Ford: Kevin Love improving athleticism

[karch34]

Love has a lot of skills including a high basketball IQ and great passing ability. The problem is he's not very athletic and while he's working on it there's only so much you can do.

I think he'll be a solid NBA player due to his passion and work ethic, but at the same time I really don't see him being a difference maker. I think if he winds up on an established team he'll be reasonably productive and probably plays for 10 years. On a team like ours we need someone with the potential to be a star, not an above average role player.

I'd take him later in the first if he dropped and we acquired another pick, but right now I don't view him as much of an upgrade from Craig Smith.

[NO-KG-AI]

His standing reach will be much more important than his height.

[the_bruce]

Hmm...I'd like to see his athletic markers after he lost 20-30lbs, I've done training with 20 lb weighted vests before and I was amazed how much it affects quickness/speed, of course its not a great example as those vests centralize all the weight on your core and Love has to lose weight everywhere. So I'm not really sure what 20+ lbs does to a guy in terms of lateral quickness and general athleticism. To me the only thing I'd be wary of is the fact he's had a few surgeries on his knees, attempting to drop that weight would surely force his joints to take a pounding and we'd clearly end up with another young guy with messed up knees for a season.

[karch34]

That's a good point with the knees. I think you could probably make the argument that long term dropping the 20 lbs should help his knees. I've dropped over 30 lbs the last couple of years and my knees are much better now than when I was in my 20s. Of course getting to that point did put a lot of stress on them as well.

Of course with our luck if we get Love he'll have bad knees for a few years and play maybe 20% of the games.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Love had 20 blocks in the tournament, #1 overall.

He was already getting into game shape by that time, now he's focusing entirely on basketball and fitness instead of being a full-time student at UCLA, he's only going to improve.

Madsen is only 6'9 and not in that great of physical shape and I have no problem having him guard most centers in the league because he's good at it.

Being smart can carry you a long ways

[the_bruce]

So you are saying...

Mark Madsen + skill = Kevin love

or

Kevin Love - dancing = Mark Madsen

[Devilzsidewalk]

I'm just saying you can be a good defender even if you're not build like Ben Wallace

[horaceworthy]

I'd rather take the guy who was FIT throughout college (Lopez). Love is a good prospect but he's not a #2 guy. I think in this draft, we have to come out with a #1 or #2 guy. Love is clearly a #3 or worse guy. I hate to say this about a guy so young, but Love doesn't seem to have much potential to get better. He's a polished player because he's so limited athletically. He's going to be too slow to guard NBA PFs, and too short for Cs. And I'm sorry but that video hardly has any footage that shows his improved athleticism. I like Kevin Love, I just think there are at least six guys worth taking before him.

Do you think that's the logic that the Jazz used when they took Kris Humphries instead of Al Jefferson?

Potential isn't just when somebody needs to round out their skills, put on weight, or up their knowledge of the game. Sometimes it's somebody needing to get into shape in order to take advantage of their talents, as has been the case for Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Udonis Haslem or Andrew Bynum. The best example of this throughout history is probably Charles Barkley, who often credits Moses Malone for helping him get in some shape.

Now, Love could go the way of those guys, or he could go in the direction of Oliver Miller, Stanley Roberts and Eddy Curry and never get into shape.

There are a lot of similarities between Love and Jefferson circa 2004, and Love seems to be understanding the importance of a work ethic and taking care of his body earlier than Big Al did.

I share the concern about the defense of a Love/Jefferson frontcourt, but Love did display a good head for the defensive side of the game at UCLA, and if he benefits from getting himself in better shape, he could turn out to be a solid defender. Offensively, there isn't a big man in this draft that matches up with Jefferson as well as Love does (with the exception of Beasley), and they should both be able to rebound. Plus, Corey Brewer would instantly add 2-3ppg to his average from Love's outlet passes.

In the end, I'd also take Lopez over Love, because I was really impressed by his ability to close of the paint while still playing good-to-great man defense, I just wanted to comment on what was said about Love's potential.

[TheFranchise21]

Carmelo was fat his freshman year. He might've toned up a bit but he's always had above average athleticism. His first step is underrated too. Even now he's not very cut. He certainly could get into better shape but he's still a good athlete.

I don't think being overweight was ever a real problem for Al. He just needed PT and experience.

Can't say anything about Haslem cause I don't follow him.

With Love, him losing some weight might help him a little bit athletically, but we are all limited to what God gives us.

I'm not trying to knock Love, I'm just saying there are six solid players ahead of him on my draft board.

Think about if we matched up with the Hornets. Between Chandler and West, Love would be outmatched athletically. Ditto for the Suns with Shaq and Amare. Even Bynum and Pau.

I do agree though that Love fits perfectly next to Big Al on offense, but we've all seen firsthand that defense wins championships (not to be cliche).

[4ho5ive]

1. Rose
2. Beasley
3. Mayo
4. Lopez
5. Randolph

Then I MIGHT start to consider Love. If we somehow fall to Worst Case pick #6 then maybe. But these 5 guys have to be off the board. The League is getting smaller, faster and much more athletic. Love may be a decade too late.

[horaceworthy]

Carmelo was fat his freshman year. He might've toned up a bit but he's always had above average athleticism. His first step is underrated too. Even now he's not very cut. He certainly could get into better shape but he's still a good athlete.

I don't think being overweight was ever a real problem for Al. He just needed PT and experience.

Can't say anything about Haslem cause I don't follow him.

With Love, him losing some weight might help him a little bit athletically, but we are all limited to what God gives us.

I'm not trying to knock Love, I'm just saying there are six solid players ahead of him on my draft board.

Think about if we matched up with the Hornets. Between Chandler and West, Love would be outmatched athletically. Ditto for the Suns with Shaq and Amare. Even Bynum and Pau.

I do agree though that Love fits perfectly next to Big Al on offense, but we've all seen firsthand that defense wins championships (not to be cliche).

'Melo was also pudgy his rookie year. His first step wasn't always so deadly (it was always good, now it's one of the best in the league, and he leaks out on the break well, too). His rookie year he tended to mostly use his jab series to create space for jumpers. While he still does that, he also gets to the rim a good amount (as evidenced by his FG% rising from 43% to 48-49% and a rise in his FT rate).

Being overweight was a huge problem for Al when he entered the league. Why do you think he was unable to stay on the court for more than 15-18mpg, despite being Boston's best post player, his first two seasons? His stamina was piss poor. He'd either get tired and lose effectiveness or start committing stupid fouls (as big men tend to do when they run out of gas). He's said numerous times that he finally started taking preparing for the season seriously before the '06-07 season. Lo and behold, he was finally able to stay on the court for 30+mpg.

Haslem was a pudgster at Florida, had problems with his stamina, speed and lift, then he got hooked up with David Thorpe (of IMG Academey fame), got in phenomenal shape, and was able to play a key role on a championship team by providing great defense at the PF position.

While we all might be limited to what God gave us, we don't yet know what God has given Kevin Love, because it's been hidden under 20 or so lbs. of paunch.

I'm fine with you having six players ahead of Love on your draft board, but that wasn't the statement I was addressing. You also spoke to Love's lack of potential, which is what I was responding to.

I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself thinking about potential match-ups with the Hornets, Lakers and Suns. Let's see this group win 30 games before we start thinking about how we match up with playoff teams.

It isn't just defense that wins championships. Taking care of the ball, getting extra possessions by rebounding, scoring efficiently, and taking advantage of easy scoring opportunities on the break, all things Love brings to the table, play a role in winning as well.

Basically, when it comes to Love, I see a guy with a phenomenal skill set and head for the game that has a decent amount of potential due to not knowing just how athletic he'll be if he gets in shape (which it looks like he's doing), and someone that's shown signs of "getting it" both on and off the court. I feel more comfortable taking a chance on a guy like that than someone who may not have a true position, may not have the drive to be great, or has to refine many aspects of his game as well as his body (through bulking up instead of losing weight, which is typical with most of the "potential" projects). Just because he's already shown an array of skills doesn't mean he can't improve on those either. Which student would you feel more confident about succeeding/learning if you were on a college admissions board, a diligent A student with above average but not great ACT/SAT scores, or a C+/B- student with higher test scores that's slacked off for 17-18 years?

[revprodeji]

I could see Love moving up to the 4th pick on our board. He looks far, far more athletic than I have seen him. The big issues is if he is a big 6'9 or 6'10. If he is than he needs to be on our board. I think he would fit very well next to Al and we would have our starting frontcourt. Love can be a very effective NBA player. He is a very good passer, BBIQ, has a good jump shot. Good rebounder and defender.

Hopefully we get a top 2 pick, but if we land 4-6 then love needs to be considered.

[TheFranchise21]

Basically, when it comes to Love, I see a guy with a phenomenal skill set and head for the game that has a decent amount of potential due to not knowing just how athletic he'll be if he gets in shape (which it looks like he's doing), and someone that's shown signs of "getting it" both on and off the court. I feel more comfortable taking a chance on a guy like that than someone who may not have a true position, may not have the drive to be great, or has to refine many aspects of his game as well as his body (through bulking up instead of losing weight, which is typical with most of the "potential" projects). Just because he's already shown an array of skills doesn't mean he can't improve on those either. Which student would you feel more confident about succeeding/learning if you were on a college admissions board, a diligent A student with above average but not great ACT/SAT scores, or a C+/B- student with higher test scores that's slacked off for 17-18 years?

I couldn't agree with you more. But nobody ahead of Love on my draft board has the problem of not having a true position. I think those six guys have the drive as well. Randolph and Gallinari might be more long term projects than Love but I like their size a lot better than Love. I like Kevin Love. I think the comparisons to Sean May are unfair. May is a nonathletic post player. Love actually has a jumper and has much more potential coming out of school than May did.

[horaceworthy]

Like I said, I have no problem with your placement of him on a draft board. He's 5th on mine, only two spots higher than you have him. I haven't seen enough of Gallinari to feel comfortable putting him ahead of Love. I've seen a fair amount of Randolph, heck of an athlete, a project, no real defined position at the moment (too slight for a PF, not enough of a polished perimeter game for SF). I like his potential, but I've seen and heard enough to be worried about the probability of him reaching it. I'm not going to rake anybody over the coals for having either of them ahead of Love, I can completely understand why someone would, I just don't have it that way.

I was responding mostly to the comments about Love not having much potential to get better and deciding right now just how limited athletically he is.

[Krapinsky]

I like Speights and Randolph more than Love. I respect Love's game, but this is a team in need of a difference maker and not another complimentary player. In other words, I'd be more willing to gamble than take the sure thing.

Some of you might think I'm crazy, but my wolves draft board looks like this-

Rose
Beasley
Mayo
Lopez
Speights
Randolph
Gallinari
Bayless
Love
Jordan
McGee

[TheFranchise21]

Speights seems way too similar to Al. We need a guy who can play with Al, not be another Al.