Overall Kevin Love's productiveness is comparable to Griffin, if not better. The only thing Griffin has over Love right now is the assists, but Griffin does have a lot better finishers around him than Love. As good as Griffin has been, I think the all star spot goes to Love this year.
I think you are completely missing the point that since the end of November (his last 23 games), Griffin is averaging 24.5 points / 13.5 rebounds with 4 assists...on 52% shooting. Give the rookie a month of Nov to get settled. Hell, in Nov he was 21/11 on 54% shooting Griffin is only getting better. Since Nov, Love is an incredible 22.8 ppg / 16 rb on roughly 48% shooting. Awesome, too. But I take Griffin.
honestly, one edges towards griffin with this. but seriously, do people know how many players have averaged 20+pts/15+reb a game? seriously. we're talking moses malone.
Then it isn't a matter of missing the point but a matter of opinion at this stage. I'm well aware of Griffin's freakish performance the past month, but Love has been consistently freakish. Overall it really depends on popularity. Both Griffin and Love deserve a spot, and you can't go wrong with either one.
I just cannot believe that half Love had 0 rebounds but managed to extend his double-double streak to 28 i think, and Griffin had something like 6 rebs & 5 assists, but ended his double-double streak at 27. Go figure. What makes those streaks amazing is that they are in the 5 longest double-double streaks for ANY NBA player over the last 20 or so years. Both played well, but you can easily tell who is the better talent between the two (Griffin). I liked though how neither player could guard the other one at times. Griffin was basically un-guardable the whole game, and he was amazing in traffic. Love just needs more help and the ball in his hands more. It is true he does not need plays run for him to score, but he is so smart with the ball that he is underutilized. As the T-wolves have NO ONE good enough to run any offense on the court, they should really use him at the top of the key as a Point-Forward like Adelman's system. Need Love to leave for a better team so that these guys can have a true rivalry where they meet in the playoffs.
Griffin could have easily extended the streak but Vinny sat him most of the 4th as the Clip had the game in control for the most part. At one point towards the end of the 4th you could tell Del Negro was having a heart to heart with Blake about why he couldn't go into the game. The stupid thing was Vinny had Blake on the bench yet Gordon and Baron were still in the game?!?
we all know how great griffin is and will be in the future. love gets lost in all this hype but he can have a similar impact on a franchise in the future. he just needs to improve his defense and become more efficient with his offense. he's definitely more versatile offensively than griffin, and yet can still play in the post (schooled griffin there several plays tonight). clips just finally playing up to their talent. but these 2 guys will be challenging for the best PF in the next decade. just to add, like duncan, love's game does not rely on his athleticism . kevin's statistical production is better than griffin (his PER is higher). and he's doing it with worse guard play (griffin has gordon and an emerging davis who can create easy plays for him). griffin's impact is more publicized b/c of his dunks (obviously will put you on the highlight reel), but also b/c they're winning. and he is a HUGE part in that. minny is definitely playing better and has been losing a ton of close games. but like i said before, i don't see griffin being the clear cut best PF in the next decade like most proclaims. kevin love will get better. his offense will become even more versatile. and he seems like a guy who wants to get better so i assume he will put work on defense. we marvel at griffin, but 21 and 16 are just ridiculous. and he's a great passer too (his assists don't say so). his fg% is misleading b/c he started the year really poorly shooting the ball (rafer alston-like)
Who would have thought a year ago that there will be a thread named Clippers vs T-Wolves and we will be excited about it..
Kevin Love reminds me of McHale. Quietly productive. I think Love will definitely have a longer career than Griffin.
Agreed, if Griffin continues to recklessly attack the basket and put his body at risk, he's likely to suffer a devastating injury. He plays like an unchained beast, but I would hate to see a young talent like that derailed by a torn ACL, fractured foot, etc.
Griffin over Love 100 times out of 100...he is so much more athletic, and that is huge when you are faced with other similar sized people. Love did nothing when matched up against the Clips frontline, he got all of his against the 2nd unit when they were way behind. I like Love, but Griffin is a lot better than him....he is much more of a game changer. DD
He's already had injuries in college and the nba just to come back stronger than ever, similar to Amare. Atleast he has the drive and game to dominate, whereas kluv is benefitting as a lone ranger on a **** team. He's a 3rd option at best on a winning team. Griffin has the game to be an anchor in playoff basketball. Dont turn this into aesops the tortoise vs the hare!
While that is very true. The key to being an elite post player who can lead your team to a title is still defense. If your elite post player is not at lead an above average defender, more often than not they become a second fiddle star and not a cornerstone. Love definitely has the smarts to be a good one-on-one & help defender, but he will likely never be dominating presence down low. Grffin has definitely has the potential and the metrics to be a low post defense pest, but he has yet to truly show the mental desire to show it. With with Deandre Jordan at the Center, Griffin does not need to be a true Deke/Hakeem like defender, but I still question if he will be an above average one on one/help defender,
It's only a matter of time, I normally give big men until their 3rd year before passing judgment. Griffin leans towards a more thorough basketball IQ like Tim Duncan as opposed to Amare who is a pure scorer and relies on hunger alone. He may not be as instinctual as Dikembe in the post, but he has the explosiveness and lateral movement. They say you're born with anticipation, but you always have cases where it comes with experience and lots of drilling from coaches (Dwight Howard is a prime example).
Love is only a year older than Griffin. This thread should be revisited in 6-7 years. Griffin's potential is way higher than Love, but injuries will have a huge effect on his game. Love's game is consistent, but his potential is not near as high as Griffin, but the great thing about this guy is he could be giving these exact numbers for at least another 8 years.
your assessment of love is way too premature. while i agree about griffin, love has to the potential to be MUCH better than what he is now. if you take out the first 15 games where he shot horribly, he's a 50+% fg and 40+% 3pt shooter WITH ZERO GUARD PLAY. ZERO GUARD PLAY. think about that. he has to earn his. i think love can anchor a top team as his game progresses. like you said, you don't judge any player until their 3rd year. most young players truly reach their "growth" or show their "growth" in their 3rd year and he's doing that this year. good guard play allows big man to get easy buckets to get themselves in a rhythm. and griffin gets 1-2 easy buckets a night. and the wolves' best guard is luke ridnour. love has post game moves already, so that could be further developed. love can create off the dribble, and his midrange game can improve (b/c we all know he can shoot the 3). his defense can improve. love is barely scratching the surface of his game, b/c he's finally getting minutes and touches. griffin obviously will definitely get better. and his athleticism will only help. EDIT: just to add, at the beginning of the season, the coaching staff still didn't trust love enough. now he's their #1 guy and franchise player (they wanted beasley to be that). shows his growth and motivation. hopefully minny can get some good guards to pair with those 2.
That's for players closer to being "raw athletes". I don't see Love getting much better than Zach Randolph based on his lack of fast twitch muscle fibers, length and previous weight issues. But then again, he is hitting 1.5 treys a game... I just wonder about his game when it's tight defense, controlled possession, playoff basketball. Big men need to be able to physically impose themselves and that's why athleticism is crucial if you don't have the height or wingspan.
well, we've seen how he physically imposed himself on a superior athlete in amare stoudamire. and with his versatile offense, he can force those types of big man you're talking about to play his game. i mean, if he had an eric gordon, he'd be pulling a chris bosh and rain jumpers all day b/c those big men will refuse to come out and guard him. and zach randolph is nowhere close to love in terms of offensive versatility.
