lhslep134;1641031 wrote:I can't name 5 players all around better than him. I've tried. Emphasis on the all-around, because I showed on this thread pages ago Love isn't the "minus defender" he's perceived to be.
And even if he's not top 5, which is fine I'm not going to argue, he's unequivocally NOT "far from top 5" status. That is an opinion I will argue with you about lol.
To me, far from top 5 is the 15-20 range. The NBA is so closely grouped with stars from 5-15 you can make an argument most of them could be top 5 IMO.
I know a few pages back you posted the advanced def stats and I still haven't gone back and dug into them, so that's on me. However, when I watch him play, I think he's pretty damn bad on defense and the consensus around the league is he stinks on def.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/tyson-chandler-says-that-kevin-love-can-t-play-defense-in-halftime-interview--video-091025916.html
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2149199-how-cleveland-cavaliers-would-cover-for-kevin-loves-defensive-deficiencies
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-07-22/kevin-love-trade-rumors-nba-wolves-cavaliers-bulls-lebron-james-andrew-wiggins-klay-thompson
"Love is a phenomenal defensive rebounder but that's about the end of his highly visible defensive contributions. He's neither a physical enforcer nor an athletic shot-blocker, the typical boxes in which we categorize interior defenders."
Like I said, my perception of him is a bad defender, but I still need to dig into the advanced numbers.
Off the top of my head, players I think are better than Love:
1. LBJ
2. KD
3. Westbrook
4. Marc Gasol
5. CP3
Wasn't even tough.
Now we're splitting hairs, as Love is a great player and I'm not denying that, would love him on the Cavs. But not at the cost of Wiggins, who I think will be a top 5 player in the league in a few years and contribute more to the team THIS season with his defense, keeping LBJ fresh by taking top defender, and running ability than Love.
