Is love really a top 10 player?

[truth4lyfe]

A lot of commentators and fans regularly refer to Love as a top 10 player, but is he really?

My personal top 10 is LBJ, KD, Paul, Curry, Westbrook, George, Griffin, Aldridge, Parker, Duncan.

Then there are other flawed stars like Harden, Howard, and Melo
Rising stars like Davis, Wall, Lillard, Leonard, and possibly Irving and DMC
Injured and hard to rank guys like Rondo, Rose, Kobe
Plus Bosh, Marc Gasol, Noah, Dirk, Big Al

There are just way too many good and successful players to declare Love top 10. He is a subpar defender , struggles creating his own shot, and obviously hasn't made the playoffs. I know he hasn't been on the greatest teams, but the twolves were as talented as the Suns and Mavs last year and still finished way behind them. I just don't see how Love is a clear cut top 10 player- Dirk, for instance, did way more with an equal team last year, and he isn't considered top 10 anymore.

[Tr1boy]

No he is not. A top 10 player does makes an impact at both ends.

[hpantazo]

He is not a clear cut top 10 player in any way. More importantly though, is he the type of player you want to invest a large part of your cap space on as a major building block? I guess it depends on who you surround him with, but I don't see Rondo plus Love as a solid foundation for a contender if those two guys are on max contracts.

[Monkhouse]

No he is not. A top 10 player does makes an impact at both ends.

He is not a clear cut top 10 player in any way. More importantly though, is he the type of player you want to invest a large part of your cap space on as a major building block? I guess it depends on who you surround him with, but I don't see Rondo plus Love as a solid foundation for a contender if those two guys are on max contracts.

Sigh...

[hpantazo]

No he is not. A top 10 player does makes an impact at both ends.

He is not a clear cut top 10 player in any way. More importantly though, is he the type of player you want to invest a large part of your cap space on as a major building block? I guess it depends on who you surround him with, but I don't see Rondo plus Love as a solid foundation for a contender if those two guys are on max contracts.

Sigh...

Name one NBA championship team where a PG who can't shoot and consistently gets burned on defense for gambling for steals and a PF who doesn't play defense and can't really create his own shot were the two main guys on the team who earned the most money?

Moreover, name any past contender that was built that way.

That's why I think the real question is not is Love a top 10 player, it's is he worth giving the max to with the players you are able to surround him with? For Cleveland it makes sense, they have Lebron and Kyrie on max deals and a tough center in Varejao, for the Celtics not so much.

[Clench123]

Griffin is in your top 10 and not Love and Melo.

[hpantazo]

Griffin is in your top 10 and not Love and Melo.  Yea, there is logic there   Your list is quite laughable to be honest.

Yeah, Griffin wouldn't be in my top 10, but Noah certainly would. I'd give him the max and would target him much harder than Love if I where in charge.

[truth4lyfe]

Griffin is in your top 10 and not Love and Melo.  Yea, there is logic there   Your list is quite laughable to be honest.

What's your list then? The first 5 will be in almost everyone's top 10, George and LMA had great seasons last year, and Duncan and Parker are just great ball players who know how to win. Griffin is debatable, but he made a huge jump last year and became a much more well-rounded player.

Love and melo are me first players who put up stats, but don't play D. At least Melo does regularly lead his team to the playoffs though.

[Onslaught]

Griffin is in your top 10 and not Love and Melo.  Yea, there is logic there   Your list is quite laughable to be honest.

What's your list then? The first 5 will be in almost everyone's top 10, George and LMA had great seasons last year, and Duncan and Parker are just great ball players who know how to win. Griffin is debatable, but he made a huge jump last year and became a much more well-rounded player.

Love and melo are me first players who put up stats, but don't play D. At least Melo does regularly lead his team to the playoffs though.

Melo leads his team in the East. I think my high school team could've done that. He couldn't get them there last year as sorry as the east was.

Love is in the west and has to be given just a little slack because of that. The wolves would be a possible second round team in the east. Or put up a fight in the first round.

[cman88]

Griffin is in your top 10 and not Love and Melo.  Yea, there is logic there   Your list is quite laughable to be honest.

What's your list then? The first 5 will be in almost everyone's top 10, George and LMA had great seasons last year, and Duncan and Parker are just great ball players who know how to win. Griffin is debatable, but he made a huge jump last year and became a much more well-rounded player.

Love and melo are me first players who put up stats, but don't play D. At least Melo does regularly lead his team to the playoffs though.

Melo leads his team in the East. I think my high school team could've done that. He couldn't get them there last year as sorry as the east was.

Love is in the west and has to be given just a little slack because of that. The wolves would be a possible second round team in the east. Or put up a fight in the first round.

to be fair to Melo though, he was in the west prior and did make the playoffs several times...even went as far as the ECF one year if I recall

[Monkhouse]

No he is not. A top 10 player does makes an impact at both ends.

He is not a clear cut top 10 player in any way. More importantly though, is he the type of player you want to invest a large part of your cap space on as a major building block? I guess it depends on who you surround him with, but I don't see Rondo plus Love as a solid foundation for a contender if those two guys are on max contracts.

Sigh...

Name one NBA championship team where a PG who can't shoot and consistently gets burned on defense for gambling for steals and a PF who doesn't play defense and can't really create his own shot were the two main guys on the team who earned the most money?

Moreover, name any past contender that was built that way.

That's why I think the real question is not is Love a top 10 player, it's is he worth giving the max to with the players you are able to surround him with? For Cleveland it makes sense, they have Lebron and Kyrie on max deals and a tough center in Varejao, for the Celtics not so much.

I think Rondo just relied too heavily on KG, and it became a habit. As for not being able to shoot? Parker comes to mind...

As for a PF that can't defend, Dirk comes to mind. Jason Kidd was a great shooter, but he wasn't always that. I don't even think his shooting was the big impact, but the passing/solid defense he provided while being able to control the tempo against the Heat.

Obviously you don't want to give max deals to both of those players, but Love is a top 10 player... A player that can score that much, while rebounding at a incredible rate, and his outlet passes are comparable to none...

[Fafnir]

Yes he is.

The idea that he can't create his own shot is strange too. He creates tons of shots for himself and other with his shooting ability and post game, he's not a good isolation player however. But that's fine because he doesn't isolate very often.

[Monkhouse]

Yes he is.

The idea that he can't create his own shot is strange too. He creates tons of shots for himself and other with his shooting ability and post game, he's not a good isolation player however. But that's fine because he doesn't isolate very often.

I don't understand that statement either Fafnir...

Love has upped FTA almost every year, and is able to take advantage of his keen ability to grab the boards to get that extra foul/possession... Isolation is also overrated... Its overrated, because superb ball movement, and making the right pass for the better shot is always the better play 99% of the time. His shooting ability, and his post game is the perfect example of a pure PF.

They typically play offensively with their backs towards the basket and position themselves defensively under the basket in a zone defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense. The power forward position entails a variety of responsibilities, one of which is rebounding. Many power forwards are noted for their mid-range jump-shot, and several players have become very accurate from 12 to 18 feet (3.7 to 5.5 m). These skills are more typically exhibited in the European style of play.

With the game now shifting to 3 pt shooting, faster uptempo, and a quicker pace. Love is the perfect fit for any team, due to his rebounding, and the Wes Unseld-like outlet passes to create points on the fast break.

[truth4lyfe]

Yes he is.

The idea that he can't create his own shot is strange too. He creates tons of shots for himself and other with his shooting ability and post game, he's not a good isolation player however. But that's fine because he doesn't isolate very often.

Obviously love is a great offensive player and can score in a lot of ways. But he will never be an iso guy that you can give the ball to and get out of the way, and thats a big reason why Minnesota loses so many close games. They don't have anyone to get the tough points once defenses tighten up late in the 4th.

 How many teams have won a title without a closer? Love is a good player and way better than anyone in our front court, but he has been anointed a top 10 player without having the success to support that ranking.

[fantankerous]

Ranking players is worthless.