[外電] Wolves have work to do if they hope to retain big man Lo
Wolves have work to do if they hope to retain big man Love
http://0rz.tw/ZjmqT
BOSTON -- There is no style to Kevin Love's rebounding -- no flash, no flair.
He doesn't yank down one-handed boards, doesn't elevate and catch them above
the rim. He doesn't overpower anyone in the trenches either, not at a listed
6-foot-10 (yeah, right) and with a body that could use the Tony Horton
treatment. For the 22-year-old Love, rebounding is a science, a mixture of
technique, intelligence and tenacity that he has blended together to
transform himself into the best rebounder in the league.
Indeed, keeping Minnesota's Love off the glass has become a virtually
impossible task. Big teams, small teams -- no one has had much success. He
yanked down 31 rebounds against the Knicks in November on his way to becoming
the first NBA player in 28 years to have a 30-point, 30-rebound game. About
two weeks later, he grabbed 22 against San Antonio; three nights later, he
grabbed another 22 against Golden State. He hasn't had a single-digit
rebounding performance since before Thanksgiving, and his average (15.6) is
more than two boards per game better than No. 2 on the list, Dwight Howard
(13.2). In Monday's 96-93 loss to the Celtics, Love had more first-half
rebounds (15) than everyone else combined, and he finished with 24 to go with
12 points. It marked his NBA-best 30th double-double and set a TD Garden
record for most rebounds.
"Guys like him," said Shaquille O'Neal, "come around once every 10 years."
Love is the franchise player the Timberwolves have sought since they shipped
Kevin Garnett out of town in 2007. He has drawn comparisons to Dennis Rodman
and Jayson Williams and, in fact, may be more skilled than both. He is years
away from his prime and his developing offense -- his scoring (20.6 points
per game) and three-point shooting (42.5 percent) have skyrocketed this
season -- suggests the best is yet to come.
The question is, Will those years come with the Wolves?
It hasn't been a smooth two and a half years for Love in Minnesota. He has
clashed often with second-year coach Kurt Rambis -- mostly over playing time
-- and although Love says the relationship has improved and that the two "are
far more on the same page than we were," there are still rocky moments. With
two minutes to go in the third quarter against Boston, Rambis sent rookie
Wesley Johnson in for Love. An exasperated Love, who felt he had a good
matchup with rookie Luke Harangody, argued with Rambis on the sideline until
Rambis waved him toward the bench.
The losing has worn on Love, who desperately wants to win. And while Rambis
points to the progress Minnesota has made this season and GM David Kahn talks
about making the playoffs next season, the Wolves still have a long way to
go. The core of the NBA's youngest team includes the unpredictable Michael
Beasley and the unproven Johnson. They have lost all confidence in the No. 6
pick in the 2009 draft, Jonny Flynn, and plan to replace him with Euroleague
superstar Ricky Rubio next season.
Love sees all of this, has absorbed it, processed it. Which is why he is
complimentary of the Timberwolves' progress -- "I can see a light at the end
of the tunnel," he said. "I couldn't see it last year" -- but he stops short
of saying he plans to be in Minnesota for the long term. Love is eligible to
sign a contract extension this summer but admits he does think about free
agency, about having some control over his future.
"We'll see what happens with what David Kahn and the front office want to
do," Love said. "If it's right, it's right. If it's not, it's not. I could
end up somewhere else. I just want to play for a team that wants to win at
this point. At this point, I just want to win now."
Wherever Love goes, he won't come cheap. The five-year, $60 million
extensions signed by Joakim Noah and Al Horford last year will likely be
Love's starting point in negotiations. And his deal could be bigger. When
asked what kind of contract Love could be in line for this summer, one league
executive's answer was succinct: Max.
Then there is this: Love told SI.com that during last summer's World
Championship in Turkey he had conversations with USA Basketball teammates
Russell Westbrook (who played with Love at UCLA) and Derrick Rose about the
possibility of someday teaming up in the NBA. Oklahoma City's Westbrook and
Chicago's Rose are also permitted to sign extensions this summer.
"We all talk about playing together," Love said. "It's fun to talk about.
When the time comes, we'll assess the situation and figure it out."
Minnesota will have to assess the situation, too. Quickly. The Timberwolves
have one more year until Love can become a restricted free agent, one more
year to shore up the roster. If they don't, it won't be long before the team
Love will be controlling the boards against is them.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 220.135.53.209
Timberwolves 近期熱門文章
44
149
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
