Better Off. Player: Love vs. Garnett

PhinneasGage · Post #1 » by **PhinneasGage** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:14 pm

Per an ESPN poll: Better T’wolves scorer in their primes – KG 61.3% @kevinlove 38.7%

First, I think Love is still 2 or 3 years from his prime, at least. Second, I think he's already a better offensive player than KG. He's a force. Third, there's no way he's a better all around player than KG, and he probably never will be. KG is a top 15 player all time, in my completely biased opinion, and is (still) a force at both ends of the court. When he got drafted, nobody had ever seen his combination of length, athleticism, and versatility, and he's one of the best defensive players the league has ever seen.

karch34 · Post #2 » by **karch34** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:28 pm

Agree. Love better offensive player. KG one of the best all around players and better defender.

Post #3 » by **Calinks** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:49 pm

I definitely think Love is the better offensive player. He scores more PPG and most importantly, IMO, he will step up big in the clutch moments. KG did that on very rare occasions when it came to getting buckets. KG owned Love with assist which does equate to more points though.

Overall, I think KG was the better player because he was great at making his teammates better. Love does not seem to posses that ability, at least not at a significant level. It's crazy to me that Love can bust out 20 20 games and still lose or just barely pull out a win. They aren't empty stats but you would think they would have more impact on the team than they do.

It seems that Love just doesn't have the intangibles to elevate his teammates. KG did. KG better overall but Love is definitely better as a pure offensive weapon,

Post #4 » by **Worm Guts** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:57 pm

Love is the better scorer but not necessarily they better offensive player. KG was more versatile and a better facilitator. You could run an offense through KG.

Jukeness · Post #5 » by **Jukeness** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 10:31 pm

KG demanded a double team more than Love and had great passing skills, but Love can score from anywhere on the court and is more clutch. I would say KG in his prime was a fair amount better than Love is now.

PhinneasGage · Post #6 » by **PhinneasGage** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:01 pm

Good points. KG was a much better facilitator/passer, and really did elevate his teammates in a way that Kevin doesn't. Not yet anyway. Hopefully Adelman can eventually teach him some of that big man passing he loves so much. But KG was a LeBron-in-Cleveland level of one man show in the way he carried the Wolves on his back.

It would be really interesting to see KG in his prime work with this team we have now. HIs length plus the length of AK would cause havoc. Not to mention Rubio when he gets back. The team would lack a pure scorer but it would be a lethal team on defense. Pek could just be a brute on D without having to worry about helping on the weak side or defending the rim, and he'd probably score 25 a night with KG passing him the ball.

Maybe even a more interesting question really. Would the current Wolves team be better off with KG in his prime or Love in his prime?

Hambone93 · Post #7 » by **Hambone93** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:24 pm

when it comes to facilitating, it may be quick to judge but I saw some fantastic passing from love last night.

when it comes to passing big men, a lot of it has to do with the system. A guard can do a drive and kick, run the pick and roll, or simply just pass the ball in the post to get an assist.

Big men need cutters, they need off-ball movement, and they need good spot-up shooters. We have two of those three things. This season is going to be where we see if Klove can "facilitate".

Murphs56 · Post #8 » by **Murphs56** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:32 pm

This is an insult to Kevin Garnett. Love can do a lot of different things, but KG made his teammates better, which is the most important aspect of winning basketball games. How many playoff appearances and MVP's does Kevin Love have? When any of those things happen, let me know. I'll take KG's DRASTICALLY Higher assist totals than some of Love's stats

Foye · Post #9 » by **Foye** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:34 pm

KG is easily my choice.

Better FG% (although you have to factor in that Love shoots a lot of three's), better passer and a better ball handler.

Love's 2pt FG% is also barely above .47 for his career. Not bad for a big but definitely not great either. KG certainly was more effective inside the 3 point line.

That said Love definitely has the potential to overtake Garnett offensively but as of right now I go with The Big Ticket.

Post #10 » by **Klomp** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:38 pm

Worm Guts wrote:Love is the better scorer but not necessarily they better offensive player. KG was more versatile and a better facilitator. You could run an offense through KG.

This was what they brought up in the Coast to Coast show as well.

Post #11 » by **The J Rocka** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:13 am

Klomp wrote:
Worm Guts wrote:Love is the better scorer but not necessarily they better offensive player. KG was more versatile and a better facilitator. You could run an offense through KG.

This was what they brought up in the Coast to Coast show as well.

Which is why KG gets my vote.

southern wolf · Post #12 » by **southern wolf** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:06 am

Too early to tell, Love hasn't even hit his prime yet.

Piecake · Post #13 » by **Piecake** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:17 am

Love is a better scorer, but KG is a better offensive and defensive player (KG is a much better passer)

Post #14 » by **Worm Guts** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:00 pm

Foye wrote:KG is easily my choice.

Better FG% (although you have to factor in that Love shoots a lot of three's), better passer and a better ball handler.

Love's 2pt FG% is also barely above .47 for his career. Not bad for a big but definitely not great either. KG certainly was more effective inside the 3 point line.
.

Despite their field goal percentages, Love is the more efficient scorer. He hits 3's, he gets to the FT line more often and has a higher TS.

when it comes to passing big men, a lot of it has to do with the system. A guard can do a drive and kick, run the pick and roll, or simply just pass the ball in the post to get an assist.

Big men need cutters, they need off-ball movement, and they need good spot-up shooters. We have two of those three things. This season is going to be where we see if Klove can "facilitate".

Part of the greatness of KG is that he could play like a guard, his ability to create offense for himself and others wasn't limited by typical big man roles.

FinnTheHuman · Post #15 » by **FinnTheHuman** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:47 pm

KG is the mix of Love's and Kirilenko's best characteristics.

[RCG] · Post #16 » by **[RCG]** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:32 pm

Agreed with the consensus. Love is better at putting the ball in the hoop but KG is vastly better on defense and all-around.

Krapinsky · Post #17 » by **Krapinsky** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:55 pm

I think KG was the better offensive player and it's not really close. KG averaged 5-6 assists per game and made everyone around him better.

LordBaldric · Post #18 » by **LordBaldric** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:40 pm

This is a joke. Love is clearly the better offensive player. No one was talking about how KG "elevated" his team mates' offensive games during the first round exit years, or the no round years after their big playoff run.

The big boost we got from Cassell was due to him filling in KG's gaping hole on offense with his clutch scoring ability.

The guy who was artificially boosted by the Wolves back in the day was Dean Garrett, and that was because of Marbury, not KG.

Krapinsky · Post #19 » by **Krapinsky** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:24 pm

LordBaldric wrote:This is a joke. Love is clearly the better offensive player. No one was talking about how KG "elevated" his team mates' offensive games during the first round exit years, or the no round years after their big playoff run.

And where has Love gotten us exactly?

KG's career high PER was 29.4. Love's is 25.4.

LordBaldric · Post #20 » by **LordBaldric** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:04 am

Krapinsky wrote:
LordBaldric wrote:This is a joke. Love is clearly the better offensive player. No one was talking about how KG "elevated" his team mates' offensive games during the first round exit years, or the no round years after their big playoff run.

And where has Love gotten us exactly?

KG's career high PER was 29.4. Love's is 25.4.

Where has Love gotten us wasn't the damn question.