When Kevin Garnett was in the NBA, he was looked at as one of the truly great competitors the game had ever seen. He was a guy who played hard on every single possession, and opposing teams hated going up against him. He was also able to bring a championship back to Boston, which automatically makes him one of the legends of the game. In fact, he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May, alongside the likes of Kobe Bryant.
While Garnett might be an oldhead to some people, he is still incredibly appreciative of today's players. While speaking to David Marchese of the New York Times, Garnett admitted that he doesn't think his generation could hang with today's players as the offense is simply on another level. Garnett believes the game has actually improved, and that he loves watching the creativity that is typically on display.
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Per Garnett:
"I don’t think guys from 20 years ago could play in this game. Twenty years ago, guys used their hands to control players. Now you can’t use your hands. That makes defense damn near impossible. Can you imagine not hand-checking Michael Jordan? Naw. The fact that you can’t touch players gives the offensive player so much flexibility. Defensive players have to take angles away and stuff like that. But if you have any creativity and ambition, you can be a great offensive player in this league.
...
These guards changed the game. I don’t know if even the guards from 20 or 30 years ago could play in this time right here. It’s creative. It’s competitive. It’s saucy. You’ll get dropped! A [expletive] will cross you over and break your A.C.L. these days. The game is in a great place."
It's rare you see a player like Garnett gives these kinds of props, which made these comments that much more impressive. It's good to see retired players helping out the younger generation, and just like KG, we can't wait to see how the game evolves from here.
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[Via]
