Kevin Garnett: A Disappointment

Before this season, I have not seen Kevin Garnett play a lot. I watched him early in his career lose to Tim Duncan's Spurs in the playoffs as everyone at first said KG was better than Duncan. Now it's pretty obvious that Duncan is the superior player. That said, I think that Garnett's intensity has been misinterpreted for focus. KG may be the most intense player that does not play focused that I have ever seen.

He is a fantasy owner's dream with his typical 23, 13 and 5 stat line. But he could be so much more! He dominates on defense as the most athletic center ever in the NBA (though, until now, we all thought he and Pau Gasol were PFs). But on offense he passes up open shots, shoots 18- and 20-footers all day, and shies away from taking the ball to the hole. He could easily, easily score 30 points a game. But he doesn't. Sure, he's a great all-around player, but his physical gifts should not be eclipsed by Paul Pierce's. Pierce is the bonafide leader of the Celtics while KG is the heart-and-soul guy whose on the floor performances remarkably fall short more often than you'd like to see. He has the pride and intensity of Ben Wallace in his Pistons days without the quiet focus. In some ways, KG has become blustery. Fuming to the media, begging for a ring, and yelling at the camera; but, on the court, dishing to Rondo when he could take it to the basket, shrinking from big situations on the road, and generally looking lost and unfocused at times.

KG is an amazing NBA talent. One of the best players in the league. But for a man with so much talent and such great size and speed, it is just dumbfounding that he prefers to be the 2nd option on a team. If he had Amare Stoudemire's penchant for offense or Tim Duncan's fundamentals, he would be one of the game's best ever. But he doesn't. His cross-eyed intensity may be the stuff of great commercials, but on the floor he barely breaks 20 points every game and he never, ever takes over a game on offense. Count KG as one of the league's best players, but you've got to put him behind Kobe, Chris Paul, and Tim Duncan. Even guys like Steve Nash and Manu Ginobili are arguably better than KG due to their tenacity and leadership-ability. Kevin Garnett is a phenomenal talent who plays awesome defense and who definitely has taken the Celtics to the next level. On defense, he rivals the best in the game. But on offense, he is tepid and has not fulfilled the promise that his talent belies. He may say that he wants it more than anyone else, but I have yet to see him truly take over a game like Kobe, LeBron, TD, Steve Nash, and Manu Ginobili can. Until he does, you've got to put him in the tier of great players that are great on D, statistical machines, but not quite dominant players.