Where would you rank Garnett on the list of All-Time Power Forwards?

[Edgar]

Duncan
Mchale
KG
Barkley
Malone
Dirk?

McHale
Dungan KG
Malone Barkley













Dirk, and at least 4 more

[housecall]

1Pettit
2.Malone
3.E.Hayes
4.McHale
5.KG
6.Duncan
7.Barkley
8.J.Lucas
9.Rodman
10.Dirk

[hardlyyardley]

At best third behind Duncan and McHale

Ahead of Heinsohn, Petit and Barkley because of his defense, and Malone (one dimensional....lived off of Stockton's greatness)

[Spilling Green Dye]

1.  Garnett
2.  Duncan
3.  Barkley
4.  Malone
5.  McHale

I'm not familiar enough with PF's before 1980. 

A few explanations:

-I consider Garnett #1 b/c I think he's one of the best passing big men of our generation, and he's the absolute best team defensive leader & executioner (slight nod above Duncan).  If you add him to any committed team, you get the most benefit.

-Barkley played with a lot of scrubs and still was very productive.  In interviews, Larry Bird commented that he knew the dream team was going to win because there wasn't a player who could stop Barkley.  Bird considered Barkley their greatest weapon.  Also, Barkley's ability to run the floor & rebound were tremendous.

-Malone isn't top 3, despite being #2 on the scoring list, b/c he choked when it counted most and played with arguably the best PG ever. 

-I don't put Dirk on this list b/c I consider Dirk an average defensive player (at best).  His team defense is definitely worse than McHales.  Whatever slight offensive edge Dirk has, its more than mitigated by the difference in defense.  Defense is a big part of the game, whether the media heads want to admit it or not.

[Fafnir]

Of the PFs I've seen play extensively. (so no McHale I never saw him before he was a shell of himself in his prime)

1. Duncan
2. KG
3. Barkley
4. Malone
5. Dirk

The gap between TD/KG is very small, also hard to evaluate because Duncan hasn't been a PF for 6 years. So I wonder if we should just make a big man list.

I can't rank McHale ahead of any of those even if I did extend it, his peak was very short.

[paulcowens]

Power forward may be the most crowded position of all time.  Even just with the Celtics you have Heinsohn, Silas and Mchale, all strong players who can claim status ahead of Garnett.  Basically, Garnett needs to win another championship.  The Big Three window may have closed, but the Big Three can still be part of a championship team.  

[feckless]

I have never seen Duncan as a power forward--if David Robinson wasn't a Spur when Duncan was drafted Duncan would have been a center--but many on the list blur the position--McHale was a true PF, same for Karl Malone, Barkley?  3-4, Dirk plays like less of a power forward than Larry yet Larry is a 3?

a tough position to identify, makes for a tough discussion..

[Fafnir]

Power forward may be the most crowded position of all time.  Even just with the Celtics you have Heinsohn, Silas and Mchale, all strong players who can claim status ahead of Garnett.  Basically, Garnett needs to win another championship.  The Big Three window may have closed, but the Big Three can still be part of a championship team.  

Silas/Heinsohn have no claim ahead of Garnett unless you're just refering to time as Celtics, even McHale is questionable as he was never a league MVP and had a shorter prime (though he was a canidate).

[Spilling Green Dye]

Power forward may be the most crowded position of all time.  Even just with the Celtics you have Heinsohn, Silas and Mchale, all strong players who can claim status ahead of Garnett.  Basically, Garnett needs to win another championship.  The Big Three window may have closed, but the Big Three can still be part of a championship team.  

Silas/Heinsohn have no claim ahead of Garnett unless you're just refering to time as Celtics, even McHale is questionable as he was never a league MVP and had a shorter prime (though he was a canidate).

Totally agree.  I don't see how McHale could be ahead of Garnett.. McHale wasn't even the best player on his team.  IMO Garnett always has been.

[EJPLAYA]

I don't consider Barkley or Duncan Power forwards. Barkley more than Duncan, however I always felt he was more a big 3. Without those two:

Malone
Mchale
KG
Kemp
Nowitzki

With them:

Malone,Duncan,KG,McHale, Barkley

[get_banners]

Barkley played in the post and against other 4's of his era, so I think it'd be wrong to consider him anything BUT a 4. Duncan, KG, and McHale all played good both ways, and I'd put them at the top of the list for that reason.  Now, leaving Duncan off this list makes some sense, as he has played the 5 most of the time. Barkley and Karl Malone should be considered as well, though neither played great defense.

[StartOrien]

1. Duncan
2. Garnett
3. Everybody else

[BballTim]

Power forward may be the most crowded position of all time.  Even just with the Celtics you have Heinsohn, Silas and Mchale, all strong players who can claim status ahead of Garnett.  Basically, Garnett needs to win another championship.  The Big Three window may have closed, but the Big Three can still be part of a championship team.  

Silas/Heinsohn have no claim ahead of Garnett unless you're just refering to time as Celtics, even McHale is questionable as he was never a league MVP and had a shorter prime (though he was a canidate).

  It gets a little tricky IMO. Look at the way KG's stats dropped when he came to the Celts because he was sharing the court with great players, and imagine his career stats if he was on teams like that every year. Honestly, how many players in nba history would have a shot at the MVP if they played on the same team as Bird?

  Agree about the shorter prime though, but that was injury related.

[Fafnir]

Power forward may be the most crowded position of all time.  Even just with the Celtics you have Heinsohn, Silas and Mchale, all strong players who can claim status ahead of Garnett.  Basically, Garnett needs to win another championship.  The Big Three window may have closed, but the Big Three can still be part of a championship team.  

Silas/Heinsohn have no claim ahead of Garnett unless you're just refering to time as Celtics, even McHale is questionable as he was never a league MVP and had a shorter prime (though he was a canidate).

  It gets a little tricky IMO. Look at the way KG's stats dropped when he came to the Celts because he was sharing the court with great players, and imagine his career stats if he was on teams like that every year. Honestly, how many players in nba history would have a shot at the MVP if they played on the same team as Bird?

  Agree about the shorter prime though, but that was injury related.

Injuries matter though, and KG's numbers dropped coming to the C's but that was also due to his decreased minutes and athleticism as well. Its very hard to disentangle those from the different role he was playing.

[jambr380]

I don't consider Barkley or Duncan Power forwards. Barkley more than Duncan, however I always felt he was more a big 3. Without those two:

Malone
Mchale
KG
Kemp
Nowitzki

With them:

Malone,Duncan,KG,McHale, Barkley

Kemp? Like THE Shawn Kemp? He must have been just a favorite of yours or something. If guys like Kemp are making the list, then I am going to put Chris Webber out there. Webber was dominant for the majority of his career and is probably one of the most forgotten stars of our time. He never got a championship or anything, but he was very good (and a better passer than KG in my opinion, and KG is one of my favorite three players of all-time).

Other than that, your list looks pretty good (I'd move Malone behind McHale on your second list). It's just funny you put Kemp on there and then didn't explain it.