Kevin Garnett ends the NBA eras argument once and for all

Kevin Garnett is widely regarded as the greatest Minnesota Timberwolves player of all time. After being drafted by the organization, he was the primary reason the team went to the playoffs eight seasons in a row from 1997 until 2008. KG's name is etched in stone in Minnesota.

As we look at NBA history, Garnett is in an extremely interesting position. He was drafted in 1995 and retired in 2016. Not only did he enjoy a long career, but KG played against some of the greatest to ever lace them up in vastly different eras. A fun NBA history nugget is that Garnett is the only player to ever face both the 72-10 Chicago Bulls in 1996, as well as the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in 2016.

Put simply, KG has seen it all. So it feels appropriate to say his words carry a bit more weight than the average former player when discussing different NBA eras and their implications. If you have been keeping up with recent NBA news headlines and especially if you have been reading Dunking With Wolves, you are aware of the comments made last week by Anthony Edwards.

For those that don't know, Edwards made a claim that, although he has not watched games from that era, he believes Michael Jordan was the only skilled player of his time. Multiple hall-of-fame players have come out to rebuke Ant's statement over the last week. Now, Kevin Garnett joins the list.

Kevin Garnett rebuked Anthony Edwards' statement

Appearing on the TICKET & THE TRUTH podcast featuring himself and Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett did not hold back his true feelings on Edwards' statement. "Jordan the only one that had skill? Yeah, I know you didn't watch the games," Garnett said. "From him saying that."

While he may disagree with Ant's sentiment, KG made sure everyone was aware that he did not have any ill will toward his brother in the Timberwolves fraternity. "So you know what, respect to the young fella, man," he said. "I don't get on here and we don't use this platform to douse anything ... I'm here to elevate the game, I'm here to help the young players elevate themselves."

While Garnett still wants to focus on uplifting others, he also wants to make sure the truth is told about NBA history. "It's always different eras," he said. "And when you hear Michael Jordan and some of the greats talk about the different eras of play, the 80s were different from the 70s, the 70s were different from the 60s, the 60s were different from the 50s. But in all of it, it had gamesmanship, it had aggressiveness, and it had stuff that came with it that you didn't really hear about that you hear now."

Garnett goes on to name many skilled players from the last several decades that he regards as having a degree of genuineness to them. Referencing back to Edwards' comment, Paul Pierce remarks that Ant "must have been talking about the 60s or something." Garnett brushes Pierce off, stating that he understands in a way why Edwards said what he did.

KG humbly stated Edwards should know what he is talking about

"Nah, he's feeling himself and I like that. I like that he feels good, but when you're a savant and you're talking to the league and you're spitting different s---, nah, you've gotta know what you're talking about to be in the argument or be in the discussion of what we're talking about."

Some may disagree, but it really seems that Garnett hits the nail on the head here. He has been known for mentoring and lifting plenty of younger players up in recent years, and he is far from a bitter former player wanting to disrespect modern players. He is coming at this purely from an angle of honesty, and he sees that while he can respect the confidence, Edwards needs to be smarter than the average internet troll when it comes to these things.

"I root for you, young fella," Garnett said. "Just know what you're talking about, young fella. Because what you said don't make no sense." Very well said by the Minnesota legend. If we could all approach era discussions with a bit more humility and a genuine desire to learn more, basketball culture as a whole would likely be in a better place.