Can't think of a superstar that fits better than Kevin Love

[Chr1s1anL]

Blocks =/= defense.

Tyson Chandler only had 80 blocks in 2010-11 (74 games), the year the Mavericks won the championship. Dirk had 47.

To put that in perspective, Jonas is on pace for about 80 (and has regressed as a shot blocker since last year for some reason), while Love is on pace for about 40.

Ok tell me what Love does well defensively other than Rebound?
Please don't you ever compare Love to Chandler defensively again.


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[BigCamB]

Tyson wanted to personally get involved in this discussion.

[MACK11]

Tyson wanted to personally get involved in this discussion.

If Tyson Chandler feels comfortable scoring on you, you must be an atrocious defender

[isaacthompson]

Blocks =/= defense.

Tyson Chandler only had 80 blocks in 2010-11 (74 games), the year the Mavericks won the championship. Dirk had 47.

To put that in perspective, Jonas is on pace for about 80 (and has regressed as a shot blocker since last year for some reason), while Love is on pace for about 40.

I hope this isn't an argument for Love being a good defender..

[BigCamB]

It's more saying you can win a championship with a player like Love as long as he's paired with a good interior defender.

Jonas is obviously way off Chandler right now, I think it's rather obvious why he's regressed as a shot blocker due to his weight and conditioning issues.

Comparing Love to Dirk on defense, I really think Dirk is unfairly criticized for his defense. Probably due to the fact that it was poor when he first came into the league but he became much better when he got the chance to work with more defensive orientated coaches. He held his own and wasn't carried by Chandler like some people may think. He does have a real length advantage over Love on that end.

[BobLoblaw]

I hope this isn't an argument for Love being a good defender..

It looks like an argument against equating blocks and defense.

[stooley]

How is Pekovic's rim protection?

If we trade Jonas and Patterson for Love and Pekovic, do we become a contender?

Or should we just wait until 2015, cross our fingers that Jonas becomes a rim protector, and wait for Love to fit our team, instead of fitting our team to Love.

[JimiCliff]

LOL "So we could get one of the top ten players in the world...oh wait a second HE'S A BELOW AVERAGE SHOT-BLOCKER"

[BigCamB]

How is Pekovic's rim protection?

If we trade Jonas and Patterson for Love and Pekovic, do we become a contender?

Or should we just wait until 2015, cross our fingers that Jonas becomes a rim protector, and wait for Love to fit our team, instead of fitting our team to Love.

Love Pek but he's not a good rim protector , it's one of the many reasons why they're a flawed team.

[imanshumpert]

Ok tell me what Love does well defensively other than Rebound?
Please don't you ever compare Love to Chandler defensively again.


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Don't talk to me like that please.

And I'm not comparing Love to Chandler defensively. I'm pointing out that blocking a ton of shots doesn't make you a good defender and vice versa. If you want to reach a bit, you could say that I was pointing out that Jonas could potentially develop into a Chandler type defender (a guy that doesn't block a ton of shots, but changes shots, protects the paint and defends the post well). Considering Chandler was able to win a championship next to Dirk (who is not only a worse defender than Love, but also doesn't rebound as well), I'd say it's definitely possible to win with Love if Jonas can develop into a defensive anchor.

[Chr1s1anL]

Don't talk to me like that please.

And I'm not comparing Love to Chandler defensively. I'm pointing out that blocking a ton of shots doesn't make you a good defender and vice versa. If you want to reach a bit, you could say that I was pointing out that Jonas could potentially develop into a Chandler type defender (a guy that doesn't block a ton of shots, but changes shots, protects the paint and defends the post well). Considering Chandler was able to win a championship next to Dirk (who is not only a worse defender than Love, but also doesn't rebound as well), I'd say it's definitely possible to win with Love if Jonas can develop into a defensive anchor.

I'd give Dirk the edge over Love. He at least has the length to change some shots.


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[planetmars]

Love is bad defensively but so is Boozer and Chicago's had one of the best defenses in the league for the past 3-4 years. It's all about the system. I trust in a guy like Casey to develop a system that would work for Love and remember when Bargnani was a defensive stud for those 20 games in Casey's first year? Love is a hard worker and wants to win. Qualities I absolutely admire in a player.

The other thing about Love is despite his poor defense he has the 3rd best win shares in the league. That means when he's on the court good things happen. So his lack of defense is made up with his superior offensive skills.

I'd rather have Love as PF than JV as center anyway... so if the issue is fit between JV/Love then get rid of JV. You could trade him for an elite defensive big (eg, Sanders in Milwaukee).

With that all said I really don't see how Love ends up as a Raptor (I don't even see a Drake connection). If I was him I'd be looking at Houston. Playing with Howard and Harden would be a dream for a guy with his skill set. And Houston should have the cap space once Asik and Lin are off the books.

[stooley]

Love is bad defensively but so is Boozer and Chicago's had one of the best defenses in the league for the past 3-4 years. It's all about the system. I trust in a guy like Casey to develop a system that would work for Love and remember when Bargnani was a defensive stud for those 20 games in Casey's first year? Love is a hard worker and wants to win. Qualities I absolutely admire in a player.

The other thing about Love is despite his poor defense he has the 3rd best win shares in the league. That means when he's on the court good things happen. So his lack of defense is made up with his superior offensive skills.

I'd rather have Love as PF than JV as center anyway... so if the issue is fit between JV/Love then get rid of JV. You could trade him for an elite defensive big (eg, Sanders in Milwaukee).

With that all said I really don't see how Love ends up as a Raptor (I don't even see a Drake connection). If I was him I'd be looking at Houston. Playing with Howard and Harden would be a dream for a guy with his skill set. And Houston should have the cap space once Asik and Lin are off the books.

Win shares are extremely flawed in calculating defensive contributions. They exclusively look at blocks and steals.

Other than that though, every other point is very valid.

And the Houston call is a great one. Can you imagine that? Oh my, they'd be good.

[OldSkoolCool]

Actually in a strong defensive system i think Love can be quite good based solely on the fact that he is a MONSTER at defensive rebounding. Limiting the other team to only one possession is a huge boost to a team's defensive scheme.

Boozer is also a great defensive rebounder, hence his ability to work well within a great defensive system, even though he isn't a great defender.

[DanH]

Actually in a strong defensive system i think Love can be quite good based solely on the fact that he is a MONSTER at defensive rebounding. Limiting the other team to only one possession is a huge boost to a team's defensive scheme.

Boozer is also a great defensive rebounder, hence his ability to work well within a great defensive system, even though he isn't a great defender.

Yeah, and Love is even a solid step above Boozer in terms of rebounding, both defensively and overall.