KG is 4th Best In League

by Jeff Clark on Oct 15, 2008 3:21 PM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

Tom Ziller is ranking the top 50 players in the league. He puts KG at #4. The rest of the top five are Duncan (5), Kobe (3), Chris Paul (2), and one has to assume LeBron at #1 (but that post isn't up yet). And in case you forgot, Paul Pierce was in at #17 (behind guys like Boozer, Brand, Billups, and Ginobili).

Regarding Garnett, Ziller says this.

All this begs the question: is Garnett as good a defender as Duncan?
It's a tough case to make, when you consider San Antonio has been at or near the top of defensive rankings for basically the entirety of Duncan's career, while Garnett's Minnesota team fluttered about depending on the personnel. I think 2007-08 in Boston is telling, though. For the first time since Chauncey Billups, Garnett had a point guard who couldn't be described as a matador. Sam Cassell, Troy Hudsen ... could Duncan anchor a defense with marshmallows and still find himself with the No. 1 defense? Give Garnett a Rajon Rondo, it's a better comparison.

Tweet Comment 12 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

That is total bull.
KG and Pierce, I’d say, are neck and neck in the bottom half of the top 10.
That list is horrible.

I mean, for the love of GAWD, Billups > Pierce?

Okay.

by TradeProposalDude on Oct 15, 2008 3:33 PM EDT reply actions

As long as D wade is #6 I can roll with that list.

by JR Giddens on Oct 15, 2008 3:46 PM EDT reply actions

Not a very good list at all. Where is Joe Johnson? Why is Bynum that high? Why is D Will that low? That’s just the start…

by Atzar on Oct 15, 2008 3:58 PM EDT reply actions

My bad I was only looking at the top 5 players. I didn’t notice the Pierce 17th selection. Anyways Pierce is not the only NBA player robbed on the list!

by JR Giddens on Oct 15, 2008 4:08 PM EDT reply actions

In a team sport, these apples-to-oranges lists are totally asinine.

by Eeyore III on Oct 15, 2008 4:30 PM EDT reply actions

Ouch. Chris Bosh? Boozer? Yao? Amare?

Shouldn’t you have to carry your team in some meaningful games to be deserving of top 15 on this list??

Its a short list of players that are better than Pierce. Right now, I would have him top 5 behind only Duncan, LBJ, KG & Chris Paul (with a nod to a declining Steve Nash).

The rest of those guys on the list are all very talented, but still have lots to prove. I have to say PP is better than Kobe as well, whom Pierce schooled in the Finals. Is there a better proving ground than the NBA Finals? I think not.

by D Dub on Oct 15, 2008 4:38 PM EDT reply actions

Individual rankings matter very little in a team game. The best measuring stick in this league is championships.
The Celtics are the reigning champs so they are the best team.

by liam on Oct 15, 2008 5:18 PM EDT reply actions

The top 5 would be able to carry an otherwise mediocore team. By that token, Bron, Paul, Kobe, Wade. Maybe Dirk. Duncan and KG are interesting—not takeover guys but the elephant in the room in any series. P-Dub is the next dominant wing, chased by Ginobli , Matirx, (did Nash make the Matrix or visa-versa?)maybe Melo.

Interesting that Paul is the only point in the top ten. Do I see a scoring bias at work? Many of the top bigs on the list are good but rated above their impact: Stoud, Howard, Yao, Booz, and Brand.

by Tenacious D on Oct 15, 2008 6:48 PM EDT reply actions

Pierce is easily, pure talent wise, top 12, and maybe top 10 in the league.

KG is about where he should be.

What about Ray? Are you honestly going to say Beidrins is a better player than Ray Allen? That’s so not true. That’s horrible. The author talks about what Pierce AND Ray had to sacrifice. So Ray gave up stats. He is easily a top 30 player still. I really feel he hasn’t slipped much, and I thought his MVP-worthy Finals job proved that.

And by next season, Rondo will be on this list.

by Greg on Oct 15, 2008 7:18 PM EDT reply actions

David West,D.Williams should have made the top 10

by jay_jay54 on Oct 15, 2008 7:48 PM EDT reply actions

how in the world does dwade get this love? he carried a bad team? he whines and cries everytime he goes to the hole. He is good probably an allstar for most of his career, maybe, but top ten? watch the fall off with thise guy as he gets older, he is what 6’4", 6’5", can’t play point, watch when his athleticism falls even just a little bit, that is the one that bothers me, I take pp over wade all day, he really doesn’t belong in the discussion with kobe and lebron while pp does, crazy

by chicagogreen on Oct 15, 2008 8:49 PM EDT reply actions