Post by kmatrixg on Feb 13, 2011 5:55:56 GMT -5
I've been enamored with Love's play this season and looking back, one could easily assume he'd eventually get to the point he is now. It's apparent Al Jefferson was holding him back in the post his first 2 seasons, and now that he's the main man, it's almost impossible not to consider Love for leagues MIP, amongst a number of other things.
www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01.html
A few questions up for discussion:
1) Has the NBA ever seen a player like Love? A bigman who can shoot the 3 with great success (1.4 3.2 .433 per game) and still average nearly 5 offensive rebounds a contest?
2) While it's true he's on a bad team, is it hard to believe Love wouldn't be grabbing 15 boards a night on the Lakers? or what about the Celtics... To me, it seems playing on either of those teams would make Love better.
3) I mentioned this in the B/S thread, but could love be considered one of the leagues top Forwards in the league come playoff time?
Here are my answers:
1) I truly can't think of another player with the versatility that Love possesses. The fact that he's shooting 43% from beyond the arc in a relatively large sample size is ridiculous, ON TOP of him grabbing 4.8 OFF rebounds a game. The only player I can think of that comes close is Kevin McHale (minus the defense), and he never topped double digit rebounds in a single season. I mean, McHale didn't shoot the 3 except for one season sparingly, but he had a deadly mid-range jumper, which is what Love had when he came into the league. If anyone can think of a comparison, please share because I'm dying to see it.
2) I think Love's numbers are legit. MC Hammer style. If he played on a better team, as a Tier-2 type player, of course he'd score less - but I think Love is a Tier-1 Franchise type player. 21 points and 15.5 rebounds people. I still can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that he's grabbing 5 offensive rebounds while taking four 3's a game. An explanation could very well be that the T'wolves currently run the fastest pace in the league taking 97 shots a game, while their offensive rating is ranked in the lower 1/3. I guess because the team is taking so many shots, and making so little, gives Love a lot of opportunities to grab those boards. Even if he did get only 2 or 3, he'd be averaging the same scoring and rebounding numbers as Dwight Howard, who is THE premier rebounder supposedly.
3) I think 21 and 15.5 is good enough to grab an All-NBA team nomination in my book. He really needs to focus on being more of an impact player on defense, which could cause his rebounding numbers to slip. Not that he's a bad defender, but he doesn't get the stats to back it up, and Blocks and Steals matter a hell of a lot when choosing the top impact players for each position.
www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01.html
A few questions up for discussion:
1) Has the NBA ever seen a player like Love? A bigman who can shoot the 3 with great success (1.4 3.2 .433 per game) and still average nearly 5 offensive rebounds a contest?
2) While it's true he's on a bad team, is it hard to believe Love wouldn't be grabbing 15 boards a night on the Lakers? or what about the Celtics... To me, it seems playing on either of those teams would make Love better.
3) I mentioned this in the B/S thread, but could love be considered one of the leagues top Forwards in the league come playoff time?
Here are my answers:
1) I truly can't think of another player with the versatility that Love possesses. The fact that he's shooting 43% from beyond the arc in a relatively large sample size is ridiculous, ON TOP of him grabbing 4.8 OFF rebounds a game. The only player I can think of that comes close is Kevin McHale (minus the defense), and he never topped double digit rebounds in a single season. I mean, McHale didn't shoot the 3 except for one season sparingly, but he had a deadly mid-range jumper, which is what Love had when he came into the league. If anyone can think of a comparison, please share because I'm dying to see it.
2) I think Love's numbers are legit. MC Hammer style. If he played on a better team, as a Tier-2 type player, of course he'd score less - but I think Love is a Tier-1 Franchise type player. 21 points and 15.5 rebounds people. I still can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that he's grabbing 5 offensive rebounds while taking four 3's a game. An explanation could very well be that the T'wolves currently run the fastest pace in the league taking 97 shots a game, while their offensive rating is ranked in the lower 1/3. I guess because the team is taking so many shots, and making so little, gives Love a lot of opportunities to grab those boards. Even if he did get only 2 or 3, he'd be averaging the same scoring and rebounding numbers as Dwight Howard, who is THE premier rebounder supposedly.
3) I think 21 and 15.5 is good enough to grab an All-NBA team nomination in my book. He really needs to focus on being more of an impact player on defense, which could cause his rebounding numbers to slip. Not that he's a bad defender, but he doesn't get the stats to back it up, and Blocks and Steals matter a hell of a lot when choosing the top impact players for each position.
2000
