Minnesota Sports Forum

If you've ever actually watched a wolves game you can see Pek and especially Love are terrible at protecting the rim. And if watching games doesn't have you convinced then check the stats. If you look at everyone who has given up 5.4 attempts or more at the rim, you end up with 59 player or an average of 2 bigs per team. This also eliminates guards/wings. With 58.6% guess who's gives up the highest percentage at the rim...big shocker here it's Love! Pek of course is not to be outdone in this area, he comes in at a close 4th worse giving up 56.7%. For comparison, Ibaka gives up 42.8%.

If Love was so great at creating his own shot we would just give him the ball at the end of games. He just isn't that good at creating his own shot especially at the end of games when the D tightens up and focuses more on him.

An early candidate for most elitist post of the year. You feel better, Alex? These are 2 valid statements. Like others have said, they don't just refer to a player's isolation and shot blocking skills.

The one I personally love is when people referance Rubio as having "one of the highest basketball IQ's in the league". I have always wondered what determines this arbitrary thought. I get that guys like Ricky Davis, D-Will, etc are perceived as having a low IQ (they just are idiots as people in general), but I often question why someone like Ricky is granted as having a high or plus IQ. I am assuming it is because he can dish out a great assist. But what I see is a player that can't seem to fix any of his issues....can't capitalize on what skills and size he does have...and is now seemingly so lost I actually prefer to watch Barea (who makes me want to puke every time he hits the floor). Doesn't seem like a high IQ player to me. Just my 2 cents.

Hicks123 wrote:The one I personally love is when people referance Rubio as having "one of the highest basketball IQ's in the league". I have always wondered what determines this arbitrary thought. I get that guys like Ricky Davis, D-Will, etc are perceived as having a low IQ (they just are idiots as people in general), but I often question why someone like Ricky is granted as having a high or plus IQ. I am assuming it is because he can dish out a great assist. But what I see is a player that can't seem to fix any of his issues....can't capitalize on what skills and size he does have...and is now seemingly so lost I actually prefer to watch Barea (who makes me want to puke every time he hits the floor). Doesn't seem like a high IQ player to me. Just my 2 cents.

I think this is a great response to this post. I don't understand what high basketball IQ is either. I think the reality is that sports is full of clichés and we just have to accept that we will use them without any real understanding of the details. I think what we really need are guys that can put a ball in a basket more then other guys. And also guys who can stop other guys from putting a ball in a basket.

thedoper wrote:

Hicks123 wrote:The one I personally love is when people referance Rubio as having "one of the highest basketball IQ's in the league". I have always wondered what determines this arbitrary thought. I get that guys like Ricky Davis, D-Will, etc are perceived as having a low IQ (they just are idiots as people in general), but I often question why someone like Ricky is granted as having a high or plus IQ. I am assuming it is because he can dish out a great assist. But what I see is a player that can't seem to fix any of his issues....can't capitalize on what skills and size he does have...and is now seemingly so lost I actually prefer to watch Barea (who makes me want to puke every time he hits the floor). Doesn't seem like a high IQ player to me. Just my 2 cents.

I think this is a great response to this post. I don't understand what high basketball IQ is either. I think the reality is that sports is full of clichés and we just have to accept that we will use them without any real understanding of the details. I think what we really need are guys that can put a ball in a basket more then other guys. And also guys who can stop other guys from putting a ball in a basket.

Basketball IQ would refer to someones ability to understand the concepts of the game, this is like how people say Rubio has a great feel for the game. The way Rubio knows how to move offensively to create the right angle for a pass or to draw players in a certain direction to open someone up are two examples. A recent example of a low basketball IQ would be that article written about Shabazz's first D league game where it talked about him moving into the lane while a teammate was driving.

Also basketball IQ is about the mental side not the physical side. Saying Rubio has a low basketball IQ because he cannot shoot is like say Love has a low basketball IQ because he isn't an explosive athlete.

The Rage Monster wrote:

thedoper wrote:

Hicks123 wrote:The one I personally love is when people referance Rubio as having "one of the highest basketball IQ's in the league". I have always wondered what determines this arbitrary thought. I get that guys like Ricky Davis, D-Will, etc are perceived as having a low IQ (they just are idiots as people in general), but I often question why someone like Ricky is granted as having a high or plus IQ. I am assuming it is because he can dish out a great assist. But what I see is a player that can't seem to fix any of his issues....can't capitalize on what skills and size he does have...and is now seemingly so lost I actually prefer to watch Barea (who makes me want to puke every time he hits the floor). Doesn't seem like a high IQ player to me. Just my 2 cents.

I think this is a great response to this post. I don't understand what high basketball IQ is either. I think the reality is that sports is full of clichés and we just have to accept that we will use them without any real understanding of the details. I think what we really need are guys that can put a ball in a basket more then other guys. And also guys who can stop other guys from putting a ball in a basket.

Basketball IQ would refer to someones ability to understand the concepts of the game, this is like how people say Rubio has a great feel for the game. The way Rubio knows how to move offensively to create the right angle for a pass or to draw players in a certain direction to open someone up are two examples. A recent example of a low basketball IQ would be that article written about Shabazz's first D league game where it talked about him moving into the lane while a teammate was driving.

Also basketball IQ is about the mental side not the physical side. Saying Rubio has a low basketball IQ because he cannot shoot is like say Love has a low basketball IQ because he isn't an explosive athlete.

I agree. B-ball IQ is to basketball what good tactical skills are to soccer. It's knowing where to be and making the right decisions. I think one of the reasons Adelman likes Robbie Hummel so much is because of his b-ball IQ. However, b-ball IQ only takes you so far. As we've seen with Hummel, if you can't shoot or stay with people defensively, all the b-ball IQ in the world won't do you any good. But coaches love it, which is why guys like Robbie probably get more rope than they deserve.