Kevin Love vs. KG article

[ianboyextreme]

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19676535
The guy who wrotes this is tripping in the utmost sense of the word. That last quote "Even better for timberwolves fans, Love is a better person than Garnett". Dude this guy is a major tool. A power tool. KG played his heart out for that city and because he is an instigator on the court, he is a bad person? Love may very well end up with better numbers than KG, but all this "KG is a terrible human being" talk needs to stop. He picks fights and he helps his team win. I wouldnt want it any other way.

[PosImpos]

The last bit of the article, especially with no explanation, is pretty crappy.

But I don't think it's a ridiculous comparison to make, at least in terms of on-court production.  KG and Love are / were both franchise PFs for the same franchise, and during their first few years in the league their team has been mostly a collection of lackluster players.

Is it wrong to point out that Love has put up better scoring and rebounding numbers?  I don't think so.  The article doesn't take into account that Garnett was, is, and always has been a much, much better defensive player than Love (and it's hard to imagine Love ever approaching KG on the defensive end).  

Still, K-Love is a very impressive player in his own right and it's safe to say that if what he's done in the past season or so is any indication of what he is going to do over the course of his career, he'll end up in the Hall of Fame someday.  But part of what makes a player like KG is the ability to reach that high level and stay at it for many years.  There's no telling for sure if Love will be a 20-10 player for the next 10+ years, or if he'll have a short career as a franchise player.  There's just no way of knowing.

Timberwolves fans certainly do have something to be excited about, though.  A young 20-10 machine who can score anywhere on the floor is an asset that any team would love to have.

[raynman]

Baseless, Worthless, Tasteless article!

This guy probably has only started watching the Twolves after KG left.. He forgot to mention that in his first three seasons, KG led the then mediocre Wolves to two playoff appearances..
He changed the franchise and made it relevant! If not for a weak and incompetent owner and GM (sorry, mr. McHale), Kevin Garnett would've won at least two titles during his 12 years with the team.

[Kwhit10]

I guess defense counts for nothing?  KG is one of the best defenders of his era.  I don't think K-Love will ever approach KG in defense.

[2short]

I guess defense counts for nothing?  KG is one of the best defenders of his era.  I don't think K-Love will ever approach KG in defense.

I have to up you one on that
KG is one of the best defenders at any position EVER

on a side note it would be fitting that the boston celtics end up with both kg & love 

[bfrombleacher]

I guess defense counts for nothing?  KG is one of the best defenders of his era.  I don't think K-Love will ever approach KG in defense.

I have to up you one on that
KG is one of the best defenders at any position EVER

on a side note it would be fitting that the boston celtics end up with both kg & love 

Yes he would. TP.

[garz]

I stopped reading at this point:

"Even better for Wolves rooters, Love is a much better person than is Garnett."

What an idiot.

[GreenFaith1819]

I tried to read the article as objectively as I could - but I could not.

Like some have mentioned here, the author makes no mention of KG's impact on the defensive end - even while a rookie. Check out the "Advanced" portion of the link:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/garneke01.html

Kevin Love is getting better defensively, but there is no way that he is in KG's class.

Additionally, the article fails to mention that while Kevin Love has put up great numbers thus far, it is hard to judge whether KG could've put up the same numbers as well.

KG is VERY unselfish - almost to a fault sometimes.

The article really lost me, just like a few others here have mentioned - at the end. There seems to be an unfair, untrue, pervasive perception that KG is the scum of the earth, BUT:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2221292

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Garnett is joining the long list of professional athletes who are donating to victims of Hurricane Katrina -- in a big, big way.

Garnett is donating $1.2 million to build homes for victims in the New Orleans area and throughout the Gulf Coast region that was leveled by the hurricane in August.

 "I knew I wanted to do something," Garnett said after practice Friday. "But I didn't know in detail what I wanted to do."

 Garnett is teaming with Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network charity foundation on the project. Garnett said he chose Winfrey's foundation because 100 percent of his donation will go toward the victims.

 "The fact that she pays the overhead of her employees and the foundation itself and just goes out and makes dreams come true ... I think it makes it more beneficial," Garnett said. "It's a good thing."

 The former MVP certainly has the means at his disposal to make an impact. He has twice signed NBA contracts topping $100 million, in addition to his millions in endorsement deals.

 Garnett said he has always been a big fan of giving to charity even dating back to his days growing up poor in Mauldin, S.C., but he never dreamed of one day being able to make such a sizable donation.

 "I never would have imagined it being on this kind of scale," Garnett said. "Even back in school, whether it was 10 cents or 20 cents to get an extra milk or an extra tea, that's just the way I am.

 "I'm from the bottom, I understand what it's like to have and to not have. My perception on giving is to put yourself in those people's shoes and go from there. So that's what I did."

 Though he does not have any family members or close friends who were directly affected by the disaster, Garnett said he felt a kinship with the victims.

 "I'm from the South, though, and I know how hard the South is," Garnett said. "A lot of things that go on up North, there's a lot more opportunity. In the South, there's not as much opportunity and I know it's going to be a dramatic and drastic transition to turn that city around."

 His donation will build one house a month for the next two years and was featured on Winfrey's talk show on Thursday. Garnett did not appear live on the show, but did tape a vignette to surprise Winfrey, who was clearly appreciative of the gift.

 "It's just good to know that people actually appreciate when you do give," Garnett said. "I'm not the one for a lot of publicity, I'm not one to put myself out there with what I do, but in this case, I hope that it motivates others to give."

Look...I admit that KG is sometimes a jerk - to our opponents. And he's OUR jerk. He gets into player's heads. The game of basketball, like many sports - is mostly mental. If an opponent is concerned about KG getting under their skin BEFORE a game, then The Celtics already have the advantage.

But Kevin Love "A better person" than KG? That's a bit pre-mature to say.

[RyNye]

I can understand that some people are turned off by KG's on-court bully persona, but Kevin is possibly one of the most intelligent basketball players of the modern era. He knows a lot about how the game is played mentally, and how to get into the opponent's head and shake them up. For example, any time the shot clock runs out or a foul is called, and somebody on the other team just throws up a random shot that won't count, and KG grabs it out of the air. He knows that even if it isn't a "real" bucket, the other player's confidence will go up seeing it go in. He knows by denying even the most meaningless shots is instrumental to keeping players from getting hot.

Kevin Love is a great player, no question. Even though he is the same position as KG, he plays it entirely differently. It's like comparing MJ and Lebron. Both great, but have such different styles of play that it isn't fair to compare their numbers directly. In many respects KG played more like an oversized SF than a PF (and, indeed, he often played SF in his first year in Minny). Kevin Love reminds me more of a poor man's Tim Duncan style, traditional PF.

[Snakehead]

Ugh man...

I like Love, I really do, but KG was the best player in the league when he was there.  He put his heart and soul into every single minute he played in Minny when his teamates stabbed him in the back, management made bad moves, etc... and this is how they look back on him?

Only makes me feel worse that KG wasted away there.  I know this one hack isn't indicitive of all fans, but I know if he had been here as a Celtic early we wouldn't talk about him this way.  Greatest PF of all time, one of the all time great compeititors.



I also would add, the title alone is just ridiculous.  KG's production was massive in all areas, and comparatively to the rest of the Wolve's teams he played on's production it was INSANELY lopsided towards KG.  Such short mindedness.

[Celtics18]

Charley Walters is a scumbag.  How dare he say that Kevin Love is a better person than Kevin Garnett?!!

[GreenFaith1819]

I must add - I really like Kevin Love's game...I have no doubt that he will probably end up in the HOF one day. He and Rubio make Minny a watchable team for me.

I'm hoping he signs with Boston next season.

But the author is a bit off on the article with the personal attack there at the end. Uncalled for.

It's one thing to compare the two players (albeit - minus considering KG's defensive contributions), but to attack a player personally?

[jpk2000]

First off Love is a talented player, but he ain't no KG, let's get that clear. Clearly this writer has something personal against Garnett. If one of the best players of all time left my small market team I would be bitter too.

Look at how badly the Wolves been affected since Garnett's departure. Right now, the NBA isn't as competitive when KG was in his prime. It seems like any player can average a double, double today. So this is just another opinion article by a writer that probably never got a long or interview KG when he was in Minn.

[jpk2000]

Charley Walters is a former baseball player! Can't take him serious. He's entitled to his own opinion, but clearly he's wrong. People in the twin city are laughing at this article.