Love's post game comments

[thedoper]

He didn't use names. And even if he did Martin and Adelman both need to wake up after last night's loss. Love has every right to be pissed off by what happened last night. I actually think last night solidified Love's role as a leader. 45-19-6 gives you the right to question your teammates performance publically. Especially when decisions were made by the coach which threw the game in the garbage. I was first in line to criticize Love last year, that shit was immature. This is totally different. Love has bought into Adelman's system and Adelman's guys 100%. But when a loss slips away in a very meaningful game by easily correctable mistakes, it is a leader's job to reflect the cold hard facts. Last night falls on Martin and moreso Adelman for deciding that Martin and not Rubio should be handling the ball on the most important possession of the game. We deserve any dysfunction that creeps into this team from here on out for buying the BS and shouldn't blame Love at all even if he did call out his teammates by name. His teammates fucked him over and that isn't even mentioning JJ's spinaround fadeaway in the lane with 3 giants guarding him in OT.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I have no problem with Martin handling the ball, waiting to get fouled, instead of Rubio at that juncture.

Dribbling with it in the face of a double team... well...

But the basic strategy to get the ball to the team's best free throw shooter was sound. More sound, I'd argue, than giving it to the PG who would be aiming for his first points of the game.

[thedoper]

I have no problem with Martin handling the ball, waiting to get fouled, instead of Rubio at that juncture.

Dribbling with it in the face of a double team... well...

But the basic strategy to get the ball to the team's best free throw shooter was sound. More sound, I'd argue, than giving it to the PG who would be aiming for his first points of the game.

Ricky is an 85% free throw shooter who has been getting fouled at the end of pro basketball games since he was 14. Passing that far in the backcourt ensured that the player would likely have to dribble. Martin lost the ball because he was asked to do something not in his repertoire. That is bad play design.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

He didn't use names. And even if he did Martin and Adelman both need to wake up after last night's loss. Love has every right to be pissed off by what happened last night. I actually think last night solidified Love's role as a leader. 45-19-6 gives you the right to question your teammates performance publically. Especially when decisions were made by the coach which threw the game in the garbage. I was first in line to criticize Love last year, that shit was immature. This is totally different. Love has bought into Adelman's system and Adelman's guys 100%. But when a loss slips away in a very meaningful game by easily correctable mistakes, it is a leader's job to reflect the cold hard facts. Last night falls on Martin and moreso Adelman for deciding that Martin and not Rubio should be handling the ball on the most important possession of the game. We deserve any dysfunction that creeps into this team from here on out for buying the BS and shouldn't blame Love at all even if he did call out his teammates by name. His teammates fucked him over and that isn't even mentioning JJ's spinaround fadeaway in the lane with 3 giants guarding him in OT.

The fact that he didn't use names is irrelevant. According to the only guy on this board who watched the interview, it was clear that Love was talking about Martin. Nothing is more damaging to team chemistry than not believing you can trust your teammates, and Martin has no reason to trust Love now. This kind of bullshit doesn't happen on the good teams with real leaders, and that's why those teams consistently win. The teams who throw each other under the bus are the ones that aren't cohesive enough to win close games. Hmmm...I wonder which team is 0-5 in close games now. Love needs to grow up.

[thedoper]

The fact that he didn't use names is irrelevant. According to the only guy on this board who watched the interview, it was clear that Love was talking about Martin. Nothing is more damaging to team chemistry than not believing you can trust your teammates, and Martin has no reason to trust Love now. This kind of bullshit doesn't happen on the good teams with real leaders, and that's why those teams consistently win. The teams who throw each other under the bus are the ones that aren't cohesive enough to win close games. Hmmm...I wonder which team is 0-5 in close games now. Love needs to grow up.

http://www.startribune.com/video/237036991.html#sfcsi

I watch the interview again just now and I did watch it last night. If Martin is a pro he knows his mistakes and should be agreeing with Love. There is nothing there to call Love out on. Calling out players can go either way depending on their professionalism. If Martin is a baby then you would be right and he may have trouble trusting Love after that interview. If he is a man he will get his shit together and up his game. Love is not a selfish player on the court so I would suspect that Martin will act like a pro and up his game. If Martin can't trust Love after Love telling the truth then it is Martin's problem as a supposed veteran leader and not Love's.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

If Love thinks that Kevin Martin is really the reason this club isn't over .500, then be a man and tell Martin face to face. Telling the media jackals instead is cowardly and immature. Great for Zgoda because it gives him something to write about, but bad for the team.

[thedoper]

If Love thinks that Kevin Martin is really the reason this club isn't over .500, then be a man and tell Martin face to face. Telling the media jackals instead is cowardly and immature. Great for Zgoda because it gives him something to write about, but bad for the team.

That's just not really fair. The media was in the room. They all knew what happened. Love didn't say anything that should affect a stable, well adjusted adult who gets paid millions to put a ball through a hoop. Just watch the video, it is nothing.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I find it laughable that people are actually upset by Love basically saying next to nothing in that clip.
A LOT of conjecture on the part of armchair NBA insiders on that one.

The team has MANY problems. Love NOT calling out a player by name... and Love NOT pinpointing a specific play in question... are not chief among them.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I find it laughable that people are actually upset by Love basically saying next to nothing in that clip.
A LOT of conjecture on the part of armchair NBA insiders on that one.

The team has MANY problems. Love NOT calling out a player by name... and Love NOT pinpointing a specific play in question... are not chief among them.

Abe, I'm not going to say it's laughable, but I am surprised you and Doper just don't get how bullshit like that can tear a team apart. The media jackals know Love is putty in their hands because he is an emotional guy, and will eventually break down. His answer "you watched the game...it's pretty obvious" is the worst thing he could have said. I'll bet Flip, Adelman, and the smarter guys on the team were just cringing when they heard that. True champions know how to fend off the media and cover for their teammates with a cliché. "This is a team game, and everyone on our team made mistakes tonight. This isn't about one or two plays". That's what LeBron James would have said. It doesn't make great newspaper copy...it just makes championships.
I wonder if Love ever wonders why a college team with Love, Westbrook, Collison and Mbah a Moute couldn't win a championship. We got a clue tonight.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I find it laughable that people are actually upset by Love basically saying next to nothing in that clip.
A LOT of conjecture on the part of armchair NBA insiders on that one.

The team has MANY problems. Love NOT calling out a player by name... and Love NOT pinpointing a specific play in question... are not chief among them.

Abe, I'm not going to say it's laughable, but I am surprised you and Doper just don't get how bullshit like that can tear a team apart. The media jackals know Love is putty in their hands because he is an emotional guy, and will eventually break down. His answer "you watched the game...it's pretty obvious" is the worst thing he could have said. I'll bet Flip, Adelman, and the smarter guys on the team were just cringing when they heard that. True champions know how to fend off the media and cover for their teammates with a cliché. "This is a team game, and everyone on our team made mistakes tonight. This isn't about one or two plays". That's what LeBron James would have said. It doesn't make great newspaper copy...it just makes championships.
I wonder if Love ever wonders why a college team with Love, Westbrook, Collison and Mbah a Moute couldn't win a championship. We got a clue tonight.

1. The crack on UCLA is funny. And pretty bitter. That team lost in the Final Four... to Memphis, who was led by Derrick Rose and simply considered better at the time. Besides that, Love was a FRESHMAN. Do you know how many all-time greats lost in the NCAA Tourney to teams of lesser talent?

Even "winners" like Michael Jordan.

2. You're making conjectures about what Love was talking about. You could say that the Wolves in general felt less than inspired by the officiating. Adelman and Martin both made pointed comments about it, although I didn't see many grievous calls. Maybe Love thought poor officiating was pretty obvious.

3. I refuse to assume what I THINK a player meant by very non-descript comments. By all means, feel free to do so. Then again, I think most players don't add too much when they open their mouths in the first place.