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Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace are three of the best power forwards to play in the NBA. Garnett and Wallace entered the league in 1995 while Duncan was the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft. The trio had legendary battles during their careers, particularly when they were all in the Western Conference. Although they retired years ago, the three are still admired and appreciated by many of today’s players.
Myles Turner was asked on the “Knuckleheads Podcast,” who among the three would he start, bench, or trade. The Indiana Pacers power forward/center replied:
(1:01:54 mark)
“People sleep on Rasheed Wallace, bro. That motherf**ker was one of the first pick and pop [big men]. … Imma start Duncan just because he’s dependable, he’s solid. You know what you’ll get from him.
"That’s it. That’s the order. Duncan, Garnett, Sheed, I guess. … I gotta trade Sheed. I’m gonna get a good asset for him ‘cause I know what he brings to the table.”
Tim Duncan is widely considered the greatest power forward of all time. Most analysts put him in the top 10 greatest players of all time. He was a five-time champ, a three-time NBA Finals MVP and a two-time MVP.
Duncan wasn’t flashy but he was resilient, dependable and the kind of leader any franchise would be willing to build a team around. “TD” never missed the playoffs during his 19 years in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett were the opposites of Tim Duncan when it came to temperament. KG was loud, brash and one of NBA history’s most brutal trash talkers. Garnett was emotional and wore his heart on his sleeve.
Wallace, on the other hand, was one of the most ill-tempered players to play in the NBA. He led the league in technical fouls in multiple seasons and is also one of the career leaders in that category. Sometimes, his demeanor would overshadow how great a player he was.
To this day, Kevin Garnett consistently names Rasheed Wallace and Tim Duncan as two of the toughest matchups he ever had to take.
Some fans still think Rasheed Wallace should be in the Hall of Fame with Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan
Rasheed Wallace played in an era that had several Hall of Fame power forwards. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and even Karl Malone were four of them. A few others also had solid cases of being inducted into basketball’s most sought-after body. Chris Webber and Shawn Kemp are two such names.
Wallace didn’t even crack an All-NBA team, which considering the competition, was extremely tough. He did make it to the All-Star team four times. “Sheed” was a part of the 2004 Detroit Pistons team that pulled off one of the biggest finals upsets in league history. He was one of the main reasons the Pistons beat the famed Shaq-Kobe Lakers in that said championship series.
Had he won a championship with Kevin Garnett with the Boston Celtics, he might have received a few more votes to become a Hall of Famer. Some basketball fans are convinced that given his talents and accomplishments, he should have been a part of the HOF with Garnett and Tim Duncan.
Guess the Lakers players!
