Is Kevin Love the next Larry Bird

[mr.ankle]

Best Case Elton Brand
Worst Case Sean May/Marcus Fizer

[MYoung23]

Kevin Love in his wildest dreams wishes he could shoot and pass like Bird.

Webber is also a bad comparison as well as Brand. Brand has much quicker feet and a 7 footer's length.

Love is closer to Jeff Ruland than anyone else mentioned.

[commadoor 64]

Kevin Love ---- The next Larry Bird...................PUH-LEASE!

More like the next Brian Cardinal.


The "Stache" 2.0reo.

[horaceworthy]

Everyone is nuts, Larry Bird was a top 10 player EVER in this league and Webber is a top PF to play this game. I mean, put Webber against Love when Webber was in school at Michigan and love would get dominated. Webber had terrible knee problems so people remember the last five years or so instead of his GS days and early Sacramento days. I think Love would be a solid pro in the league, but stop comparing him to guys way above his class level. And if I hear ONE MORE white guy who is the next Larry Bird I am gonna vomit. I mean, wasn't it two years ago when people where wetting themselves over Adam "I now look like an ugly woman" Morrison and saying he was the next Bird?

You should relax. Nobody is saying that Love will be as good as Bird. I think that the comparison was brought up more as, "Will Love be someone whose advanced feel for the game allows them to overcome less than ideal athleticism?"

As you said, when most people think of Webber, they think of the guy who was playing on one good leg. That's the guy that they're comparing Love too, not the 27/11/4 guy. Decrepit Webber was still a guy that gave his team 19/9/4, albeit on poor percentages. Love has a better jump shot than Webber did at that stage as well.

[pr0wler]

Rich man's Nick Collison? And that's not a knock on Love btw...

[tsherkin]

Actually, comparison-wise, I was kind of thinking David West with much better passing, something like David West meets Wes Unseld.

Love's a pretty dangerous low post scorer even against bigger, more athletic guys, he's a very good shooter within 22 feet of the rim, a good rebounder, a great passer...

I could see him having some 18-20 ppg, 8-10 rpg and 3-5 apg seasons at his peak.

Webber's a bit much, though; passing-wise, sure, even rebounding-wise, but a healthy Webber once scored about 27 ppg and Love will not ever do that in the NBA, IMO.

[Gilles]

Webber's a bit much, though; passing-wise, sure, even rebounding-wise, but a healthy Webber once scored about 27 ppg and Love will not ever do that in the NBA, IMO.

Webb might have been a bit lazy to get more rebounds but passing-wise he was dominating so there's no "sure" there.

[UGA Hayes]

Actually, comparison-wise, I was kind of thinking David West with much better passing, something like David West meets Wes Unseld.

I don't see it. Even in college West was an automatic jumpshooter. Love doesn't evoke that comparison yet. Its been said often but his best asset might be that he seems like he could shed 20 pounds off his body which would improve his athleticism a lot. As a Boston fan we have seen Glen Davis get into much better shape than he was in college with a pretty obvious payoff.

[jebdrbhjb]

I'm not convinced Love's coming out this year, but if he does, and the Blazers are picking in the low teens, I would love to see him return to Portland. He would be perfect next to Oden and Aldridge with Roy in the back court. To me, that's plain dreamy.

[horaceworthy]

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I don't see it. Even in college West was an automatic jumpshooter. Love doesn't evoke that comparison yet. Its been said often but his best asset might be that he seems like he could shed 20 pounds off his body which would improve his athleticism a lot. As a Boston fan we have seen Glen Davis get into much better shape than he was in college with a pretty obvious payoff.

Not when he was a freshman. He wasn't anymore automatic than Love is as a jump shooter until his upperclassman years.

[Doctor MJ]

Kevin Love will be closer to Sue Bird than Larry

Lucky guy



Now, how will his game be?

[Cammo101]

My Magic need to move up and get Love. He is the perfect big to play next to Dwight.

[tsherkin]

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Webb might have been a bit lazy to get more rebounds but passing-wise he was dominating so there's no "sure" there.

I disagree; I think Love is on a level with Webber as a passer, absolutely. And I think that it's a gigantic complement, because Webber was absolutely outstanding in that regard.

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I don't see it. Even in college West was an automatic jumpshooter. Love doesn't evoke that comparison yet. Its been said often but his best asset might be that he seems like he could shed 20 pounds off his body which would improve his athleticism a lot. As a Boston fan we have seen Glen Davis get into much better shape than he was in college with a pretty obvious payoff.

Funny story, though; West's college 3P% are all lower than Love's and Kevin is slightly exceeding West's best FG% mark as well.

West was nasty, sure, but Love's actually converting at a similar rate and is better beyond the NCAA arc by about 2% over West's career-best at Xavier.

==

Now, on the topic of "ZOMG, Kevin Love!!"

He picked a fine time to put down his career-high of 29 points, up against Western Kentucky. 14 boards (nothing surprising there), shot 10/14 from the field, 4 assists, 4 blocks...

Love had a HUGE game tonight. He seems to have spent the season warming up and now he's dropping his best performances night after night. I guess they're up against Xavier now, right?

Anyway, he was a monster.

Love continues to impress and boost his draft stock.

[sh00n]

I love and hate that he's been picking it up now. I knew he was a beast and wanted him to do well, but now he's going further and further away from where the Raptors are picking. Kevin Love is going to be dominant in the NBA, mark my words.

[jumanji]

Is there a better player in America? i dont think so.

[_BBIB_]

Is there a better player in America? i dont think so.

Not at outlet passing.

But he's certainly not a top 5 draft prospect at this point.