KG Missed the Playoffs 3 Years in a Row in his Prime

[jalbert009]

Is it a coincidence that the only year KG had a good supporting cast with the Wolves, they went to the WCF?

You are dead wrong . I woudn;t call that a good supporting cast. Compared to what was in the West at the time it was an average supporting cast.

[SilkkTheShocker]

Dirk went to two finals with average talent. I don't think he would miss the playoffs with the t-wolf teams

[MiamiThrice]

dirk made the playoffs with this team

dampier
antoine wright
terry
kidd

so something tells me he could have made it with KGs squads.

Good point.

Not only did he take them to the playoffs, but he took them to the second round... IN THE WEST, a privilege for teams that are contending. KG can't get past the first round unless he has multiple allstar talents on his team(Cassell/Sprewell and Pierce/Allen/Rondo).

Look at Duncan in 03 winning a title with his 2nd option being a 14 PPG Tony Parker. KG isn't anywhere close to the level of franchise players that Dirk/Duncan are at. It all comes down to results, and KG can't do that without exceptionally more talent than either Dirk or Duncan can.

[noosaman]

HOF PG and 6th man of the year Terry. Better than whatever KG ever had..

So an over the hill PG living off his name and an overrated streaky shooter who gives you nothing outside of when he scores, are Dirk's "great" teammates? Give me a break.

[StateOfMind12]

Honestly, Kevin Garnett's offensive talent around him was never that bad, it was the defensive talent he was surrounded by that was pathetic and also for having the idiot of a coach in Flip Saunders.

KG is the only reason why Flip still got coaching gigs and any NBA job for that matter.

[KG215]

Is it a coincidence that the only year KG had a good supporting cast with the Wolves, they went to the WCF?

And who knows what happens that year if Cassell doesn't get hurt. Cassell got hurt and I think barely played in game two (think he got hurt at the beginning of the game) and I think he missed two more entire games and barely played in another.

His total minutes in the series were in the 50 range for a six game series. Not sure they win if he's healthy, but it would've been a lot more interesting.

Besides, that wasn't prime Cassell and prime Sprewell in 2004. They were 33 and 34 years old.

[noosaman]

Honestly, Kevin Garnett's offensive talent around him was never that bad, it was the defensive talent he was surrounded by that was pathetic and also for having the idiot of a coach in Flip Saunders.

KG is the only reason why Flip still got coaching gigs and any NBA job for that matter.

How about Dirk's teams under Don Nelson? They had no emphasis on defense at all.

Dirk has singlehandedly "made" players--Diop, Howard, Harris...the list goes on.

[PJR]

Joe Smith debacle. KG gets a pass from me due to that. Four first round picks is no joke.

[KG215]

How about Dirk's teams under Don Nelson? They had no emphasis on defense at all.

Dirk has singlehandedly "made" players--Diop, Howard, Harris...the list goes on.

Please, continue the list then.

[SilkkTheShocker]

So an over the hill PG living off his name and an overrated streaky shooter who gives you nothing outside of when he scores, are Dirk's "great" teammates? Give me a break.

Yea, I'm one of the biggest Lebron fans on he board and I can admit Dirks finals team was far from stacked. His 2nd best player was Jason Terry for christs sake. Terry played well, but he isnt an ideal 2nd option. And chandler wasn't even a consistent starter the year before in Charlotte. Replace dirk with KG and that team probably loses to Portland

[KG215]

Joe Smith debacle. KG gets a pass from me due to that. Four first round picks is no joke.

This too. That was a mess. The T-Wolves front office really f*cked themselves in the ass and hindered their ability to build an actual legit contender around Garnett.

[noosaman]

Please, continue the list then.

Sure...

Antoine wright-Jj barea--deshawn stevenson-tyson chandler

[MiamiThrice]

And in what season was Josh Howard his best teammate? 2006-2007, the year they had the best record in the league then got beat in the first round?

How about Garnett's best teammates those three years? In 2004-2005 it was Wally Szczerbiak, 35 year old Sam Cassell who missed 23 games, 34 year old Sprewell, Troy Hudson, and Eddie Griffin. It got even worse the next season when he had Szczerbiak, Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, and Troy Hudson. And his last year in Minnesota he had Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Mike James, Randy Foye, Craig Smith, Trenton Hassell. And weren't they starting freaking Michael Olowakandi at center some of those years? It was KG and a bunch of 7th-12th men.

I'm not saying KG is the clear cut choice, but his supporting casts those three years were awful. Szczerbiak was probably, at worst, as good as Howard, but Szczerbiak was his second best teammate two years, and Howard was kinda sorta Dirk's best one year.

Before Dirk's 2011 playoff run, I would've taken KG to build a team around, no questions asked. Now, though, I'd lean towards Dirk, but it's very close. KG's defense sh*ts all over Dirk's, in their prime, now, whenever. Dirk is obviously the superior offensive player but, strictly speaking about their primes, I personally think the gap between their defense is larger than the gap between their offense.

How about 2006 when he got to the ****ing NBA Finals? That's right, Dirk getting to the Finals with Josh ****ing Howard as his best teammate. KG can't even MAKE the playoffs with Wally Szcerbiak a comparable level of talent.

2005 is one of the funniest things of Garnetts career. There was one glaring difference. SAM CASSELL! The reason Minnesota experienced a ton of success in 2004. He wasn't able to play like his allstar self. KG played just as well. Hell they even got Sczerbiak back from an injury and he was shooting over 50% as a SHOOTER and 16 PPG.. Yet in those crucial moments when Garnett shrinks time after time again there was noone to bail Minnesota out. Without Sam Cassell playing at an elite level they were toast. It's the reason everyone knew LA/SA would wreck their assholes in the 2004 playoffs.

KG was destined to be a second fiddle, not a first option.

[jalbert009]

Dirk went to two finals with average talent. I don't think he would miss the playoffs with the t-wolf teams

He also got eliminated in the first round when he was the first seed with a good cast of Howard, Terry amd Stackhouse.

Don't get me wrong, I love Dirk and respect what he did in 2011 but Dirk was always blessed with better team mates than KG. I think Dirk would have missed at least one playoff series had him and KG swapped teams but in saying that if KG was in Dallas all those years Dirk was I think KG would have won a championship before 2011.

To me there is no denying Dirk is a better scorer than KG but KG does everything else better.

[noosaman]

Yea, I'm one of the biggest Lebron fans on he board and I can admit Dirks finals team was far from stacked. His 2nd best player was Jason Terry for christs sake. Terry played well, but he isnt an ideal 2nd option. And chandler wasn't even a consistent starter the year before in Charlotte. Replace dirk with KG and that team probably loses to Portland

exactly. You had guys like chandler and marion who were traded multiple times and left for dead, but after playing with The Almighty they became revitalized and viewed as Dirk's "great team." Funny how it happens.