Kevin Love appreciation thread - looking to the future

[Zeitgeister]

I don't see why 15 is unreasonable either. KG/Howard pull down so many boards for the simple fact that there is absolutely no one else in the lineup that can pull down rebounds. I see him falling into the Rodman roll perfectly if we keep a core of Al/Foye because they are going to do most of the scoring, so Love is going to get a good chance of picking up a lot of rebounds and assists. He is pulling down rebounds like a 10 year vet, is it unreasonable to think his rebounding rate won't go up as he gets experience.

One subject I haven't seen touched... what is a reasonable assists/game for Love???

I think Kevin Love can average somewhere between 3-4 assists per game in his prime depending on the players around him and how involved he is in the offense.

[john2jer]

We need another true athletic 7 footer for sure. With that said, as long as Big Al is here, Love will be the 6th man. My ideal big rotation would be Dalembert (without the contract...but that type of player), Big Al and Love.

I feel like his best numbers in this case would be something like 15 pts/ 12 rebs/ 5 ast/ 1 blk. If Al gets trade to optimize roster and place Love at starting PF then he could get up to 22/14/6/1.5. You have to remember that he is only 19, he is by all accounts very intelligent, hardworking and has nowhere to go but up as far as body composition and conditioning.

He's 20, will be 21 before the start of next season.

Birth Date September 7, 1988.

Still you, yeah, and hopefully he'll improve as he gets in better shape and we get athletes around him.

[big3_8_19_21]

at his peak, Rodman was up to almost 19 rpg

Rodman's highest was 18.7 rebounds per game and he played over 40 minutes a game to get that with Detroit. I don't see Love ever playing more than 40 minutes per game.

I understand that. That was my response to Zeitgeister's post saying 14-15 rpg as a peak would be approaching Rodman territory. If Love was pulling down 15 boards a game for 5 or 6 years it might be, but I was simply pointing out that 15 boards a game as a peak is definitely not "Rodman territory".

[john2jer]

at his peak, Rodman was up to almost 19 rpg

Rodman's highest was 18.7 rebounds per game and he played over 40 minutes a game to get that with Detroit. I don't see Love ever playing more than 40 minutes per game.

I understand that. That was my response to Zeitgeister's post saying 14-15 rpg as a peak would be approaching Rodman territory. If Love was pulling down 15 boards a game for 5 or 6 years it might be, but I was simply pointing out that 15 boards a game as a peak is definitely not "Rodman territory".

Ah, I see. In this day and age, Rodman territory is just down right scary, and probably won't happen again. Typically players don't have the mindset of Rodman, because it's 3's and dunks that get you on Sportscenter, plus I just don't see many teams making space for someone who "ONLY" rebounds to get the kind of playing time that Rodman got, especially not at the 4 spot and as small as he was.

He was a totally different beast that guy was.

[Zeitgeister]

at his peak, Rodman was up to almost 19 rpg

Rodman's highest was 18.7 rebounds per game and he played over 40 minutes a game to get that with Detroit. I don't see Love ever playing more than 40 minutes per game.

I understand that. That was my response to Zeitgeister's post saying 14-15 rpg as a peak would be approaching Rodman territory. If Love was pulling down 15 boards a game for 5 or 6 years it might be, but I was simply pointing out that 15 boards a game as a peak is definitely not "Rodman territory".

Well, considering that Rodman is the only person on that list of elite rebounders to average 15 rpg, I would say 15 rpg is Rodman territory.

[big3_8_19_21]

That's like saying Rodman approached Wilt Chamberlain territory in rebounding because of what other rebounders have not done. It doesn't make sense. You can't compare Love and Rodman based on what Garnett, Howard, Barkley and Camby have or have not done.

[Zeitgeister]

That's like saying Rodman approached Wilt Chamberlain territory in rebounding because of what other rebounders have not done. It doesn't make sense. You can't compare Love and Rodman based on what Garnett, Howard, Barkley and Camby have or have not done.

Now you are just arguing semantics. Since Rodman averaged 13 RPG on his career, and during his prime had 2 seasons in the 14-15 RPG range, I said it was in Rodman's territory. I didn't say it would be equal to Rodman's peak, i'm well aware of how good Rodman was as a rebounder.

I just looked on bball reference and there have been 100 times that a player has averaged 15 rebounds per game or more. Many of which belonged to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. The rest of the list is occupied mostly by players who played in an era that was much faster paced then today.

Moses Malone (2), Dennis Rodman (7) , and Ben Wallace (1) are the only players to average 15 or more rebounds per game since 1980, do we really expect Kevin Love to approach those kind of historic numbers, especially when he plays with another guy that averages 10-11 RPG?

[big3_8_19_21]

I think we might be miscommunicating.

I don't EXPECT him to get 15 rpg, I mean that's his ceiling that he could possibly achieve. I'm just not ruling that number out yet. I EXPECT 12 rpg, hopefully more like 13.5

[invno1]

Love is a great addition for the Timberwolves. He has to work for what he gets, If McHale ran plays for him his numbers would rise...He's blue collar, lunch packin and like lots of you guys say Has a very high BBIQ. 2 or 3 years from now Kevin Love will look better than Al Jefferson doing lots more stuff.

[southern wolf]

He's been really encouraging, i'm just worried he won't be in Minnesota when he reaches his full potential. I know he's in our 'core' and McHale is his number one fan, but players rarely hang around in the same spot for long these days, even the good ones. And you have to say we've been a pretty trade happy franchise. Things could drastically change and he could have chemistry or injury issues. Plus a change in the FO may change things quickly. I guess only time will tell... etc. etc.

[Chance1117]

I think the Rodman, Love comparison is irrelevant. They are different players in a different era. K Love will never be in a wedding dress anything soon!

Rebounding numbers aside I think when Love is given the minutes he will contend as a league leader. Unlike Rodman, Love can score. I see him averaging 12 or so next year and 15 the following.

[Gus McCrae]

Good thread guys, i was just curious, coming from los angeles area (UCLA fan) i was reading about how Beasley and Oden are expected to do much better in the 2nd half of the season in comparison to the first half. I was wondering if you feel the same about Love? Do you think he'll get more burn in the 2nd half ? If not, do you think he's in for a better 2nd half of the season as compared to the first?

[invno1]

Hey SoCal24...Question for you- Are Love and Westbrook tight still?

[C.lupus]

Good thread guys, i was just curious, coming from los angeles area (UCLA fan) i was reading about how Beasley and Oden are expected to do much better in the 2nd half of the season in comparison to the first half. I was wondering if you feel the same about Love? Do you think he'll get more burn in the 2nd half ? If not, do you think he's in for a better 2nd half of the season as compared to the first?

It's completely dependent on his conditioning, IMO. I think McHale will give him minutes if he is earning them (and, yes, I think he can earn more as he learns more - hey that rhymes). His minutes now seem to be limited by conditioning more than anything. He just doesn't seem capable of more than 25 mpg night in, night out yet. I would love to see him play 30 mpg in the second half, though.

[Gus McCrae]

cool thanks for the response.

invno1 I wish I could answer your question man. couldn't tell you though. Westbrook is $hit though.