godfather
Hall-of-Famer
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
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I will have a HUGE issue if Love looks disinterested in the playoffs, regardless of the touches he is getting. That will have to be addressed immediately if that comes to fruition.
If we can find a way to engage Love early, he tends to play hard the rest of the game. When his shot isn't falling, is body language becomes pretty bad on the court, which could lead to costly mistakes in the playoffs when each possession is huge.
This will be the main storyline to watch regarding our team moving forward in the playoffs. I am pretty happy with our current rotation. I think Blatt has a good grip on how to effectively use our bench guys, depending on the match-up. Every "role player" seems to know their role. The problem is Love is not a role player. I just hope to see total-team effort, on both ends of the floor, regardless of how well an individual may or may not be playing.
LBJ and Love's "come to jesus" moment may be on the horizon. The playoffs are a different monster. Let's hope Love is mentally tough enough to rise to the occasion. From what i've seen so far, i remain skeptical.
Maybe I'm blind, and sure he hasn't always played well, but I've yet to see him disinterested. How many times has he continued to play hard, fight for rebounds, even when his shot/offense/role isn't going so well?
I don't think Love's mental toughness should be questioned, with everything he's gone through this year, and how he's handled the entire situation as well as anyone could ask for.
Not really agreeing with people thinking he checks out mentally. I think there have been times where he's not been confident in his offensive game. That I agree with, but is that definitively been a mental thing? Maybe some, but it's probably been a physical problem as much as anything as well. I don't think Kevin Love suddenly forgot how to put the ball in the hoop.
You can say he's not played up to par this year, and he hasn't, anyone would be lying if they think he has.
Lack of effort, not being engaged? No, I've not really seen it. He plays hard out there, whether he's playing bad or good.