Heh, hard to imagine him being around next year. And I think he'll happily go almost anywhere else.
I don't remember that moment in the game...what's happening in that clip?
I think people are being too critical of Kevin's contributions last night. He had as many combined points and rebounds as turnovers and fouls.
+18 in 33 minutes last night. Only behind Irving's +20 for the team lead.
I assume it's because of his stellar defense. After all, GSW shot only 36% and the "bigs" combined to shoot 3 - 23 fg for Golden State.
Yep, Love was plus 18 and Klay Thompson was a minus 21 last night. We all disagree on many topics on this board, but there's one fact I think we can all agree on...Kevin Love was 39 points better than Klay Thompson last night. The numbers don't lie! :)
I'm glad you saw the facetiousness in my post.
But there's a bit of truth in there too. It's easy to rip Love, especially defensively. And that's fine. But what about when he does a credible job defensively? Is it fair to ignore it while we just rip his offense?
And then wait to rip his defense when he plays well offensively? The guy is completely lost offensively. He's just not a good fit standing around waiting for the ball. And he's not better than Irving and James so he doesn't always deserve the ball. AND he's not doing anything with it when he does get it.
All that being said... he hasn't checked out defensively. Should he be commended for it? Dunno. But I think it should at least be noted amid all the Love sucks balls discussion.
I'll echo that and actually say some positive things about Love. He worked hard on defense last night, and although he still appears clueless against a pick and roll, he should be given some credit for the poor performance by the Warriors' big men. (I think everything changes when Draymond Green comes back though...there just isn't a good matchup for Kevin when Dray is playing.) Secondly perhaps you can make a case for saying Love's unselfishness on offense (5 shots in 33 minutes) was in recognition that he had two teammates who were unstoppable last night, and that his best role was to be a screener and passer.
I think those are fair comments to make. I'm not totally on board with my own suggestions though, because I think there may have been a better reason for Love's 1-5 shooting last night...I think he freezes on a big stage in front of a hostile crowd.
Camden wrote:I think it's almost a certainty that the Cavs trade Love this summer. Probably a good thing for him since they have no clue how to incorporate him in the offense.
It's baffling to me. When Love was here, he had so many open looks, but every time he gets the ball in this series he has someone right in his face and his only move is to quickly get rid of the ball. It's counterintuitive, because he was option #1 in Minnesota, and option 3 or 4 with the Cavs. You would think he would have far more open looks with the Cavs.
JVG said it a few times how horrible the spacing was for the Cavs. That probably has something to do with Love having to move the ball along or then struggling when he does take his chances to score inside the arc. I don't want to give Love too much of a pass it's a lot different to score the ball in isolation type situations when it's very sporadic. It makes me wonder if Barnes does have a little more upside than he gets credit for despite how underwhelming he has been in the playoffs because of his low usage (I wouldn't want to bet on it though). Overall I think there has been some pretty fair discussion here on Love the last few hours.
Camden wrote:I think it's almost a certainty that the Cavs trade Love this summer. Probably a good thing for him since they have no clue how to incorporate him in the offense.
It's baffling to me. When Love was here, he had so many open looks, but every time he gets the ball in this series he has someone right in his face and his only move is to quickly get rid of the ball. It's counterintuitive, because he was option #1 in Minnesota, and option 3 or 4 with the Cavs. You would think he would have far more open looks with the Cavs.
Don't underestimate the impact both Adelman and Rubio had on generating sets and passes that gave Love those open looks.
Camden wrote:I think it's almost a certainty that the Cavs trade Love this summer. Probably a good thing for him since they have no clue how to incorporate him in the offense.
It's baffling to me. When Love was here, he had so many open looks, but every time he gets the ball in this series he has someone right in his face and his only move is to quickly get rid of the ball. It's counterintuitive, because he was option #1 in Minnesota, and option 3 or 4 with the Cavs. You would think he would have far more open looks with the Cavs.
Don't underestimate the impact both Adelman and Rubio had on generating sets and passes that gave Love those open looks.
Great point, Q. It will be fun to see what Ricky can do playing for an elite head coach and having LaVine starting next to him for a fully season. Actually, we got a taste of what it will be like with Zach next to Ricky after the all-star break last season. Zach put up Klay Thompson/Steph Curry type shooting numbers.
I agree with Cam that it's likely Love will be traded this summer. I'm thinking Celtics.
Camden wrote:I think it's almost a certainty that the Cavs trade Love this summer. Probably a good thing for him since they have no clue how to incorporate him in the offense.
It's baffling to me. When Love was here, he had so many open looks, but every time he gets the ball in this series he has someone right in his face and his only move is to quickly get rid of the ball. It's counterintuitive, because he was option #1 in Minnesota, and option 3 or 4 with the Cavs. You would think he would have far more open looks with the Cavs.
Don't underestimate the impact both Adelman and Rubio had on generating sets and passes that gave Love those open looks.
Great point, Q. It will be fun to see what Ricky can do playing for an elite head coach and having LaVine starting next to him for a fully season. Actually, we got a taste of what it will be like with Zach next to Ricky after the all-star break last season. Zach put up Klay Thompson/Steph Curry type shooting numbers.
I agree with Cam that it's likely Love will be traded this summer. I'm thinking Celtics.
I'm glad Q pointed out Adelman. I know ultimately he didn't work out here but I think he was very good for Love.
Glen the Oracle! He was spot on on all three points.
Great trip back in time. Sometimes people think they want the spotlight but can't handle it.
I remember when we traded Knoblauch to the Yankees. He won 3 championships but was never the same player. It really looks like all of this has gotten into Loves head. I suspected we were substantially overrating Love when we would freak out when anyone would suggest Griffin was a better 4. Now I honestly doubt Love will ever be an all star again.
Glen the Oracle! He was spot on on all three points.
Great trip back in time. Sometimes people think they want the spotlight but can't handle it.
I remember when we traded Knoblauch to the Yankees. He won 3 championships but was never the same player. It really looks like all of this has gotten into Loves head. I suspected we were substantially overrating Love when we would freak out when anyone would suggest Griffin was a better 4. Now I honestly doubt Love will ever be an all star again.
It's interesting that you bring up Knoblauch, doper, because I see lots of similarities. On the positive side they were both talented athletes with a gritty attitude that allowed them to perform beyond their natural ability. But they were also both narcissistic jerks unable to build relationships with teammates, and with questionable relationships with women (Knobby's well-documented, Love's only rumored). I generally have a favorable attitude toward most athletes who starred here, but Love and Knobby are part of a thankfully small group of similar guys (Christian Laettner is in there too) that I will always despise.
Glen the Oracle! He was spot on on all three points.
Great trip back in time. Sometimes people think they want the spotlight but can't handle it.
I remember when we traded Knoblauch to the Yankees. He won 3 championships but was never the same player. It really looks like all of this has gotten into Loves head. I suspected we were substantially overrating Love when we would freak out when anyone would suggest Griffin was a better 4. Now I honestly doubt Love will ever be an all star again.
It's interesting that you bring up Knoblauch, doper, because I see lots of similarities. On the positive side they were both talented athletes with a gritty attitude that allowed them to perform beyond their natural ability. But they were also both narcissistic jerks unable to build relationships with teammates, and with questionable relationships with women (Knobby's well-documented, Love's only rumored). I generally have a favorable attitude toward most athletes who starred here, but Love and Knobby are part of a thankfully small group of similar guys (Christian Laettner is in there too) that I will always despise.
I never knew LST hated white athletes until this thread.
Glen the Oracle! He was spot on on all three points.
Great trip back in time. Sometimes people think they want the spotlight but can't handle it.
I remember when we traded Knoblauch to the Yankees. He won 3 championships but was never the same player. It really looks like all of this has gotten into Loves head. I suspected we were substantially overrating Love when we would freak out when anyone would suggest Griffin was a better 4. Now I honestly doubt Love will ever be an all star again.
It's interesting that you bring up Knoblauch, doper, because I see lots of similarities. On the positive side they were both talented athletes with a gritty attitude that allowed them to perform beyond their natural ability. But they were also both narcissistic jerks unable to build relationships with teammates, and with questionable relationships with women (Knobby's well-documented, Love's only rumored). I generally have a favorable attitude toward most athletes who starred here, but Love and Knobby are part of a thankfully small group of similar guys (Christian Laettner is in there too) that I will always despise.
I never knew LST hated white athletes until this thread.
