Kevin Love per Wojnarowski

[Roy H.]

It's more than a little bit of a strawman. It's a total strawman. It's satire.

You guys are staking yourselves to the position that Kevin Love isn't worth max money, and I don't believe you. I think that you're being contrarian because Kevin Love is an imperfect, known quantity and you aren't willing to give up the dream that some asset we already have in hand is going to provide a better opportunity.

While there's no telling who'll be available, how our picks pan out, etc, I do prefer flexibility to paying a high price for Love.  I trust Danny to do more than just that one move, but we need more than Love, and I'm not sure how we get there if most of our best assets go out for him.

I also think it's hard to characterize this as contrarian when at least a large minority of the blog seems to agree, including a lot of posters who don't typically take contrarian positions.

My issue is that if you don't think you can build around Love + Rondo, I'm really not sure you think you can build around anyone who's not an MVP caliber player.

I'm with Faf.

If people don't think Love/Rondo is a great START to a championship team, then I'm not sure what will satisfy them short of Durant coming to Boston.

Exactly.  I think Celtic fans of the past 20 years have learned a valuable lesson that emulating the Walker/Pierce teams of perpetual mediocrity is not the way to go.  However, I think people are underselling how difficult it will be to replicate our Big Three success.   

See this is interesting -- Love/Rondo feels a lot closer to Walker/Pierce than it does building blocks to a new Big 3 to me. I would imagine the people who're all in on trading the farm for Kevin Love feel the opposite.

I guess you could see it that way, the issue I have with that comparison is that Walker was a legitimately bad player to have on your team. Empty numbers with horrible efficiency.

If it looks like a duck...

If Walker is a duck then Love is a Hawk, same species and position different animal.

If Walker was the best rebounding PF in the league and had a TS% over .500 then I'd say they were similar.

Yeah, I've been very surprised by the number of posters who have labeled Love as inefficient.   A .591 TS% (.566 career) is not inefficient.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

It's more than a little bit of a strawman. It's a total strawman. It's satire.

You guys are staking yourselves to the position that Kevin Love isn't worth max money, and I don't believe you. I think that you're being contrarian because Kevin Love is an imperfect, known quantity and you aren't willing to give up the dream that some asset we already have in hand is going to provide a better opportunity.

While there's no telling who'll be available, how our picks pan out, etc, I do prefer flexibility to paying a high price for Love.  I trust Danny to do more than just that one move, but we need more than Love, and I'm not sure how we get there if most of our best assets go out for him.

I also think it's hard to characterize this as contrarian when at least a large minority of the blog seems to agree, including a lot of posters who don't typically take contrarian positions.

My issue is that if you don't think you can build around Love + Rondo, I'm really not sure you think you can build around anyone who's not an MVP caliber player.

This is basically the quandary we're in. From where I sit, there are only two players who could singlehandedly change our fortunes--LeBron and Durant--and we're not getting either of them any time soon, if ever.

So you have to build around multiple players. Well, we already have one solid piece in Rondo, and Love could be the second major piece. If we don't acquire (or even go after) Love, what's Plan B?

Build entirely through the draft? Very much a crapshoot.

Melo? I rate him behind Love in terms of overall impact (Melo only scores, Love scores and rebounds).

And there are no other star players who are disgruntled ? la KG circa 2007.

We're likely not going to be able to trade for Curry, or Griffin, or CP3, or Aldridge, or any other comparable players.

Sure, we can try to score big in the draft, and great if we do--and tonight will certainly make that possibility clearer--but I don't think a team can sit on its assets forever (see what I did there?  ). It's fine to be patient and let things play out for a little while, but eventually you've gotta make a move, and to me, starting with Rondo and Love is a good beginning.

[Fafnir]

Yeah, I've been very surprised by the number of posters who have labeled Love as inefficient.   A .591 TS% (.566 career) is not inefficient.

He also doesn't turn it over a ton for a high usage guy, while getting decent assists for a PF.

His main flaw is he's not a good isolation scorer and his mid range game is weak. But having a PF who can run around screens and shoot 3s in set play is pretty dang valuable in crunch time too. I mean Pierce was a good isolation player, did people like him isoing it up during crunch time?

[Roy H.]

(Melo only scores, Love scores and rebounds).

For whatever it's worth, Carmelo has always been a pretty good rebounder at his position.

[D.o.s.]

Yeah, I've been very surprised by the number of posters who have labeled Love as inefficient.   A .591 TS% (.566 career) is not inefficient.

He also doesn't turn it over a ton for a high usage guy, while getting decent assists for a PF.

His main flaw is he's not a good isolation scorer and his mid range game is weak. But having a PF who can run around screens and shoot 3s in set play is pretty dang valuable in crunch time too. I mean Pierce was a good isolation player, did people like him isoing it up during crunch time?

I believe my feelings went something like "no! are you joking? another PP iso? Everyone know's that's what's coming! Why on eart-- OH YEAH IT WENT IN BEST PLAY EVER!"

[BleedGreen1989]

Well there's this "update"...

The Golden State Warriors are a team of interest to Kevin Love, which will likely trigger a run of trade proposals.

The Warriors would surely need to build their offer around David Lee from a financial perspective.

But the Warriors don't have picks in coming seasons to trade due to the Andre Iguodala deal and will need to offer the Wolves values in the form of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.

The Warriors don't want to trade Thompson in any deal for Love, according to a source.

Via Marcus Thompson II/San Jose Mercury News

Perhaps that lessons the competition as no chance just Lee/Barnes gets it done.

[Evantime34]

Well there's this "update"...

The Golden State Warriors are a team of interest to Kevin Love, which will likely trigger a run of trade proposals.

The Warriors would surely need to build their offer around David Lee from a financial perspective.

But the Warriors don't have picks in coming seasons to trade due to the Andre Iguodala deal and will need to offer the Wolves values in the form of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.

The Warriors don't want to trade Thompson in any deal for Love, according to a source.

Via Marcus Thompson II/San Jose Mercury News

Perhaps that lessons the competition as no chance just Lee/Barnes gets it done.

I think talent wise that Thompson and Lee is the best they are going to get. To me it really depends on what course they want to take. If they want to make the playoffs next year that package is the best they will get. If they are trying to rebuild from the ground up then the package we put together would probably be the strongest.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

(Melo only scores, Love scores and rebounds).

For whatever it's worth, Carmelo has always been a pretty good rebounder at his position.

Yeah, you're right, he's good for his position. I was just thinking in terms of per-game average, and how Love is always among the league leaders.

[BleedGreen1989]

Well there's this "update"...

The Golden State Warriors are a team of interest to Kevin Love, which will likely trigger a run of trade proposals.

The Warriors would surely need to build their offer around David Lee from a financial perspective.

But the Warriors don't have picks in coming seasons to trade due to the Andre Iguodala deal and will need to offer the Wolves values in the form of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.

The Warriors don't want to trade Thompson in any deal for Love, according to a source.

Via Marcus Thompson II/San Jose Mercury News

Perhaps that lessons the competition as no chance just Lee/Barnes gets it done.

I think talent wise that Thompson and Lee is the best they are going to get. To me it really depends on what course they want to take. If they want to make the playoffs next year that package is the best they will get. If they are trying to rebuild from the ground up then the package we put together would probably be the strongest.

Yeah, that's true but according to the article Klay is off the table so I don't see what GS has to offer.

Lee is productive but his contract is ugly and a Lee/Pek front line is even more Swiss cheese than Love/Pek.

[fairweatherfan]

I get not wanting to give up Wiggins/Embid/top 3 guy for Love.

But once we're drafting 5th/6th or worse its a no brainer to try and package the pick for Love. Most hits at that slot in the draft aren't as good as he is.

At 5/6, I'm certainly much more inclined to give Love a shot.  Especially if the alternative is Vonleh or Gordon.

Agreed, depending on what else we'd need to include.

[2short]

(Melo only scores, Love scores and rebounds).

For whatever it's worth, Carmelo has always been a pretty good rebounder at his position.

but what is he 6'8" or 9" small forward?
carmelo is good but he should be much more dominating in all parts of game

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

(Melo only scores, Love scores and rebounds).

For whatever it's worth, Carmelo has always been a pretty good rebounder at his position.

but what is he 6'8" or 9" small forward?
carmelo is good but he should be much more dominating in all parts of game

I agree. With his height, size, and athletic ability, he should be LeBron-esque (great passer, great rebounder, great defender).

[Donoghus]

(Melo only scores, Love scores and rebounds).

For whatever it's worth, Carmelo has always been a pretty good rebounder at his position.

but what is he 6'8" or 9" small forward?
carmelo is good but he should be much more dominating in all parts of game

I agree. With his height, size, and athletic ability, he should be LeBron-esque (great passer, great rebounder, great defender).

I think you'll be hard-pressed, for a long time, looking for another player to be LeBron-esque. 

[McHales Pits]

Carmelo gets too much hate around here. I am a big UConn fan and am sworn to hate all Syracuse players, but Carmelo is the only one I can't.

I think that Carmelo is tied with Durant as the most complete scorer in the NBA today; Durant gets a slight edge for efficiency from range, Anthony a clear edge in the post. He averaged 8 boards a game this past season as a 6'8" forward. He is a sneaky good passer. He possesses a killer instinct.

Is he the best defender? No, but he isn't a liability and it is his job to put the ball in the basket. People say he is a loser, yet he has a national championship and multiple Olympic gold medals. I don't know if anyone remembers, but Anthony was a key player for both 2008/12 Gold Medals.
I'd gladly take Carmelo.

[mmmmm]

Well there's this "update"...

The Golden State Warriors are a team of interest to Kevin Love, which will likely trigger a run of trade proposals.

The Warriors would surely need to build their offer around David Lee from a financial perspective.

But the Warriors don't have picks in coming seasons to trade due to the Andre Iguodala deal and will need to offer the Wolves values in the form of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.

The Warriors don't want to trade Thompson in any deal for Love, according to a source.

Via Marcus Thompson II/San Jose Mercury News

Perhaps that lessons the competition as no chance just Lee/Barnes gets it done.

I think talent wise that Thompson and Lee is the best they are going to get. To me it really depends on what course they want to take. If they want to make the playoffs next year that package is the best they will get. If they are trying to rebuild from the ground up then the package we put together would probably be the strongest.

Yeah, that's true but according to the article Klay is off the table so I don't see what GS has to offer.

Lee is productive but his contract is ugly and a Lee/Pek front line is even more Swiss cheese than Love/Pek.

Obviously much depends on where the lottery balls fall, but if this is the best GS can offer, and the Lakers & Bulls don't end up with a dramatically better pick to offer, Danny may be able to play a little leverage to keep us with a fairly high pick in this draft.

By that, I don't mean he wouldn't still likely have to give up one of Sully or KO plus our 1st pick (plus salary filler), but by throwing in the #17, he may be able to get Minnesota's pick (likely #13) back along with Love.

There should still be some very good options at #13.