Replace KG with Duncan on the Spurs

[magnax1]

And then we come to the harsh reality that none of these hypotheticals mean a thing and Duncan has 4 championships whiles Garnett only has one.

And then you come to the harsh reality that championships is a stupid way to compare players.

[TrueRob]

Current KG > Current Duncan.
Prime KG ≈ Prime Duncan.

[Yung D-Will]

That's true, but even so you go from two top 10 offensive players (during their time period) and two of the three best defensive players to probably a top 2 or 3 (tough to say if Magic was better) offensive player in his peak and who at his best was an average defender, I think that's a pretty obvious choice. The gap between defense is huge compared to the gap between the their offense. I'd say that during Barkleys very best year he was probably equal to Duncan or KG.maybe

The Gap between Peak Barkley and Peak Garnett's offensive game was just as big as the gap between their defense.

I have Barkley above any PF not named Duncan.

[ShaqAttack3234]

What? Their scoring averages and efficiencies are nearly identical in the playoffs and regular seasons during their primes. That literally makes no sense. Garnett was every bit the scorer duncan was. And his ability to anchor a defense was just as good too. Just look at what he's transformed this boston team into. These guys are neck and neck as individual players.

Nah, I don't care what the stats are, Duncan was the better offensive player. And if we are talking stats, Duncan has multiple series where he averaged around 30 ppg in the playoffs.

Tim was a superior low post player and a guy who knew when to be assertive and take over. KG deferred too much sometimes and he settled for jump shots and tried to play like a small forward at times, which he did well, but I think his teams would have benefitted more from him posting up more often and when he did face up, attacking the rim more.

Defensively, I also think Duncan was better. KG guarded the perimeter better, but Duncan's impact was more like your traditional interior defensive anchor due to his superior shot blocking, post defense and the ability to guard centers more effectively.

[Yung D-Will]

And then you come to the harsh reality that championships is a stupid way to compare players.

And then you come to the Harsh reality that you and maybe 5% of the forum are the only people who actually believe that

[Micku]

I dunno. Maybe. KG is similar to Duncan, and the coach is one of the best coaches out there.

[magnax1]

And then you come to the Harsh reality that you and maybe 5% of the forum are the only people who actually believe that

It doesn't matter what % of people believe the truth, when it is the truth. If you win, you aren't the one winning, your team is. There isn't anything much more simple and obvious then that in basketball.

[KG5MVP]

David Robinson and Bruce Bowen are really underrated for the Spurs

[XxSMSxX]

You guys need to stop bringing up those bad memories with all those crappy ass minnesota teams i had to watch KG play for

[Myth]

Well, there is no way in hell that Duncan wins Minnesota a championship, but idk whether KG wins 4 or not. I'd say that most likely he does.

I say there is a chance in 2004.

However, these scenarios are always kind of dumb, because teams have been built around their stars' strengths, so who knows how well Duncan fits with those teams and who knows how well KG fits with the Spurs (Spurs were a perfect fit for Duncan, so I'd be surprised if KG works out as well on that team).

[Horatio33]

I think the big difference between Duncan and Garnett is Duncan would play hard during the regular season, but had an extra playoff gear where when his team needed him to have a monster series and hit clutch shots 9/10 he would come through. KG played every game as if it was Game 7 of the Finals. Which is great but a Game 6 WCF is more important than @Memphis in January. Duncan's numbers go up in the playoffs, KG's stay the same as his regular season numbers.

KG Career Regular Season PPG 19.7 RPG 10.8 APG 4.1 FG% 49.8

Career Playoff PPG 20.2 RPG 11.2 APG 4.0 FG% 47.4


TD Career Regular Season PPG 20.9 RPG 11.5 APG 3.2 FG% 50.8

Career Playoff PPG 23.0 RPG 12.4 APG 3.5 FG% 50.2

Duncan's points and rebounds go up quite a bit, Garnett's stay pretty much the same. Duncan's FG% goes down slighty and Garnett's goes down over 2 percentage points, while Duncan shoots over 50% in Reg and Post seasons, Garnett manages neither.

[Bigsmoke]

i dont know.

[SsKSpurs21]

I say there is a chance in 2004.

However, these scenarios are always kind of dumb, because teams have been built around their stars' strengths, so who knows how well Duncan fits with those teams and who knows how well KG fits with the Spurs (Spurs were a perfect fit for Duncan, so I'd be surprised if KG works out as well on that team).

great point.

during Duncans prime, the team was built around him. Pop and RC surrounded him with shooters. our entire game plan was to drop the ball to duncan down low and let him work...if the double or triple came he would kick out to the open shooter. I dont think KG can demand that double the way duncan did down low.

[Harison]

Do they still win 4 championships?
Is KG crowned the GOAT PF?

Or

Does Duncan lead the T Wolves to championships?

Duncan doesnt win with the Wolves, thats for sure.

KG could win 4 with the Spurs, but their brilliant office would have to adjust roster slightly. While both players impact is remarkably similar, teams would have to adjust to their superstars strong points. For example I think KG would average ~2PPG less but Manu, Parker and the rest of the player would benefit more from KG since he is better passer and doesnt mind to pass to open player instead of forcing the shot. KG and TD are both selfless, but KG is up there with Russell as ultimate team players.

[Harison]

I say there is a chance in 2004.

Since Minny had many injures in '04 Playoffs, Garnett played pretty much every role from PG to center, Duncan cannot do that.