Kevin Love: 'A Lot Of Guys Need to look in the Mirror, Starting With Lebron'

[Yoki_IsTheName]

He has been relegated to a corner shooter with little to no plays being called for him, and he's somehow okay with that? At some point Kevin Love has to grow some balls and ask for the ball.

The TNT guys made excellent remarks IMO about this. At some point once or twice in a quarter he just has to demand the ball like he did in Minnesota (I can't spell Minnesota without a spell check LOL) and be the Kevin Love people have known him to be. Sure, plays are not called for him, but how hard it is to go to the post and DEMAND the ball for one or two possessions in each quarter? If the team doesn't want to utilize your strengths (which is also a problem), take the reigns and do it yourself.   

How about he looks in the mirror first and see that what he's looking at is NOT Kevin Love, and start finding him before it's too late for the Cavs.

[Snakehead]

He has been relegated to a corner shooter with little to no plays being called for him, and he's somehow okay with that? At some point Kevin Love has to grow some balls and ask for the ball.

I agree but also how about he hits the boards harder and finds the ball?  He is supposed to be a rebounding savant and he doesn't really seem to care about it.  Thompson comes in and eats his lunch in this category and he just doesn't seem to care.  He isn't happy with his role at all point so that's the end of it.  He doesn't seem willing or interested in adjusting for the better of a team and he clearly will not play hard either.

To make this "look in the mirror" comment about someone else when he has played so poorly really shows a lot of delusion.  A lost cause amount.

[kraidstar]

He has been relegated to a corner shooter with little to no plays being called for him, and he's somehow okay with that? At some point Kevin Love has to grow some balls and ask for the ball.

I agree but also how about he hits the boards harder and finds the ball?  He is supposed to be a rebounding savant and he doesn't really seem to care about it.  Thompson comes in and eats his lunch in this category and he just doesn't seem to care.  He isn't happy with his role at all point so that's the end of it.  He doesn't seem willing or interested in adjusting for the better of a team and he clearly will not play hard either.

To make this "look in the mirror" comment about someone else when he has played so poorly really shows a lot of delusion.  A lost cause amount.

TP

when love couldn't win as the focal point of the wolves, and was reported to be a locker room cancer, people said "he just needs better players around him." now he has lebron, irving, and a bunch of strong role-players, and that's still not enough?

what sort of team exactly does he need to succeed and be a good teammate?

at some point we need to stop apologizing for this guy and call a spade a spade.

[trickybilly]

He has been relegated to a corner shooter with little to no plays being called for him, and he's somehow okay with that? At some point Kevin Love has to grow some balls and ask for the ball.

I agree but also how about he hits the boards harder and finds the ball?  He is supposed to be a rebounding savant and he doesn't really seem to care about it.  Thompson comes in and eats his lunch in this category and he just doesn't seem to care.  He isn't happy with his role at all point so that's the end of it.  He doesn't seem willing or interested in adjusting for the better of a team and he clearly will not play hard either.

To make this "look in the mirror" comment about someone else when he has played so poorly really shows a lot of delusion.  A lost cause amount.

TP

when love couldn't win as the focal point of the wolves, and was reported to be a locker room cancer, people said "he just needs better players around him." now he has lebron, irving, and a bunch of strong role-players, and that's still not enough?

what sort of team exactly does he need to succeed and be a good teammate?

at some point we need to stop apologizing for this guy and call a spade a spade.

Meh, at least his trade-value and lebron-value is plummeting. An Avery, Isaiah, Jerebko deal might be in play..

[byennie]

TP

when love couldn't win as the focal point of the wolves, and was reported to be a locker room cancer, people said "he just needs better players around him." now he has lebron, irving, and a bunch of strong role-players, and that's still not enough?

what sort of team exactly does he need to succeed and be a good teammate?

at some point we need to stop apologizing for this guy and call a spade a spade.

An alternative telling is that Love singlehandedly made the Wolves a 40 win team in the West, and since he left they've gone 29-97. It might take them 200 games to win another 40. Yeah, he's not LeBron, but some pretty good players have been held back by historically bad franchises.

Cleveland turned him into a stretch 4 who watches LeBron, Kyrie, and even JR Smith dominate the ball. It's not like 15-and-11 while relegated to standing at the 3PT line is bad production.

Do I think he's a undeniable franchise guy, who will dominate in every situation? No. However, there are very legitimate reasons to believe a guy who averaged 26-13-4 (59% TS) two years ago as a 25 year-old is still really, really good at basketball, and any team should want him.

[Lucky17]

He has been relegated to a corner shooter with little to no plays being called for him, and he's somehow okay with that? At some point Kevin Love has to grow some balls and ask for the ball.

I agree but also how about he hits the boards harder and finds the ball?  He is supposed to be a rebounding savant and he doesn't really seem to care about it.  Thompson comes in and eats his lunch in this category and he just doesn't seem to care.  He isn't happy with his role at all point so that's the end of it.  He doesn't seem willing or interested in adjusting for the better of a team and he clearly will not play hard either.

To make this "look in the mirror" comment about someone else when he has played so poorly really shows a lot of delusion.  A lost cause amount.

But Love is top-ten in the league in rebounding. I'm not sure how he could hit the boards harder. Especially if Blatt has him camped in the corner on offense.

[crimson_stallion]

He has been relegated to a corner shooter with little to no plays being called for him, and he's somehow okay with that? At some point Kevin Love has to grow some balls and ask for the ball.

I agree but also how about he hits the boards harder and finds the ball?  He is supposed to be a rebounding savant and he doesn't really seem to care about it.  Thompson comes in and eats his lunch in this category and he just doesn't seem to care.  He isn't happy with his role at all point so that's the end of it.  He doesn't seem willing or interested in adjusting for the better of a team and he clearly will not play hard either.

To make this "look in the mirror" comment about someone else when he has played so poorly really shows a lot of delusion.  A lost cause amount.

TP

when love couldn't win as the focal point of the wolves, and was reported to be a locker room cancer, people said "he just needs better players around him." now he has lebron, irving, and a bunch of strong role-players, and that's still not enough?

what sort of team exactly does he need to succeed and be a good teammate?

at some point we need to stop apologizing for this guy and call a spade a spade.

Meh, at least his trade-value and lebron-value is plummeting. An Avery, Isaiah, Jerebko deal might be in play..

I hope you mean for Lebron, because no way in hell I would trade Isaiah and Avery for Love...

[LooseCannon]

Kevin Love, for the past three years, has been first and foremost a jump shooter.  That was true even before he came to Cleveland.

He's always been an inside-outside threat.  This season, he has 150 post-up attempts, which ranks him 15th, behind Pau Gasol and ahead of Dwight Howard.  He's 5th in points per possession with 1.03, behind Paul Millsap, Boris Diaw, Dirk Nowitzki, and Marcus Morris.

[JSD]

Here's the snippet from RealGM...

Kevin Love has struggled of late with a PER of 11.8 in his past five games.

Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers were blown out by the Golden State Warriors on Monday.

“We have a lot of things to get better at," said Love. "That’s going to take a lot of guys looking themselves in the mirror, and it all starts with our leader (LeBron James) over there and dwindles on down.”

[crimson_stallion]

TP

when love couldn't win as the focal point of the wolves, and was reported to be a locker room cancer, people said "he just needs better players around him." now he has lebron, irving, and a bunch of strong role-players, and that's still not enough?

what sort of team exactly does he need to succeed and be a good teammate?

at some point we need to stop apologizing for this guy and call a spade a spade.

An alternative telling is that Love singlehandedly made the Wolves a 40 win team in the West, and since he left they've gone 29-97. It might take them 200 games to win another 40. Yeah, he's not LeBron, but some pretty good players have been held back by historically bad franchises.

Cleveland turned him into a stretch 4 who watches LeBron, Kyrie, and even JR Smith dominate the ball. It's not like 15-and-11 while relegated to standing at the 3PT line is bad production.

Do I think he's a undeniable franchise guy, who will dominate in every situation? No. However, there are very legitimate reasons to believe a guy who averaged 26-13-4 (59% TS) two years ago as a 25 year-old is still really, really good at basketball, and any team should want him.

Come on now...

Kevin Love joined the Timberwolves in 2008/2009 and his last season there was 2013/14.

In that 6 year stretch the team won:

08/09: 24 games
09/10: 15 games
10/11: 17 games
11/12: 26 games
12/13: 31 games
13/14: 40 games 

When they won 40 games in 2013/14 they also had:
* Kevin Martin (19.1 PPG on 43%/39%/89% shooting)
* Nikola Pekovic (17.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 54% FG)
* Ricky Rubio (9.5 PPG, 8.6 APG, 3.4 RPG)

Hardly 'single handedly'.  Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio was a much better 2nd/3rd/4th guy than what we have on our team right now, and we are on pace to win 42 games this year.  Unless you are willing to admit that Isaiah Thomas is a better player and leader than Kevin Love (I won't necessarily disagree) it's pretty ludicrous to suggest that Love carried that team to 40 wins single-handedly.

Oh and you know what Minnesota's second best win record was over that 6 year stretch?  It was 2012/13, when Love was injured and played only 18 games.

[crimson_stallion]

Kevin Love, for the past three years, has been first and foremost a jump shooter.  That was true even before he came to Cleveland.

He's always been an inside-outside threat.  This season, he has 150 post-up attempts, which ranks him 15th, behind Pau Gasol and ahead of Dwight Howard.  He's 5th in points per possession with 1.03, behind Paul Millsap, Boris Diaw, Dirk Nowitzki, and Marcus Morris.

Yet only 22% of his FGA have come inside three feet, where he's shot only 50.5% so far this year. 

Comparatively, Avery Bradley has taken 19% of his FGA inside three feet, and has shot 63% there - and people on here are always harassing him for not taking the ball to the basket enough (or finishing well enough when he does).

If he is scoring as efficiently on post up plays as you say, then he must be bricking (or getting blocked on) a LOT of wide open layups.

I suspect the more likely scenario is that most of his post up baskets are in the high post (3-10 foot range) and are probably jumpers...since his finishing abililty at the basket is clearly mediocre right now

[byennie]

Come on now...

Kevin Love joined the Timberwolves in 2008/2009 and his last season there was 2013/14.

In that 6 year stretch the team won:

08/09: 24 games
09/10: 15 games
10/11: 17 games
11/12: 26 games
12/13: 31 games
13/14: 40 games 

When they won 40 games in 2013/14 they also had:
* Kevin Martin (19.1 PPG on 43%/39%/89% shooting)
* Nikola Pekovic (17.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 54% FG)
* Ricky Rubio (9.5 PPG, 8.6 APG, 3.4 RPG)

Hardly 'single handedly'.  Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio was a much better 2nd/3rd/4th guy than what we have on our team right now, and we are on pace to win 42 games this year.  Unless you are willing to admit that Isaiah Thomas is a better player and leader than Kevin Love (I won't necessarily disagree) it's pretty ludicrous to suggest that Love carried that team to 40 wins single-handedly.

Oh and you know what Minnesota's second best win record was over that 6 year stretch?  It was 2012/13, when Love was injured and played only 18 games.

Martin, Pekovic and Rubio are better than our 2nd through 4th options? Martin and Pekovic were two of the worst defenders in the league at their positions. Rubio has never shot over 38%. All three were consistently injured. Other stars included Luke Ridnour, Darko, Corey Brewer (81 starts in 13-14)...

Don't get me wrong - the wins over those 6 years are hard to take as a positive sign. But there's zero doubt that the supporting cast was putrid.

[Sixth Man]

Yes, I can understand why K. Love made this statement about LeBron, as KL is clearly a superior player and has multiple championship rings.  I mean, what has LeBron ever accomplished in the NBA?! 

K. Love as a Cavalier very much reminds me of the small, petulant, whiny child he portrays on the State Farm "Hoopers" family commercials. 

[Moranis]

I still maintain the Cavs should have a starting 5 of Love, James, Smith, Shumpert, and Irving.  Of course that will only work if James actually accepts the PF role.

[Rosco917]

I jumped on the Cavs Forum to see how they feel about Kevin Love. These are the fans that watch the games night in and night out. This is how many are feeling about his, and Kyrie's defense:

"It's not really that surprising. They are both individually poor defenders in the pick and roll; together they are horrendous. Kyrie seems to die on every pick. To the point that he now just goes under on picks regardless of the matchup. If anything his defense is more inexcusable than Love's because he has the speed and athleticism to at least be average on that end. Love has terrible speed and, often, poor effort. And if either the ball handler or the roller goes to the rim, he doesn't have the length or the athleticism to bother the shot. Sometimes he doesn't even try to contest the shot. He reminds me a lot of watching David Lee on the Knicks...Lee could score 20 and 10 and still be the primary reason we lost because his defense on pick and rolls was so bad. It's a real problem and I'm not sure how the Cavs will be able to solve it."

Kind of an insight as to why they...the fans, feel the Cavs are not as good as they should be. Many agreed with this analogy, and frankly it's the reason why many don't think he's all that wonderful.