SI Ranks Kevin Love at #21 .. Right Now

[shrink]

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/08 ... nos-21-30/

21. KEVIN LOVE
PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
Age: 22
2010-11 Stats: 20.2 PPG, 47.0 FG%, 41.7, 3PT%, 85.0 FT%, 15.2 RPG, 2.5 APG

I can’t wait for Love to make this ranking look ridiculous. But at this point on the list, when comparing the league’s top players, you begin to zero in on perceived weaknesses. Love has two right now, and that’s enough to knock the guy who ranked fourth in PER (24.39) down to No. 21.

Love’s first weakness: He’s still learning all the non-rebounding elements of defense, all the complicated help-and-recover stuff that separates the best defenders and defensive teams from the rest. This was a team-wide issue with the Timberwolves, and Love was far from the worst offender. But he was part of the problem, as any young big man would be.

Rebounding is part of the solution, and Love does that better than anyone. He does it so well, in fact, that you’ll occasionally find him prepping to box out a shooter rather than running at that shooter with his hands up, trying to bother the actual shot. That’s fine in some cases, but Love will have to find the right balance between eating rebounds and doing the other things that make a great defender.

Love’s second weakness: He can’t create his own shot consistently. He’s a decent post-up threat against the right defender, but he shot just 29 percent in isolations, according to Synergy, and he’s just not quite ready to be a go-to guy on a team that desperately needs someone other than Michael Beasley to be a go-to guy.

Love works his butt off, and he’s going to get better at these things. That’s what players do with experience, and every big man needs a season or two (or six) to learn how best to defend five fast-moving players darting around the court. And when that improvement comes, Love is going to rank among the top 10 players in the league for a long time. A big man who can rebound like this and shoot 40 percent from three-point range in high volumes makes him a threat both in the pick-and-pop and trailing the fast break. That player has never existed … until now.

25. Al Horford
24. Nene
23. Tim Duncan
22. Chris Bosh
21. Kevin Love
20. Carmelo Anthony
19. Amar’e Stoudemire
18. Steve Nash
17. Kevin Garnett
16. Manu Ginobili
15. Paul Pierce
14. Blake Griffin
13 .Zach Randolph
12. Russell Westbrook
11. LaMarcus Aldridge
10. Pau Gasol
9. Derrick Rose
8. Kevin Durant
7. Deron Williams
6. Chris Paul
5. Kobe Bryant
4. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Dwyane Wade
2. Dwight Howard
1. LeBron James

[shrink]

He'll do better when ESPN gets up to him on wins

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/68655 ... gs-351-400

[PG24]

Excellent analysis. I think it's fair a placement as far as the ranking. In order for him to vault to that next level he needs to become more of a player to run an offense through. It definitely looks like he's been working his butt off to take on that role starting next season. A little more agility will go a long ways in becoming more of a go-to option.

[moss_is_1]

Surprisingly that list is really good. I'd probably switch Wade and Howard, and knock Blake Griffin down a couple spots, but nothing too big to argue about.

[PG24]

Surprisingly that list is really good. I'd probably switch Wade and Howard, and knock Blake Griffin down a couple spots, but nothing too big to argue about.

Agreed. Although I'd knock Kobe down too. CP3 has definitely surpassed him imo, Durant could easily be argued as well.

[cpfsf]

The one thing that stood out for me is Carmelo Anthony's rank. I'm going off on a little rant here, but has anyone noticed a lot of Anthony criticism lately? He's been in the same guy for 8 years and now it's become kind of the cool thing to bash him. I have no issue at all with him being ranked at #20, and I don't believe for a second that he's a top 15 player. My complaint is that a lot of people are making it seem like they made some shocking discovery. I'm seeing a lot of articles that he's overrated, and my one issue with that is it's hard to get rid of that overrated label. Just ask Rubio.

Maybe Anthonys partially at fault for choosing the team he wanted to be traded to.

[cpfsf]

Good list, but Aldridge seems too high.

[bluethunder0005]

The one thing that stood out for me is Carmelo Anthony's rank. I'm going off on a little rant here, but has anyone noticed a lot of Anthony criticism lately? He's been in the same guy for 8 years and now it's become kind of the cool thing to bash him. I have no issue at all with him being ranked at #20, and I don't believe for a second that he's a top 15 player. My complaint is that a lot of people are making it seem like they made some shocking discovery. I'm seeing a lot of articles that he's overrated, and my one issue with that is it's hard to get rid of that overrated label. Just ask Rubio.

Maybe Anthonys partially at fault for choosing the team he wanted to be traded to.

I think Melo has just gotten a lot of unwarranted hate going against him. Him and Durant are virtually the same player except Melo is still a bit better in my opinion. I don't know if it's his attitude or what but I see lists like these all the time and Durant is always really high and Melo is several spots lower.

[john2jer]

The one thing that stood out for me is Carmelo Anthony's rank. I'm going off on a little rant here, but has anyone noticed a lot of Anthony criticism lately? He's been in the same guy for 8 years and now it's become kind of the cool thing to bash him. I have no issue at all with him being ranked at #20, and I don't believe for a second that he's a top 15 player. My complaint is that a lot of people are making it seem like they made some shocking discovery. I'm seeing a lot of articles that he's overrated, and my one issue with that is it's hard to get rid of that overrated label. Just ask Rubio.

Maybe Anthonys partially at fault for choosing the team he wanted to be traded to.

I think Melo has just gotten a lot of unwarranted hate going against him. Him and Durant are virtually the same player except Melo is still a bit better in my opinion. I don't know if it's his attitude or what but I see lists like these all the time and Durant is always really high and Melo is several spots lower.

Through 4 years in the league, Durant is significantly better than Carmelo at this same stage:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y2=2007

Though last year alone, they were very similar players, though Durant is more efficient, and seems to do more for winning basketball:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y2=2011

[john2jer]

Throw in Durant being 4 years younger, and no controversies yet, I'd MUCH rather have Durant, and it's not even close.

PS: I loved Melo until he went to the Knicks. Now I hate him, just on principle.

[shangrila]

He's still an awesome player though. He shouldn't be ranked that low just because people don't like how he handled the whole Knicks thing.

[Narf]

If Melo played significantly better defense he'd be a very similar player to Durant. But he doesn't, and that justifies dropping him to about #12 IMO. I think I'd switch him with Westbrook, personally, who I think is overrated by just about everyone these days. When he shoots 40% from the field taking 17 shots a game next year while ignoring his open teammates I wonder if people will figure out that's who he is.

I think I would put Howard #1, Lebron 2, CP3 3, Dirk 4 (after last year's performance I nudged him up, normally he wouldn't be top 5), Durant 5, Wade 6, D-Will 7, and Kobe 8.

[southern wolf]

I'd swap Melo and Aldridge, give or take a few spots. Love at #21 is fair enough.

[shangrila]

Melo had a 108 defensive rating this year, Durant had a 107, so they're at least similar in that respect.

Westbrook and Aldridge are ridiculously overrated here.

[shrink]

Very Slow ESPN Countdown so far:

395 Nikola Pekovic

364 Wayne Ellington

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/68655 ... gs-351-400

T-Wolves had the worst record in the league but only have two players in the bottom 100. Encouraging. #NBArank

[moss_is_1]

Melo had a 108 defensive rating this year, Durant had a 107, so they're at least similar in that respect.

Westbrook and Aldridge are ridiculously overrated here.

Aldridge is a beast...he was carying PDX with everyone down. Plus he can play both PF/C at a high level...I'd like to see him up his rebounding, otherwise I think he's the 2nd/3rd best PF, depending what Gasol is doing.

[moss_is_1]

Very Slow ESPN Countdown so far:

395 Nikola Pekovic

364 Wayne Ellington

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/68655 ... gs-351-400

T-Wolves had the worst record in the league but only have two players in the bottom 100. Encouraging. #NBArank

Lazar Hayward is #409 as well.
Malcolm Lee is #423

[jade_hippo]

Melo had a 108 defensive rating this year, Durant had a 107, so they're at least similar in that respect.

Westbrook and Aldridge are ridiculously overrated here.

Aldridge is a beast...he was carying PDX with everyone down. Plus he can play both PF/C at a high level...I'd like to see him up his rebounding, otherwise I think he's the 2nd/3rd best PF, depending what Gasol is doing.

I love Aldridge, but my problem with him, is that he hasn't significantly improved anything. I only watched maybe 10 or 12 Blazers games last year but it seemed to me the only thing that happened is with Roy and Oden down, the refs called more fouls for him so it seemed like he was way more physical than before. His stat line is almost unchanged in the last 3 years aside from FTA and as a result FTM and PPG. I love him and wish we had him, but I'm calling over-rated too, he's the same guy he was 3 years ago, he hasn't expanded his game in any way, and the 3-4 plus defenders he plays with at any given time make his defense look way better than it was.

[shangrila]

Melo had a 108 defensive rating this year, Durant had a 107, so they're at least similar in that respect.

Westbrook and Aldridge are ridiculously overrated here.

Aldridge is a beast...he was carying PDX with everyone down. Plus he can play both PF/C at a high level...I'd like to see him up his rebounding, otherwise I think he's the 2nd/3rd best PF, depending what Gasol is doing.

That still doesn't make him the 11th best current player. I mean, if you want to argue about carrying a team, then what Amare did earlier in the season for the Knicks should at least put him above Aldridge.

[IAmTheTruth]

Too low...K-Love is top 15 easily.