post-buzzer shot. He's not just a leader by example, he's a vocal and emotional leader on the court.

Tim Duncan, on the other hand, is boring. Not just boring, actually, but boring as fuck. Assuming no detriments to team chemistry (which is, obviously, very important), I don't think there is any reason to believe that substituting KG for Duncan would have resulted in a single fewer championship for the Spurs. Given that fact, and given Duncan's uncanny boringness, I think it's clear from this examination that my original (if previously biased) theory on KG's superiority is correct.

If you could have essentially the same individual results but with greater entertainment value as well as a greater likelihood of inspiring those around you, isn't that who you'd want to be? Well, it's who I'd like to be and it's why KG will always be the man.

~Jeff N.

*-Good time to mention all stats are as of February 7th, 2011

Hey Vikings, fuck you!

In what has already been a stellar week for Packers fans everywhere, the Minnesota Vikings announced yesterday that they have fired Brad Childress. The firing comes after a humiliating home defeat by our beloved Green Bay Packers in which the hapless Vikings barely showed up. Even before this week--when the wheels officially came off for Minnesota--I knew this team was doomed. I could not help screaming at the television any and every time someone referred to this year's Vikings team as a serious Super Bowl contender. Seriously, this team was going nowhere from the start.

Favre is an ass-clown off the field and a liability on it. Even if he could replicate last year, he couldn't get them over the hump then and he wouldn't have been able to now. I could only laugh at the Vikings unconcealed desperation in their pathetic gestures to woo the old man back to the field. If I was a Minnesota fan, I would have been IRATE. I'm so glad my organization has its shit together.

This game, as we all know, concludes the season sweep of Minnesota by Green Bay and, as such, ensures that 2010 will go down as a successful season. I could not be happier that Favre decided to return to the game so that I could see the beaten look in his eyes and hear the defeated tone in his voice after we returned the favor for last year's fluke-of-a-sweep by the Vikings. The piece-of-shit traitor deserves everything he's gotten this season. It's like a karmic repayment for holding teams and fans hostage with his annual retirement flip-flops.

The Vikings, like Favre, deserve what they've gotten this year. By letting Favre keep them in waiting like his bitch, Childress and the organization set themselves back years. No coach, no long-term solutions at QB, too few wins, and no stadium deal have this team in a world of hurt. Personally, I love it.


Jeff N.

Moron Athletes

After waiting two seasons to take over the helm at LSU, junior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules yesterday. The suspension comes this year for, presumably among other things, skipping classes, missing workouts, and failing to attend team meetings. He did not make the trip for the Alabama game last year after being investigated for his involvement in a fight at a night club. In May of 2007, he was suspended from the team for using his older brother's ID to attempt to get on a riverboat casino.

The question I have here is why, just why, are some athletes so goddamn stupid? The weight of particular athletes' stupidity crushes me, not to mention the public opinion of the leagues they represent. Maurice Clarett, Pacman Jones, Marcus Vick, Tank Johnson, and so many others not only damage their careers and reputations, but the organizations of which they are a part. Chief among the offenders has to be Michael Vick. The consummate superstar, with athleticism paralleled by few, if any, players of this generation, Vick is currently serving a nearly 2 year sentence for his (very large) part in an illegal dogfighting ring.

Now, these men hurt many individuals along the way to trashing their careers. Themselves, their families, their colleges and professional franchises, their fans, and the children that look up to them are among the casualties of athlete's weapon charges, bar fights, drunk driving arrests, love-boat scandals, and dogfighting charges. But what about us? Who do I mean by us, you ask? Out-of-shape former athletes, wannabes, and anyone who ever played a pickup game and imagined themselves at the highest echelon of sport.

These men are living the dreams we manage only to live in our minds, or through a television set or on a video game console. On how many occasions have I (even at 22 years of age) wondered what it would be like to homer at Fenway, or to grab a touchdown at Lambeau Field? Too many to count certainly.

So who are the real losers here? When a star athlete is arrested, or suspended, who takes the real brunt of that action? The answer is simple-- I am, and so are you. They had everything many of us could ever hope for and have forsaken it. Fuck... I'm going to go play some Madden.