Predict Love's team for 2014-15

[Coolbreeze44]

Seven of you at this point think the timberwolves? I am shocked by that. I took Cleveland because Love is a sure thing, and Lebron just might go join him.

[foye2smith [enjin:6593248]]

Seven of you at this point think the timberwolves? I am shocked by that. I took Cleveland because Love is a sure thing, and Lebron just might go join him.

I voted for GSW but I could see people voting for Minnesota with the front office perhaps being too stubborn/stupid to move him prior to the season.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Seven of you at this point think the timberwolves? I am shocked by that. I took Cleveland because Love is a sure thing, and Lebron just might go join him.

I'm proud to raise my hand as one of The Magnificent Seven (edit: now 8), because I'm sensing that the league doesn't value Kevin as highly as we do...and that means we just aren't going to get an offer anywhere near the kind of deals being talked about on this board. I think he's seen as a stat stuffer with some serious weaknesses in his game and in his personality. Yes, his stats are magnificent, but I sense that he doesn't have the reputation of being a winner in the league. To take an extreme example, look at Ricky Davis' stats his first year for us: 17 PPG, 4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. On paper, that looks like the kind of wing that would be highly regarded in the league. But he wasn't...because he was considered a flake and a stat stuffer, and not a winner. I'm not saying Love is Davis...I'm just saying that often value doesn't come off a piece of paper.

Cool, you say Love is a sure thing: Is he a sure thing to...

-lead his team to the playoffs?
-be a good leader and good teammate?
-always hustle back on defense?
-play good defense at all, for that matter?
-be counted on to make the final shot?

Those are the kind of "sure things" that smart GMs are looking for. Love is a sure thing to put up good numbers, but it comes at a cost...and I fear that the league is on to him. I hope I'm wrong, but I think Flip will be looking at offers like these on draft night:

1) David Lee and Harrison Barnes
2) Sullinger, Wallace and the 17th pick in this year's draft
3) Boozer, Butler and the 19th pick
4) Bennett, Thompson and Waiters

I'm hoping Flip is smart enough to reject anything like these, and that's why I picked the T-wolves in the poll. Not what I want, but what I think.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Ideally it would be Atlanta, but it will probably be Chicago

Ideally it'd be Atlanta? I hope you're not serious.

I would take Horford over ANYTHING that's been offered in any made up deal

Yikes. I'm a die-hard Florida fan whose favorite player on the title teams was Horford... and that's not an ideal get for the Wolves for Love. Horford's 28 years old. He's only under contract for two more years. Two of his last three seasons have been killed by injury(ies). When healthy, I agree, he's a stud. But with all factors included, ATL doesn't even come close to being an ideal hypothetical offer. We couldn't make the playoffs with Love. So we're supposed to swap him out for Horford and get better? I don't see it.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Long -- I don't think the Warriors front office gives a hoot how much fans like Thompson. They want to win a championship and they'll do what it takes to make that happen. I know a Warriors fan/season ticket holder and he told me he thinks the only untouchable player on that roster is Curry. A lot of people were surprised they fire Mark Jackson, but they did. Just another sign that the Warriors' front office is action-oriented, and getting a bit impatient with the status quo. I could be wrong, but I think a deal with the Warriors involving Klay Thompson will ultimately be on the table. I suspect that the Wolves would have to include Kevin Martin as well. I don't think we'd get both Barnes and Draymond Green. I think it would be one or the other. The deal looks really good for the Warriors:

Front Line: Love, Bogut, Iggy
Guards: Curry and Martin
Depth: Barnes or Green, etc.

is in the locker room, I sense that subtracting him improves our team chemistry. Also, Lee only has two more years left on his big contract.

Two years at $30M. Could be worse, of course, but that is really ugly. Guess we suck it up and play him out.

You wouldn't make the deal if you're Golden State? That makes zero sense to me. The current group they have aren't winning the West, but for 31-year old Lee ($15M per), Thompson (rumor is he'll ask for max contract) and spare parts they could get a top-10 player in the NBA who's just 25 years old. Are you kidding me? Curry, Love, Iguodala and Bogut in the same lineup. Superstar league right now. Curry and Love is much stronger than Curry, Thompson and Lee.

I also don't think this is the deal to "hope" for. I'd rather have a package from Cleveland, Chicago and Boston the more I think about it.

LOL, disagreement is GOOD, cam! This board would be dull if we all agreed!
Yes, the Lee contract is ugly, but he will work hard and give us value (albeit, not $15 million of value) for two years, and then we can either sign him for a lot less or let him go for cap space.

As for GS maybe not liking the deal: GM's need to factor in the risk of Kevin not signing with them at the end of the year, and giving up Klay for what could turn out to be a 1-year rental is the kind of risk that gets GM's fired if it doesn't work. Disregarding the importance of that risk is one of the reasons I think we're overvaluing what Love can bring in a deal. Everyone will be thinking he wants to evnetually end up in LA, maybe with the Clippers, even if he has to take a pay cut.

[mrhockey89]

Seven of you at this point think the timberwolves? I am shocked by that. I took Cleveland because Love is a sure thing, and Lebron just might go join him.

Hi cool, I would pick Cleveland as our ideal trade partner, and it makes a lot of sense for both teams, but it doesn't sound like the Cavs are going to trade #1 at this point.

[mrhockey89]

long, I think most fans are pretty ridiculous when it comes to trade scenarios. They can laugh off a trade of Klay all they want, but Love is better than Klay, and generally when you get the best player in a deal, you win the deal. Lee is a salary release for them, Barnes has been inconsistent, and Love is widely considered the top PF in the NBA and he's 25 years old. If there's no Klay, there's no reason for the Wolves to trade him to the Warriors. They can hope their current cast can lead them to a championship or shake it up and make a trade for a premier player. It takes something to get something.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

long, I think most fans are pretty ridiculous when it comes to trade scenarios. They can laugh off a trade of Klay all they want, but Love is better than Klay, and generally when you get the best player in a deal, you win the deal. Lee is a salary release for them, Barnes has been inconsistent, and Love is widely considered the top PF in the NBA and he's 25 years old. If there's no Klay, there's no reason for the Wolves to trade him to the Warriors. They can hope their current cast can lead them to a championship or shake it up and make a trade for a premier player. It takes something to get something.

I agree, hockey, that all things being equal, the team that ends up with the best player usually wins the deal. But the wild card here is whether Love stays. If he doesn't (and I think that's the most likely case), they have given up Klay and Harrison with their attractive contracts in exchange for one year of Love. And even though GS improves a lot at PF, they get much worse at SG, still are weak at center, and frankly don't have much offense at SF. That sounds like another first round exit to me. And with $50 million tied up in Bogut, Curry, Iggy and Love, they won't have the cap space to add the kind of player that gets them into the upper division in the West. Does Love stay in beautiful Oakland for that?

I don't think so, and that's why it's such a risky deal for them, and probably not a very smart one.

[MikeAz [enjin:6636981]]

Tom Powers made some good points.

http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_25965094/tom-powers-trading-disrespectful-kevin-love-might-not

[Phenom]

I think Powers is thinking right in line with Flip. Little interest in draft picks and unproven young players. Thats why Chicago and Golden State will be the top suitors.