Now that the trade is done, regardless what the C's do or don't do in the offseason, what are you collectively expecting out of KG. I ask this because there seems to be a general feeling that they'll improve, have a couple of good years and be on the decline. At what point do you say, Damn, maybe KG is a beast and he's better than duncan?
Because it seems that even ECF let alone finals is above your expectations.
Does Finals MVP get him some respect or is it suddenly "about time, Richard Jefferson could do that with that stacked lineup"
Lemme guess, it would take a 6-peat for him to be mentioned in the same breath as TD?
Barring injury i'm saying minimum 7 game down to the wire ECF appearance. After seeing what he did with SPree and sammy a few years ago surrounded by trash, i'll take an older KG alongside two superior supporting cast teamates and the wisdom of Ainge at finding some fresh legs over McHale.
Are the bulls really heads and tails above Shaq, Kobe, Malone, Payton or the '04 spurs?
It appears people feel that way.
they have to make the ECF at a minimum this season or it's a failure, IMO. The East is still tough with Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit.
btw, in Vegas the Celtics went from 100-1 odds to win the le to 5-1 odds, now fourth behind Dallas, Phoenix, and SA.
If they can stay healthy, KG, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce should be good enough to win the ECF, regardless of who else they sign.
But I don't think they can beat the Spurs, and probably not the Suns or the Mavs, in a Finals situation. Too much depth on all 3 of those teams.
I think a Spurs-Celtics match up is a real possiblity in next year's Finals, and I would be freaking ECSTATIC. To have my favorite team comin' to my current hometown in the NBA Finals....wow.
But KG and TD always neutralize each other. Bowen owns Paul and Ray. And no one on the C's can guard Parker and Manu. So, the Spurs still have the edge.
kg starts off nice but fades his numbers down the stretch each year
can he put those strong numbers up late in the season with paul and allen
Expectations are high, just like Richie Frahm.
A lot of different questions in here, but here's what I think of some of them:
-Is KG better than Duncan? Depends on what you mean. If they played 10 games of one-on-one at the gym, I wouldn't be surprised to see KG win 6. He's more athletic and quicker, no real doubt about that. More range to his shot too. Of course, I also wouldn't be surprised if TD won 6 or more. I'd be very surprised to see either one take more than 6. In other words, I see them as being fairly equal as players of extraordinary talent and ability.
The NBA is, however, a team sport. KG has had weaker supporting casts than TD over time. Making a change of scenery was a smart move for him. I don't think the C's new Big Three will gel enough for a le this year--esp. since I think SA will repeatBut if they stick together for a few years and Ray-Ray doesn't get too old and hurt by then, they could definitely contend. Pierce is very, very good. KG is a beast. And I don't know how much of SuperManu will still be there in '09. Or if Tim will start to decline by then.
-Would Finals MVP earn respect? Yes, but I already respect his abilities. How about this: if he wins four les, especially with Doc Rivers as his coach, I'll say he's "as good as" TD.
17 ppg 12 rpg 1 spg 5 apg 1.2 bpg 47% fg
22 points, 13 boards, 6 assists, 2 blocks
when you're the only guy on your team, it's easy to get worn down. This should allow him to pace himself -- if he gets decent coaching.
I think his numbers will be down this year, just as Duncan's have been down as Tony and Manu have stepped up. But I also think KG leads them to the ECF before losing to the Bulls in a tough series. Next year, he might take them to the finals.
While I don't think Garnett is at the same level as Duncan has been -- he's weaker in the post, and dominating in the post is such a rare and valuable skill -- I don't think there's any shame at all in being the second best player at your position in an era. Garnett is an incredible talent, and I wish him the best in Boston.
KG: 20.5 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 4 APG
PP: 22.5 PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG
RA: 19.0 PPG, 4 RPG
Team will lose in ECF to Cleveland/Detroit or will beat Chicago/Miami/NJ, where they will lose in the finals to whoever comes out of the West.
BOOK IT!
Kind of hard to predict that before they have even filled their roster out
Sports betting people: If one placed their bet pre KG at 100-1 do they still get that bet?
Owns Paul and Ray? Is he going to guard both?
And when you say he owns Paul, do you mean holding Paul to 30 points on St. Patricks Day? I guess that was Irish luck? Or the other times when Paul shoots for his average and scores 20 to 25 ppg?
I think you are referring to Ray only.
Im going to have to agree with that, I dont seem to remember Bowen ever "owning" Pierce.
OK, let me amend. Bowen owns Ray, and makes Pierce work twice as hard - he may get 30 points but he has to work for every one of them, often taking ill-advised shots, and disrupting the flow of the rest of the offense.
Who Bowen guards will depend on the rest of the roster, but I'm guessing he'd take Pierce, because he's a tougher perimeter cover than Allen. Manu and Finley can guard Ray with reasonable success, but neither can guard Pierce.
In any event, it's gonna be a different feeling team when SA meets Boston next year. It's gonna be a lot more like playing Minnesota. For Duncan's whole career, he's OWNED the Celtics, because they haven't had anyone who can guard his left elbow. Now they've got KG, things will be different.
Ultimately, my money (and heart) is still on the Spurs. They may lose in the reg season this year, though. But they're still better in a 7 game playoff series, no contest.
This is more or less how the records will break down in the East:
01 Chicago
02 Boston
03 Cleveland
04 Detroit
05 Toronto
06 Orlando
07 Washington
08 Miami
09 Milwaukee
10 New Jersey
11 New York
12 Philadelphia
13 Indiana
14 Atlanta
15 Charlotte
...and only Chicago, Boston, or Cleveland can win the conference.
WRONG!!!!!
The 1,2,and 3 spot should go to Detroit, New York, and Chicago
Cleveland, and Boston are ridculously overrated. I see one of those teams as a 4th or 5th seed and the other a 7th or 8th seed.
haha. I guess New York has just been tanking the last 7 years.
New York.
Stay crazy, CC.
I expect KG to dominate the East...seriously. It's not going to be a problem with a great wing shooter like Ray Allen. Plus you can post up PP and KG and they both rebound very well. Just round up the lineup with some shooters and rebounders and they'll be fine. The only way KG, PP, and RA are behind the trio of TD, TP, and MG is in the team chemistry aspect. Neither TP or Manu can run a team by themselves like KG, PP, and RA has...let the hate begin.
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how KG's numbers change now that he's in the East. No one in the East can guard him or match up with him, except maybe Jermaine O'Neal. He could wind up having some explosive numbers next year.
On the other hand, if Doc Rivers is smart, he'll limit his minutes, along with Pierce and Allen's, so they can make a deep playoff run. And KG has NEVER had such good scoring help before, so while his rebounding numbers should go up, his scoring could actually go down. It will be interesting to watch.
Like any fantasy b-baller knows ..
1 Star Player = Big Money Numbers
2 Stars on the team = Money Numbers
3 Stars on a team = You may want to look elsewhere for the numbers.
KG's number will not be as good as they have been, but he will be winning because he has some quality teammates now. The east now has three quality PF's (O'Neal and Howard) Will KG be a starter on the East team in the All-Star game? I think he can beat out O'Neal, but Howard is coming on ... Magic v Celtics ... suddenly those games are now watchable.
On that note, The NBA has released it schedule has the media already put out its TV schedule? If so I think there will be some shifting going on ... Celtic games can now be shown to the nation
The C's should be concidered a lock for the ECF, but a team like the Bulls could trip them up. It should also be noted that the C's have not used any of their money yet this offseason. They could still add a few of the free agents out there (They have five open roster spots I think), after all, the chance to play in a weak division on a team with those three players ... If I was a "middle level" FA, I would think hard about the C's ... The minutes are avalable.
Its worth noting that none of the three star players have played with anyone this talented before in their careers. I have no doubt that Allen will play nice and KG is a Pro in every sense of the word .... Pierce on the other hand not not only has to share with Allen, but with KG as well ... Remember the quotes awhile back about him not being able to play with another star on the team (Of course at the time that was Walker)
Pierce could sabotage the magic that these players could make together. I think that without question, Pierce is no longer the leader on the team, he may not even be the number two option on the team on some nights (depending on match-ups). It will be interesting to see if he is able to accept that to win, he has to hop into the backseat and let KG drive the car.
I agree with you,
Sincerely,
Your '04 MVP, KG
I might be mistaken, but wasn't Howard listed as a center for the All-star game? And KG's compe ion for a starter spot should come from Chris Bosh, since he got more votes than J O'Neal last season. I think KG gets the spot regardless.
He'll play well but the Celtics are not winning a le with that group. Pierce is very good but Allen to me is one of the most overated players in the NBA. He and Vince Carter are in the same boat they are so one dimensional and bring nothing else to the table. TD is a Spur 4 les strong and the Celtics will never get back what they lost on draft day in 97.
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