Rule of the day. Don't max out guys that are max players. Worst thing the franchise could do is overpay for players.
I can see the argument for DJ not being a max player, but in what world is Love not a max player? Do people not realize that he's the third option on a team that boasts two of the top seven scorers in the league? Furthermore, is it not realized that as a third option he's still putting up better stats than almost anyone on our team?
Love is not a max player for a number of reasons.
1) He's an inefficient scorer - the only way Love can score a lot of points, is if he jacks a LOT of shots. Take a look at his shooting percentages at different distances and you'll see that he shoots worse then most bigs in most areas. He's a very average mid-range shooter, his FG% inside the paint is pretty weak for a PF, and even his three point percentage (which is probably his biggest strength) is generally usually barely above average. Offensively, he's not the type of guy who can create his own shot at will, and for that reason he's not the type of offensive player who can carry the offense for a playoff calibre team.
2) He's not a leader. In all of his years in Minnesota, how many times did he make the Playoffs? That's right, none. Look at the NBA this season - Milwaukee made the playoffs, Boston made the Playoffs, the Pelicans (in the West) made the playoffs. None of those teams have much talent. Hell the Pelicans without Anthony Davis would have probably finished bottom 5 in the NBA with the level of talent (or lack thereof) that they have. Anthony Davis willed that team to the playoffs, and he did it in only his second or third season as a pro. Even his own teammates have stated that he just doesn't have that 'leader' mentality. It kinda reminds me of the comments Paul Pierce recently made about Deron Williams, which were along the lines of "he just doesn't have that desire to be the guy". In this league you can only afford to sign one or two guys to max contracts, so if you sign ANYBODY to a max contract you want them to be 'that guy' who can carry and/or transform your team to a whole other level of competitive. Love has shown no indication that he can do that.
3) Horrible defense - Love is a really, really bad defensive player. As in when you're on the defensive end, you may as well be playing 4 on 5. Love basically NEEDS to score 20 points a game just to offset how much he give up on the defensive end, so the defense takes a lot of the shine off his (dramatically overrated) offense.
If I'm offering somebody a max contract, then they need to be able to absolutely carry the team in some way or other. I have no doubts that DeAndre Jordan can carry a team by dominating the paint both defensively and on the boards, much like KG did for Boston early in the big 3 era. He might not score a lot of points, but he doesn't have to because of the sheer number of shots he will block and alter at the basket.
Yeah I know Love is a good rebounder too (not as good as Jordan, but still pretty good) but that doesn't cover up his defensive flaws. Also I could possibly excuse his defensive limitations if he was the type of superior offensive players who could create offense any time and score at will (e.g. Lemarcus Aldridge, Demarcus Cousins) but he isn't. He's really a complimentary offensive player, best suited to a #2 option role.
Also the argument of "as a third option he's putting up better stats then almost anybody on our team", I'd question that. Look at his minutes, compare that to our guys on a per minute status. Sully is putting up exactly the same numbers as love on a per 36-minute basis, but because he's playing less minutes his numbers don't look as good. Sully was also our third option behind Jeff Green and Avery Bradley up until the Green trade. Hell even Olynyk is putting up per-minute numbers that rival those of K Love, and he's probably a #6 option on this team.
Topic: Could we nab Jordan AND Love this offseason? Cap ? (Read 6715 times)