The Kevin Love Safari™

[I.K.W.T]

I wouldn't expect too much from Haywood, but damn if we can just get a little, i'll be happy.

 

[Splitz]

Somebody please post the referenced recent picture of Haywood. I'd like to see if his foot is properly attached.

 

[Kbiz]

Haywood is a huge question mark. pre-injury he was a decent contributor on The Mav's but i never thought he was regarded highly for his defense. I don't remember him being all that impressive in the "rivalry" days when he played with Washington..

I mean...he's 7 feet...there's that...

 

[wuck]

If you send out more money than you take back, I'm pretty sure an exception is created automatically.

Sam Amick reports that the T-Wolves are expected to get a trade exception of over $5M as a result of the three-team trade. It does get generated automatically depending on the conditions of the trade.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...iers-timberwolves-76ers-agreed-upon/14428033/

 

[gratefuldead]

Davis




1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 14.3 | Win%: 66 percent

Davis has already blossomed into the kind of player the Pelicans hoped he'd be when they won the 2013 draft lottery and, at 21, he can still get much better. Davis' offensive game exploded last season as he put up the usage rate of a high-scoring wing and the true shooting percentage of a solid, close-to-the-basket big man. Add it all up and Davis' 15.1 WARP ranked fifth in the league. The other players to hit that WARP before reaching age 22: Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady.

While Davis claims the top projection by our new methodology, this system does hurt him a bit because his real plus-minus (RPM) values, while positive, suggest his impact doesn't quite boost his teammates as much as his production suggests it should. Don't worry, that part of his game will come next, along with a lot of MVP votes.

Love




2. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 14.2 | Win%: 69 percent

Love's 20.2 WARP ranked third in the league behind James and Kevin Durant in 2013-14. The new methodology used for ranking purposes generates WARP scores a bit lower at the top end of the scale, but even though it's RPM-based that doesn't mean Love is penalized by an inability to impact a team's bottom line. His plus-6.4 RPM was elite, and he was positive on both ends of the floor. There are a lot of reasons Minnesota never made the playoffs with Love, but he was in no way one of those reasons.

Griffin




3. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 13.3 | Win%: 65 percent

In many respects, including both statistically and stylistically, Griffin has evolved little as a professional player. Which is mostly fine, as his 37.2 WARP over the past three seasons puts him ahead of 98.5 percent of all NBA players. Griffin's one weakness is his performance has generally dropped off in the playoffs. Not much, but a little. For L.A. to eventually break loose on a title run, Griffin needs to explode when he's needed most. When Chris Paul was out last season, Griffin raised his level of play, especially as a playmaker, so it's good to know he has more in reserve if it's needed.

Millsap




4. Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 10.3 | Win%: 61 percent

Millsap was just as good last season in Atlanta as he was the season prior in Utah, which is plenty good, but for whatever reason he seemed to garner more attention after moving to Atlanta. His offensive arsenal evolved in Mike Budenholzer's system, as Millsap turned many of his midrange shots into 3-point attempts, which he converted at right about the league average. His usage rate jumped by 3.4 percent, which is why his true shooting percentage was stagnant despite the improved shot selection. Hopefully Millsap can ratchet up the efficiency with Al Horford back in the lineup. Even if he doesn't, Millsap is an extremely valuable two-way player.

Smith




5. Josh Smith, Detroit Pistons
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 9.8 | Win%: 59 percent

Smith has enough of a track record that his 1.6 WARP disaster from last season doesn't wreck his forecast going forward. He's still just 28, and healthy, so there is little reason he can't return to his days as a double-digit WARP performer -- if used correctly. That means putting a stop to habits like finishing 17 percent of his possessions with 3-point attempts, even though he made just 26 percent of them. One thing saving Smith's outlook is his RPM profile; it actually was positive on the offensive end and was again well in the black on defense. Stan Van Gundy will figure this out.

 

[gratefuldead]

6. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 9.7 | Win%: 58 percent

Aldridge has had better seasons, but few seem to realize it after his volume shot up in the 2013-14 regular season and he left us with some breathtaking performances in the playoffs. He has to be careful, as his 30 percent usage rate is high for a big man, and his .507 true shooting percentage doesn't justify it. Not that it's that cut and dry. His offensive RPM was plus-2.6, and with his offensive arsenal focused on all those baseline face-ups, his turnover rate was very low. As long as Aldridge is impacting the team in a positive way, who's to complain?

Young




7. Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 8.8 | Win%: 58 percent

If the rumored trade does finally go down, you can see that in going from Love to Young, Minnesota would be losing about six wins of value from its starting power forward position. Young turned into a do-it-all performer toward the end of the Sixers' horrid 2013-14 season after Evan Turner was traded, showing heretofore unseen passing skills and using more possessions than ever. However, that's not his game on a good team.

Ibaka




8. Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 8.6 | Win%: 57 percent

This ranking seems low for Ibaka, who has put up 9.6 or more WARP in three straight seasons, and is still at an age (24) when his numbers should be expected to improve. The disconnect is a product of RPM, where he was plus-0.4 on the offensive end -- the first positive season of his career -- while his defensive RPM slipped from plus-3.5 to plus-1.9. The hidden narrative is that it seems like themore Ibaka tries to do, the less he helps his team. That's a trend worth watching.

Faried




9. Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 7.4 | Win%: 57 percent

With Faried eligible for an extension, there has been some debate about just how valuable his style of play actually is. There are legitimate reasons for the concern. He's turned into a high-volume offensive performer, and his percentages mostly justify that approach. He's good off the offensive glass and gets to the foul line, keeping his offensive RPM positive. However, his defensive profile is disappointing, and last season his RPM on that end sank to minus-1.6. The bottom line is that while Faried's style of play has evolved considerably over three seasons, his overall value has been stagnant.

Johnson




10. Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors
Projected 2014-15 WARP: 7.3 | Win%: 57 percent

Johnson is among the players benefiting the most by our reliance on RPM in the new ranking methodology. Johnson's 3.7 WARP last season was nothing special, but he was getting 29 minutes per game on a Raptors team enjoying its best season, so he must have been doing something right. Indeed, his plus-6.1 RPM was outstanding, and he split that up on both ends of the floor. In fact, he's been plus-3.2 or better on defense for three seasons running. He fits in well with Toronto's collection of underappreciated standouts.









Next five: Dirk Nowitzki, Ryan Anderson, Derrick Favors, Tim Duncan, Terrence Jones

Come on now, Nowitzki and Duncan are a combined 76 years old. The aging curves are what drags down their projections, though their level of play has never fallen off from elite. They're old, they're good and you shouldn't head to Vegas to wager that either one will indeed finish out of the top 10.

Also notable: Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, David West, Zach Randolph, David Lee, Kevin Garnett

Some big names are projected to succumb to the ravages of age, and all have already shown signs of slippage. Mirotic, on the other hand, is just getting started and projects better than any other rookie to make an immediate impact.

 

[CavsFan87]

Do we really want Turiaf on the team??


Smelliest player in the NBA. Might be a distraction

 

[Splitz]

Do we really want Turiaf on the team??


Smelliest player in the NBA. Might be a distraction

Boris Diaw a close second. Recent big contributor on a Championship team. I tend to think that having a smelly player on our team can only help to distract the opposition. I think adding him confirms a Championship for us 2014-15.

 

[gratefuldead]

 

[Superman]

Josh Smith? No Dirk or Duncan? What a joke.

 

[amil99]

I like how they already have Love as a Cleveland Cavalier in that article. Honestly would be hilarious to see Anthony Davis have a "Kyrie" type down year and the Pelicans miss the play-offs once again. I wonder will the basketball world still love him. Hmm..

 

[math-yoo]

Glad the trade is finally happening, but the inclusion of the Miami pick seems odd. Why do we need to add that? The value in the trade is Wiggins and Bennett. Unless we are getting something for someone for that pick, it seems like it will be ammunition for the critics of the trade.

 

[PeonHaiters]

I keep seeing it reported that the trade can take place at 12:01 AM.......doesn't everyone know that the day changes at 12:00.00? Or does the NBA have a strange rule that you have to wait sixty seconds before you can make a deal official.

I know it's not a big deal, but it seriously weirds me out.

 

[wuck]

I keep seeing it reported that the trade can take place at 12:01 AM.......doesn't everyone know that the day changes at 12:00.00? Or does the NBA have a strange rule that you have to wait sixty seconds before you can make a deal official.

I know it's not a big deal, but it seriously weirds me out.

You are overthinking this.

I'm sure that the reports have to do with the media (lack of) understanding of what constitutes a new day and not what the NBA has on its books about when a new day starts. I'm sure the trade could happen at 12:00:00. I'm also sure it won't.

 

[godfather]

The NBA isn't stupid, I can't believe someone suggested we'd wait to save face, please. Everyone in the world knows this trade is happening, but Adam Silver doesn't? As long you don't blatantly come out and say "hey we are trading for Kevin Love" then he doesn't care. No rules were broken. There's no proof that any trade was agreed on. You're allowed to discuss trades, too. There's no rule against that. Only writers are saying that it was agree on, no team official has been stupid enough to speak publicly about it.

Adam Silver is probably wanting this to happen anyways. This new super team will be a bigger attraction than the old one in Miami. This is good for the NBA at a popularity standpoint.