Kevin Love - Miami Ground Machine

[AZCavs]

He's not exactly Ryan Anderson from 3 point range.

Let's hope not because Ryan Anderson has been complete trash from long range this year. He just seems to step up when he plays the Cavs.

 

[Cashius X]

Let's hope not because Ryan Anderson has been complete trash from long range this year. He just seems to step up when he plays the Cavs.

35% on 7 attempts per game is trash?

 

[Rich]

We were a better rebounding team and defensive team last year. If we call the Deng to Lebron transition a wash, which it ain't, Love hurts us.

Sorry I am having a hard time not seeing it this way. He hasn't been unstoppable by any measure even with less attention from opponents.

I'd love for him to prove me wrong, but he hasn't. I'm convinced now than ever he is taking rebounds away from team mates.

He has added scoring, but is it a net positive?

I really can't even see the benefit of his spacing. Guess I will take your word for it. I was holding my tongue during the winning streak because I thought he could be hidden, but we are going to run into length in the playoffs, and he is going to look like Mo Williams in 2009.

Call me crazy, but the lack of backlash to my last post in this thread makes me think everyone is worried. We can't keep blaming Tristan and Andy. They are good defenders.

Which rim protector is capable of covering for him? I think it would have to be a hall of famer.

The top 5 NBA player thing was even more overblown than I thought. Is trade him for

Anthony Davis
Lamarcus Aldridge
Blake Griffin
Al Horford
Marc Gasol

There are at least 5 other guys I would trade him for if they were younger. IMO he isn't top 5 at his position.

Sorry that his stats don't impress me. We would get those rebounds anyway.

There isn't one person on this board that consistently sees things completely different than I do when watching games. Forget about Love, I'm curious as to how anyone who has watched the team this season can say this next line

We can't keep blaming Tristan and Andy. They are good defenders.

Tristan...ok, I'm not gonna go to the mat arguing he's not a good defender, but Varejao? You've watched Varejao all 24 games this season and have concluded he's been playing good defense? It wasn't just Paul Millsap going off last night, it was Al Horford too. Varejao was guarding one of them...

 

[CavsHomer]

Wow, what exactly is going on this thread?
The hate torwards Love is reaching new dimensions.
Not even top 5 on his position? Come on now...

And all after yesterdays game? We don't even give him the benefit of the doubt of not being at 100% due to his flue like symptons?

Surprises me that almost no one is criticizing LeBron for yesterdays performance or for his defense in generell this season, when actually he is the one with the reputation of beeing the lockdown perimeter defender. He isn't playing to his defensive abillities at all so far.
Countless times his man blows past him which causes our defense to collapse completely. Also numerous times after a bad shot on offense or a turnover, he doesn't run back quick enough to help our defense. He just doesn't care more often than not.
So why does he get away with it?

Seems to me that Love is some people's scapegoat because of his reputation of being soft on defense.
Some double standards right here...

Yes his defense is bad, but he's for sure not the only one who currently gives a f*ck on that end of the floor.

Still all this talking of him not beeing a max player or not a top 5 pf in the league are crazy exaggerations imo.

 

[Cayman13]

CavsHomer- good point. I think his defensive lapses are magnified because of the rest of the team. We already know this, but he needs to be paired with some better bigs. Let's hope the front office can make that happen. I love KLove- hate his defense, but everyone knew this going in. Love his shooting tho.

 

[mhi]

Tristan...ok, I'm not gonna go to the mat arguing he's not a good defender, but Varejao? You've watched Varejao all 24 games this season and have concluded he's been playing good defense? It wasn't just Paul Millsap going off last night, it was Al Horford too. Varejao was guarding one of them...

Agreed, I never got all the hoopla about him being a good defender anyways. I mean yes, he's big and can absorb contact against postups. He also takes charges. That's about it.

Anyways, with the way we show hard on pick n rolls he simply can't recover and it's painful to watch him try; it won't be long before he breaks down from it.

 

[Cavatt]

There isn't one person on this board that consistently sees things completely different than I do when watching games. Forget about Love, I'm curious as to how anyone who has watched the team this season can say this next line



Tristan...ok, I'm not gonna go to the mat arguing he's not a good defender, but Varejao? You've watched Varejao all 24 games this season and have concluded he's been playing good defense? It wasn't just Paul Millsap going off last night, it was Al Horford too. Varejao was guarding one of them...

Who needs to prove he is a good defender? He has been a difference making defender his entire career. Horford going off on him doesn't prove anything. Horford is a great player.

Andy over helps, so when the other big doesn't cover for him his guy score a lot. That's why he has good numbers keeping guys out of the paint, but bad once they get there.

Do I need to explain how guys get hot when you are a revolving door? Have you been seeing Kevin's "gosh guys" grimace when his guy goes right by him for the 10th time.

What I am really staying here is that I think Rim Protector or no, I don't think we can beat any good team in the west if Love can't improve his D. We will be sunk because pf is one of the highest scoring positions and there are some amazing guys at that position.

I'd love an explanation of why we aren't dominating in rebounds.

 

[bushwick_bill]

I think

Varejao is basically getting paid at this point for his pick and roll chemistry with LeBron and nothing else. He's been a downright terrible defender this season.

I think our entire team has been atrocious with defending....

 

[mhi]

Ideally Varajao would drop back so he can be in position for charges and Love can continue hard hedging (we don't want him in the paint with a ball handler facing him).

Also TT has improved his def awareness to high levels, I've seen quite a few plays where he's in perfect position to contest the shot around the rim but doesn't get the block and the shot goes over his hands because he's just too short (if he was two inches taller he would be a better Deandre Jordan). Little things like that can deflate a player's attitude/effort but you never see that from him. TT is in the role he was born to play and IMO he's excelling at it.

 

[CavsFan005]

He's got a stroke there is no denying that. But max contract? Na. Maybe there is hope though, the Heat won finals games with Chris Bosh not even grabbing a single rebounding.

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Kevin is the shit. Fuck y'all haters

 

[LeShaq]

As long as none of these commenters is David Griffin, everything is ok.

 

[AZCavs]

35% on 7 attempts per game is trash?

If you factor in that Anderson is shooting 29.8 percent from behind the arc against every team in the league not named the Cleveland Cavaliers, then, yes, I'd say he's been pretty god awful from long range this year.

 

[LeShaq]

Charles Barkley shares his thoughts on Kevin Love. From earlier this year.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/261892201.html

I think Kevin Love is the best power forward in the NBA.


(Now, why on earth would we want to sign the best power forward in the NBA to a max contract? Hmm. I mean, the guy only averaged 26/12 last year. I'm sure we can do a lot better than him, can't we?)

Sarcasm over.

 

[scopedog]

\
I think Kevin Love is the best power forward in the NBA.

This is a big reason why the hype train got all started up in the first place.

At the moment Kevin Love is one of the worst defensive players in the NBA. Considering we have no center backing him up, that has a huge effect on us. I don't see how he can possibly be considered the best power forward in light of that.

I guess you don't agree, but to me it looks like he gets all those rebounds because instead of defending properly he just hopes they will miss instead. That sort of BS doesn't work when you don't have a center slamming anyone who dares take it to the hoop.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not laying all blame on KL. I think he could be a great asset if we construct our team the right way. But right now I believe the defensive hole he brings is our biggest weakness and if not fixed it's going to haunt us in the playoffs.