'UNFAIR to denigrate the guys who came before or today!' - Windy on skill by generation | First Take

mustach wasn't actually that bad a Edwards made headlines when he gave his take that players in older generations of NBA didn't have much skill and that Michael Jordan was the only player with skill former two-time MVP NBA champion Kevin Garnett anything is possible took exception to what the rising star had to say kg how do you feel about ant-man's comments if I'm being honest bro I don't think anybody in this generation could have played like 20 years ago if I'm being 100 in this this is to ant this is to everybody in our league Tatum all y'all let me tell y'all something bro 20 years ago bro you couldn't get to a triple step back we had efficiency lap back in the day my dude and it was so hard it was too physical and guess what the league had to come off of it for the flow of movement to be able to have scoring go up which is why we like to sit here and watch kind of the rat race of the high Pace game right I only think half these kids in the league could have been on the NBA 18 20 years ago straight up kg and Paul Pierce right there by the way he only won one MVP uh Wendy back here with us Wendy strong comments from Kevin Garnett do you agree with what he had to say they're disappointing because um well first off I'm feeling my age because I did Cover the NBA 20 years ago I covered the NBA the year that kg won his MVP award I was a voter in that award so um I actually can relate to this believe it or not um and the reason I say it's disappointing because it's it it lacks Nuance you know anunt is is is guilty of lacking nuance and kg is guilty of lacking Nuance because they're getting too much macheesmo into it they're defending themselves you know Kevin Garnett was not a good three-point shooter because back 20 years ago it was not something that you would get taught and it was not something that was expected from big men you know you would not say that he was not a skilled player because he couldn't make outside shots if you remember he was an excellent mid-range shooter if he had come up in today's game the way Victor wanyama and Chad holgren and those types of guys play they are modeled on the great two-way play that Kevin Garnett was added into that they need to shoot long range shots if kg was coming into the league today he would work on those three-point shots and there's no doubt in my mind that he would have been a good three-point shooter cuz he was a great offensive player just like if an had come into the league 20 years ago he would have known that the game was so physical and he would have had to play a different way I know that it's more fun in arguments to take aide and say that the old guys couldn't do this and the young guys can't do that but that's not true the truth is is that they're all tremendous athletes and that kg is right about something the league was too physical 20 years ago there were finals games played in the 70s the league didn't like it and they changed the rules so that they could play the game more like they do today and so that is just the truth the rules have changed but the players and the talent hav't changed that it is unfair to everybody to denigrate the guys who came before or the guys of today Wendy I get where you're coming from and you're not wrong um kg may have gotten into his feelings uh because of what Ant-Man said and I agree with you that things have to be contextualized properly and the nuances need to be uh you know embraced instead of ignored players today could have played back in the day I'm talking about the stars and the superstars yes they could have played back in the day here's what kg and people like that are saying that everybody's missing them the reason why kg goes about the business of clapping back in Anthony Edwards the way that he did is because Anthony Edwards who admittedly didn't watch back in the day has no comprehension whatsoever of how tough and arduous it was to play basketball back then and when he talked about the triple step back and how you wouldn't have been allowed to do that back in the day and what have you he's right about that he's looking at the style of play today and what wasn't allowed back in the day and then what kg is asking with his basketball Brilliance is if you took those things away from your game what kind of game would you have it's not that you don't have a game it's that your game is predic predicated on a significantly softer version of basketball less physical version of basketball with rules that have helped stipulate and favor more offensive minded players than the rough rugged defensive prowess of teams and players that existed in the past so when he's bringing that up he's saying look at your game understand that it wasn't allowed back in the day you wouldn't have been able to do this you wouldn't have been able to do that that's what he's pointing to and the fact that we weren't allowed to do that but we still manage to be great there's no young pup that should be running his mouth about what we lacked because what we did enabled you to be able to learn to do what you're doing and on that level I understand where he and every other Hall of Famer is coming from when they're talking about the old school days compared to now I I get it I just wish he would be more of a leader and show ant as opposed to clapping back at him because he and ant are actually very similar they play both ends of the court and that Five Guys in history have ever won Defensive Player of the Year and MVP kg is one of them ant has the ability to be an MVP and a great defensive player they're actually more alike than they are different yeah but he did he did clap back with information Intel he didn't just say oh hell with him hell with the young kid he did break down some basketball Nuance that we needed to know [Music]