Here is an article I found on Kevin Love. It was written by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. He gives love credit for his tremendous season but the caste speak is very apparent. Also he says Love maybe better than Jayson Williams and Dennis Rodman. Really? Both of those guys were one dimensional players who were good rebounders but not much else. The writer takes a shot at Love's body and also claims he's not very athletic.
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</div><div>Kevin Love grabbed 24 boards in Boston (a TD Garden record) while scoring 12 points for his 30th double-double of the season.</div><div>Elsa/Getty Images</div> <div>
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BOSTON
-- There is no style to Kevin Love's rebounding -- no flash, no flair.
He doesn't yank down one-handed boards, doesn't elevate and catch them
above the rim. He doesn't overpower anyone in the trenches either, not
at a listed 6-foot-10 (yeah, right) and with a body that could use the
Tony Horton treatment. For the 22-year-old Love, rebounding is a
science, a mixture of technique, intelligence and tenacity that he has
blended together to transform himself into the best rebounder in the
league.
Indeed, keeping Minnesota's Love off the glass has
become a virtually impossible task. Big teams, small teams -- no one has
had much success. He yanked down 31 rebounds against the Knicks in
November on his way to becoming the first NBA player in 28 years to have
a 30-point, 30-rebound game. About two weeks later, he grabbed 22
against San Antonio; three nights later, he grabbed another 22 against
Golden State. He hasn't had a single-digit rebounding performance since
before Thanksgiving, and his average (15.6) is more than two boards per
game better than No. 2 on the list, Dwight Howard (13.2). In Monday's
96-93 loss to the Celtics, Love had more first-half rebounds (15) than
everyone else combined, and he finished with 24 to go with 12 points. It
marked his NBA-best 30th double-double and set a TD Garden record for
most rebounds.
"Guys like him," said Shaquille O'Neal, "come around once every 10 years."
Love
is the franchise player the Timberwolves have sought since they shipped
Kevin Garnett out of town in 2007. He has drawn comparisons to Dennis
Rodman and Jayson Williams and, in fact, may be more skilled than both.
He is years away from his prime and his developing offense -- his
scoring (20.6 points per game) and three-point shooting (42.5 percent)
have skyrocketed this season -- suggests the best is yet to come.
The question is, Will those years come with the Wolves?
It
hasn't been a smooth two and a half years for Love in Minnesota. He has
clashed often with second-year coach Kurt Rambis -- mostly over playing
time -- and although Love says the relationship has improved and that
the two "are far more on the same page than we were," there are still
rocky moments. With two minutes to go in the third quarter against
Boston, Rambis sent rookie Wesley Johnson in for Love. An exasperated
Love, who felt he had a good matchup with rookie Luke Harangody, argued
with Rambis on the sideline until Rambis waved him toward the bench.
The
losing has worn on Love, who desperately wants to win. And while Rambis
points to the progress Minnesota has made this season and GM David Kahn
talks about making the playoffs next season, the Wolves still have a
long way to go. The core of the NBA's youngest team includes the
unpredictable Michael Beasley and the unproven Johnson. They have lost
all confidence in the No. 6 pick in the 2009 draft, Jonny Flynn, and
plan to replace him with Euroleague superstar Ricky Rubio next season.
Love
sees all of this, has absorbed it, processed it. Which is why he is
complimentary of the Timberwolves' progress -- "I can see a light at the
end of the tunnel," he said. "I couldn't see it last year" -- but he
stops short of saying he plans to be in Minnesota for the long term.
Love is eligible to sign a contract extension this summer but admits he
does think about free agency, about having some control over his future.
"We'll
see what happens with what David Kahn and the front office want to do,"
Love said. "If it's right, it's right. If it's not, it's not. I could
end up somewhere else. I just want to play for a team that wants to win
at this point. At this point, I just want to win now."
Wherever
Love goes, he won't come cheap. The five-year, $60 million extensions
signed by Joakim Noah and Al Horford last year will likely be Love's
starting point in negotiations. And his deal could be bigger. When asked
what kind of contract Love could be in line for this summer, one league
executive's answer was succinct: Max.
Then there is this:
Love told SI.com that during last summer's World Championship in Turkey
he had conversations with USA Basketball teammates Russell Westbrook
(who played with Love at UCLA) and Derrick Rose about the possibility of
someday teaming up in the NBA. Oklahoma City's Westbrook and Chicago's
Rose are also permitted to sign extensions this summer.
"We
all talk about playing together," Love said. "It's fun to talk about.
When the time comes, we'll assess the situation and figure it out."
Minnesota
will have to assess the situation, too. Quickly. The Timberwolves have
one more year until Love can become a restricted free agent, one more
year to shore up the roster. If they don't, it won't be long before the
team Love will be controlling the boards against is them.
Read more:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/chris_mannix/01/04/kevin.love/index.html#ixzz1A774ZnRv</span></div></div>
Edited by: whiteathlete33