Why does KG get a free pass in the media

[23]

Why is he looked upon as a winner although he's won nothing?

Why is he labeled a superstar but is never the go to guy in the 4th qtr, shots or assists or anything?

No im not bashing Kevin Garnett, because I like him, but half of his game is yelling and cursing.

Kenny Smith pointed this out a short while ago, and as of yesterday i hear Marc Jackson went on some tangent about him being a winner despite the woes, which are huge by the way.

Im just wondering what you guys thoughts are, and please no bashing and all.

[ryanm1058123]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

#1) not enough people watched him play with the wolves the past couple years, therefore his flaws were generally ignored
#2) now that he's with boston the ESPN hype machine jumps on
#3) he plays with a lot of "heart" and "intensity". curses at people. goes crazy on the bench. that is good enough for certain people. plus he cries on national TV

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

He's one of the realest players in the game, he's 100% honest in interviews, he's genuinely more than a little bit crazy... he definitely is an interesting guy, and that pays off for him. Plus, he came right out of HS, pretty much broke all the big man stereotypes with his skills... he just plays unlike any other big out there, so he gets a lot of attention for that alone.

But yeah, I think that Ryan is pretty much on-point -- most people don't see all the 4th quarters where his disappears, they'll just see the one instance where he hits a buzzer-beater to seal it. The Boston hype machine is huge, and everyone basically assumed that as soon as they got KG and Allen to go along with Pierce that they would just waltz to the championship. It's a combination of things for sure, but I agree that he gets a pass on a lot of criticism where someone like Melo (or Kobe, or T-Mac, etc.) will always get nailed for their shortcomings. KG has always been a model citizen also -- he's really charitable and by almost all accounts a really good guy (just intense as hell). All of those things add up to let him slip by without a really critical eye from the media.

[heitkamp94]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

KG's personality has a lot to do with it and he was always looked at as a superstar on a bad team, but I think you're right and I think the same argument could be made against Steve Nash(without the bad team part).

[Whaaaazuuuuup]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

u guys are crazy. Garnett is an absolute stud in the NBA. he's the ideal player and teammate. name one team in the NBA who wouldn't take KG.

he played on a terrible team in Minn. and tried his best to be a good teammate and show these guys how to win together. I guess you can say his true fault is he's not selfish enough, he actually wants to see his teammate do well.

KG takes on ALL challenges and never has turned down takin the big shots. his position makes it tough for him to do this with his back to the basket most of the time. if you blame him for that, point ur fingers at Jams as well.

KG is at the stage of his career were he'll ultimately thrive off his teammate. but we all know the Celtics may not have gotten 1st place let alone the playoffs w/o him...

[heitkamp94]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

u guys are crazy. Garnett is an absolute stud in the NBA. he's the ideal player and teammate. name one team in the NBA who wouldn't take KG.

he played on a terrible team in Minn. and tried his best to be a good teammate and show these guys how to win together. I guess you can say his true fault is he's not selfish enough, he actually wants to see his teammate do well.

KG takes on ALL challenges and never has turned down takin the big shots. his position makes it tough for him to do this with his back to the basket most of the time. if you blame him for that, point ur fingers at Jams as well.

KG is at the stage of his career were he'll ultimately thrive off his teammate. but we all know the Celtics may not have gotten 1st place let alone the playoffs w/o him...

I don't think anyone is bashing KG the person or what he brings to a team.

[The 24th Letter]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

Im not sure where the "4th quarter dissapearing act" thing is coming from....this year? b\c I havent watched all that many BOS games...so maybe you all are right on that...even though he has come up big on a few games INCLUDING the playoffs from what ive seen...hes hit some BIG shots. What I know for sure is one of my guilty pleasures was watching the T'Wolves via League Pass back in the day and ive seen him step up in COUNTLESS 4th quarters...so im just not sure where thats coming from.

But besides that? what is there to dog him about?

- Hes stayed out of legal trouble
- Hes a very talented player
- Hes never been a "troublemaker" team wise
- Hes passionate and plays hard
- He plays defense
- Hes led a team deep in the playoffs

These are the majority of the shots the media takes at players unfair or not....I cant think of any players that fit this criteria that dont get a "pass"....I cant think of alot of players that fit this criteria period.

[Rocky]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

KG has hit some big shots down the clutch in the playoffs. Nonetheless, you don't see many PF's or C's taking over 4th quarter stretches. Yes, they set their teammates up for buckets off double teams...but I don't think it's ordinary to ask him to score 15 straight points to seal the game.

[Vince]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

FAKE INTENSITY

[Cebby]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

A combination of him being in Minnesota, being straight out of high school, and being a guy who doesn't get into trouble or hate the media. Being in Minnesota, he's not going to be criticized by his own peoples. In LA, DC, NY, Chicago, Houston etc you have enough media that some will take on the contrary points, but even if Minnesota does have those, nobody outside the state really listens. The high school thing may just be a personal deal, but it seems like there's not really a gradual shift. For the first 8-10 years, they're young, and then one day you just glance at his ESPN profile and you say "Got dayme, KG's 32?!"

Overall, he's probably the most overrated player of the post-Jordan era. In 13 seasons, he's won 4 playoff series, 3 of which have gone to 7 games. He's also missed the playoffs 3 times in his "prime". He's a great player, but I don't think he's quite the dominant player he was and is made out to be.

[KG]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

People automatically assume that stepping up in the 4th qtr means scoring. Not true at all, yeah it looks good being the guy who hits the game winner but KG is one of those guys who grabs that clutch rebound, alters that go-ahead shot, rotates on defense to close on out a shooter, etc...

He'll go down as the 2nd best PF of this generation (post Mailman) behind the greatest PF (Duncan). Not a bad place to be in.

[ZB9]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

He'll go down as the 2nd best PF of this generation (post Mailman) behind the greatest PF (Duncan). Not a bad place to be in.

Dirk has been better than KG, and KG has been in the league longer

[ZB9]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

A combination of him being in Minnesota, being straight out of high school, and being a guy who doesn't get into trouble or hate the media. Being in Minnesota, he's not going to be criticized by his own peoples. In LA, DC, NY, Chicago, Houston etc you have enough media that some will take on the contrary points, but even if Minnesota does have those, nobody outside the state really listens. The high school thing may just be a personal deal, but it seems like there's not really a gradual shift. For the first 8-10 years, they're young, and then one day you just glance at his ESPN profile and you say "Got dayme, KG's 32?!"

Overall, he's probably the most overrated player of the post-Jordan era. In 13 seasons, he's won 4 playoff series, 3 of which have gone to 7 games. He's also missed the playoffs 3 times in his "prime". He's a great player, but I don't think he's quite the dominant player he was and is made out to be.

good points imo

KG is a great player obviously, but he is better as more of a complimentary player imo (it allows him to utilize his GREAT defense more). Im not saying he is a Robin, but i dont know if he can be the only Batman on a team either. As the "go to guy", teams can shut him down.

[BigTigLSU]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

Im not sure where the "4th quarter dissapearing act" thing is coming from....this year? b\c I havent watched all that many BOS games...so maybe you all are right on that...even though he has come up big on a few games INCLUDING the playoffs from what ive seen...hes hit some BIG shots. What I know for sure is one of my guilty pleasures was watching the T'Wolves via League Pass back in the day and ive seen him step up in COUNTLESS 4th quarters...so im just not sure where thats coming from.

But besides that? what is there to dog him about?

- Hes stayed out of legal trouble
- Hes a very talented player
- Hes never been a "troublemaker" team wise
- Hes passionate and plays hard
- He plays defense
- Hes led a team deep in the playoffs

These are the majority of the shots the media takes at players unfair or not....I cant think of any players that fit this criteria that dont get a "pass"....I cant think of alot of players that fit this criteria period.

[The C]

Re: Why does KG get a free pass in the media

FAKE INTENSITY

I'm kind of getting sick of that gimmick. It sometimes makes me laugh when you hear his F-bombs getting picked up by the mics, but other than that I don't think anyone could be that intense without faking it.