Dirk or KG

[manl_lui]

KG hands down. A lot of you have probably mentioned already, Dallas actually surrounded Dirk with good players for them to make playoffs every year. Minny did not. KG carried Minny all by himself, racked up a lot of mileage on his body. Plays both ends of the floor. Defense, unselfish player, can pass, score, you name it. Could you imagine if our crew were together a little bit earlier, how would that change our franchise. Would we be rebuilding this early?

[Donoghus]

KG.

You know how rare it is to get a defensive anchor who can also score proficiently?

[scaryjerry]

Shocker a Celtics blog would take a former Celtics hero.

It's dirk, it may have been closer at one point but really its not anymore...kg was great in his prime but he was also a loser, the highest paid player ever and only made it out of the first round once and had missed it all together 3 years in a row before coming to the Celtics , and honestly besides his first year here his tenure was overrated and he got to much of the credit for everything.
Dirk did more with less and continually got a pretty poor team to the playoffs in the same tough west... The teammate thing is a good joke because it's a fact kg has had better ones in recent years and it was partly his fault he never had good ones in minny, and dirks teammates are entirely overrated, both rosters he got to the finals were garbage and he never played with another star in their prime, he won a finals MVP and a title with close to the worst supporting cast to win a title of all time... Kg could never ever carry that team to a title or any team, in fact kgs team and better roster lost in 5 to the heat that year... Dirks legacy is elevated over kgs because of that year... Sorry

[Evantime34]

If defense matters to you then you have to choose KG.

[BballTim]

Shocker a Celtics blog would take a former Celtics hero.

It's dirk, it may have been closer at one point but really its not anymore...kg was great in his prime but he was also a loser, the highest paid player ever and only made it out of the first round once and had missed it all together 3 years in a row before coming to the Celtics , and honestly besides his first year here his tenure was overrated and he got to much of the credit for everything.
Dirk did more with less and continually got a pretty poor team to the playoffs in the same tough west... The teammate thing is a good joke because it's a fact kg has had better ones in recent years and it was partly his fault he never had good ones in minny, and dirks teammates are entirely overrated, both rosters he got to the finals were garbage and he never played with another star in their prime, he won a finals MVP and a title with close to the worst supporting cast to win a title of all time... Kg could never ever carry that team to a title or any team, in fact kgs team and better roster lost in 5 to the heat that year... Dirks legacy is elevated over kgs because of that year... Sorry

  Dirk's a better scorer. KG's a better... everything else. KG's play since the knee injury brings Dirk into the conversation, nothing much before that did.

[TwinTower14]

Both players in their primes and you are a GM, who are you taking??  it's not even close in my eyes....KG is the guy...

I am completely bias because KG is my favorite basketball player of all time!  What he brings to a team is unreal!  Between his stats and intangibles??  He changed the culture here that's for sure....

Dirk can score but I would give the nod to KG in every other facet of the game.  He could win you a game with his defense, his rebounding or setting up his teammates....

generational talent, I always thought we wouldn't see another KG for a long time but then Anthony Davis showed up....

[mgent]

If we're talking about the entire career, Dirk's has to be better.  In addition to raising his teams to the number 1 offense every year while KG was getting bounced out of the first round, he has also made KG look like Darko for the past 6 years (since KG's knee).  Dirk also looks like he's on his way to ANOTHER full year of shooting 50-40-90 while scoring over 20ppg.  He is doing stuff at his age that no one has ever done before, and will probably never do again.  At this point, it's finally pretty hard not to call him a better shooter than Bird.

Not to mention Dirk actually has won a championship with no one on the same tier has him, while KG needed two others, and failed several times with them (whereas Dallas probably would have beaten Miami again if they kept Chandler).  I actually don't think there's another championship team in history that had one player on such a higher tier than everybody else.

All that said, I think it's fairly obvious that KG peaked significantly higher.

And of course, having the better career doesn't necessarily mean that's the guy you choose if you want to win a ring.  KG's defense might give him a slight edge, but it obviously all depends on what the other 4 guys look like.

[D Dub]

all due respect to KG, its gotta be Dirk.

I too believe basketball should be rooted in defense, but the point is to win games and the Dirk Mav's haven't had a losing season since the 90s.  That's gotta count for something.

Dirk, imo, is more clutch also.  No stats to back this up, but time and time again he was THE man a la Larry Bird at the end of games so so often for that Mavs team.

Also, look at how he won his ring.  Besting the prolific and in-prime Miami Heat.  Dirk didn't have to go dialing up a big 3.  What other team in this era has won a title with one single clear cut all star leading the way?

Longevity, gotta give that to Dirk also-- dude still hasn't lost a step.

and then was it last night he passed Hakeem on the all-time scoring list at 9th?

I love KG too, not sure anyone has ever been better at anchoring a defense, but it seems clear that Dirk has done more with less, and has played at a higher level for a much longer period of time.

[timobusa]

Tonight Dirk passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 9th All time on the NBA scoring list. So I ask, again, one of the old age questions.

Dirk or KG?

You get to draft only one to start a franchise and you get their entire career. They will always be the most talented player on your team and focal point of the franchise. They will never have another teammate on their tier of player. They can have teammates obviously on lesser tiers and their teammates would be the same. Literally only difference is either KG or Dirk will be your franchise guy.

Both have been to countless all star games.
Both have been MVP once of the league.
Kg has been defensive player of the year while Dirk has been Finals MVP.

Who you taking?

Yeah, except that the year that Dirk won the MVP the Warriors not only beat the Mavericks, but swept them.  In the first round .  It's Garnett for me, hands down.  The only thing that Dirk does better is shoot 3 pointers, and he's way too much of a defensive liability, imo.  KG, on the other hand, is all about We, not Me, both in words and play.  The year he won the MVP, the Timberwolves made it to the WCF for the first time in team history, and they might have beaten the Lakers if Cassell wasn't hurt.  Sigh.  The guy completely changed the trajectory of the Celtics from day one, but I don't think that Dirk is that type of player.  Sorry.

Edit - Again, I forgot something.  KG has never blown a 2-0 series lead and missed one of two free throws with the chance to go up 3-0 over the Heat in the NBA Finals.  Yes, Wade was protected even more than Dirk (which is saying a lot lol), and I was happy for GP and Antoine, but Dirk choked, and not just in a game - in a series, where he lost the title on his home court.  Ouch.  He almost sounds like Lebron haha .

The Mavs didn't get swept in 07 from what I remember it the series was 4-2 in favor of the Warriors.

But nonetheless they lost.

[mgent]

Shocker a Celtics blog would take a former Celtics hero.

It's dirk, it may have been closer at one point but really its not anymore...kg was great in his prime but he was also a loser, the highest paid player ever and only made it out of the first round once and had missed it all together 3 years in a row before coming to the Celtics , and honestly besides his first year here his tenure was overrated and he got to much of the credit for everything.
Dirk did more with less and continually got a pretty poor team to the playoffs in the same tough west... The teammate thing is a good joke because it's a fact kg has had better ones in recent years and it was partly his fault he never had good ones in minny, and dirks teammates are entirely overrated, both rosters he got to the finals were garbage and he never played with another star in their prime, he won a finals MVP and a title with close to the worst supporting cast to win a title of all time... Kg could never ever carry that team to a title or any team, in fact kgs team and better roster lost in 5 to the heat that year... Dirks legacy is elevated over kgs because of that year... Sorry

  Dirk's a better scorer. KG's a better... everything else. KG's play since the knee injury brings Dirk into the conversation, nothing much before that did.

When it comes to carrying a team full of average players though, being an unstoppable go-to scorer is arguably more important.

Take a supporting cast like Iverson's, and replace him with say, Kidd.  He's better at everything else, but that doesn't really mean anything if nobody else is helping him carry the load and doing things with his awesome passes/rebounds.

Give Dirk a super-defensive supporting cast like Iverson's and I'd argue that he wins a full hand of rings.  Put KG on that team instead and they probably can't score enough to go anywhere.

[BigAlTheFuture]

KG. Better defense, better rebounder, passer. And could get his on the offensive side of the ball. Dirk is great and is probably one of the best scoring PF ever, but if I'm picking a franchise player, I'm taking KG over every PF not named Duncan.

[Fred Roberts]

Super tough call.

KG's poor play of late and Dirk's continued productivity make Dirk look a lot better. You ask this same question when each were in their primes (~ 2004), KG is the obvious answer.

KG hasn't aged as well and didn't ever have the offensive repertoire that he could have. That knee injury took away his 2nd and 3rd rings and left him hobbled and 1/2 the player he was before.

Dallas has always been lurking, and always been good with Dirk, but the Celts (even with post-prime KG) were the cream of the NBA for 5 seasons.

Massively tough call. A massive win/win for any GM that could even have that decision. Two different types of players. I'd probably go KG for the grit and balls and hope his knee doesn't blow out in year 15 like it did. 

[BballTim]

Shocker a Celtics blog would take a former Celtics hero.

It's dirk, it may have been closer at one point but really its not anymore...kg was great in his prime but he was also a loser, the highest paid player ever and only made it out of the first round once and had missed it all together 3 years in a row before coming to the Celtics , and honestly besides his first year here his tenure was overrated and he got to much of the credit for everything.
Dirk did more with less and continually got a pretty poor team to the playoffs in the same tough west... The teammate thing is a good joke because it's a fact kg has had better ones in recent years and it was partly his fault he never had good ones in minny, and dirks teammates are entirely overrated, both rosters he got to the finals were garbage and he never played with another star in their prime, he won a finals MVP and a title with close to the worst supporting cast to win a title of all time... Kg could never ever carry that team to a title or any team, in fact kgs team and better roster lost in 5 to the heat that year... Dirks legacy is elevated over kgs because of that year... Sorry

  Dirk's a better scorer. KG's a better... everything else. KG's play since the knee injury brings Dirk into the conversation, nothing much before that did.

When it comes to carrying a team full of average players though, being an unstoppable go-to scorer is arguably more important.

Take a supporting cast like Iverson's, and replace him with say, Kidd.  He's better at everything else, but that doesn't really mean anything if nobody else is helping him carry the load and doing things with his awesome passes/rebounds.

Give Dirk a super-defensive supporting cast like Iverson's and I'd argue that he wins a full hand of rings.  Put KG on that team instead and they probably can't score enough to go anywhere.

  Sure, you can come up with a type of team that would be more successful with KG than Dirk. I could come up with a type of team that would be more successful with KG than Dirk. That doesn't really add a lot to the discussion.

[knuckleballer]

Super tough call.

KG's poor play of late and Dirk's continued productivity make Dirk look a lot better. You ask this same question when each were in their primes (~ 2004), KG is the obvious answer.

KG hasn't aged as well and didn't ever have the offensive repertoire that he could have. That knee injury took away his 2nd and 3rd rings and left him hobbled and 1/2 the player he was before.

Dallas has always been lurking, and always been good with Dirk, but the Celts (even with post-prime KG) were the cream of the NBA for 5 seasons.

Massively tough call. A massive win/win for any GM that could even have that decision. Two different types of players. I'd probably go KG for the grit and balls and hope his knee doesn't blow out in year 15 like it did.

Nowitzki is playing better now, but don't forget that Garnett had a few good years before Dirk was even in the NBA.  KG made his first all star game in 1997 five years before Dirk.

[MBunge]

but it seems clear that Dirk has done more with less

That's ridiculous.  KG spent the bulk of his career playing for one of the worst non-Clippers franchises in NBA history and still managed to drag them to the playoffs year after year.

Mike