Let's Settle This: Trade Love, or trade Al? (with poll!)

They’re different enough players that we don’t need to move them. Let’s get Turner, bring over Rubio, keep Flynn as a spark, resign Darko, trade Sessions/Pek/Gomes for some other pieces and call it a day.

But I do think it’s impossible for them to co-exist under Kurt Rambis. Which sucks because out of the Love, Jefferson, and Rambis…Rambis is the one that still has the most to prove and we know he’s not going anywhere.

I want to see Big Al play on a team where he is choice 2A or 2B banana offensively. If he was in that situation, chances are he’d be a happy camper as he would be surrounded by some outstanding players. You wouldn’t have to worry about his attitude, it would always be up. I just think this whole Love/Al thing comes down to what we prefer as fans. I like Al’s offense, especially in the right situation. I just think guys like Love are more easily had out there. Call it a proposterous statement but I bet Leon Powe, a guy burried on Cleveland’s bench, could do a lot of what Love does on the court given playing time on the wolves.

but it really depends on what trade opportunities are out there. I would probably trade either player for Derrick Favors. The potential of Rubio-Favors just seems higher than Rubio-Love or Rubio-Jefferson. But, I would not trade Al Jefferson for Kevin Martin or Tayshawn Prince, and I don’t think Indy would trade us Danny Granger. I would probably trade Love for Mayo, but I doubt Memphis would do that for another big man. I would not trade Love for Harden.

As between the two guys, in a vaccum, I’d rather have Jefferson. I think that he’ll bounce back next year and look like his old self. I found the old Big Al to be fun to watch, even if he sometimes made his opponent fun to watch as well. He was a consistent producer in the paint, and while Love is a better rebounder, I don’t think he’ll ever be the all around player that Jeff is. But, both are and will continue to be good players — the only good players on the current roster, so I wouldn’t trade them away in anything that resembles a panic decision.

But really not because I think they should or would, but because both of them should be available on the trading block for getting the right package. Ultimately the Wolves, like 90% of the league, are looking for a defensive big man. Unfortunately that breed of player is extremely rare. Both Al and Love have strengths on the Offensive end of the floor and both are good to elite rebounders. Darko is a start, but we need a defensive anchor as a third big in a playoff rotation. Every other lottery team has “Post Defense” as a need, with the Nets and Brook Lopez having the best situation at internal improvement, but he currently has no help. The Wolves are not some unique team looking for a defensive big, we only get one chance to get this type of player and its in late June every year.

Every team in final 8 of the playoffs has strong post defense, and is a necessity to a championship contending team. I don’t think the Wolves are in a position to get one of these type of players either in free agency or in trade because they just are rarely available. We have to draft this player. Hopefully the team can snag Turner in the Draft with a little luck or maneuvering, but if you can trade either Love or Jefferson in any deal to get a chance to see if Favors or Cousins can develop into a two-way big, you have to take it as it’s clear to me that Love and Jefferson are both limited as two-way players. If you think some guy in the mid lottery has that potential you trade Love or Al to make that happen and roll the dice, I have no complaints. The status quo does not currently work and the current frontline does not have deep playoff run potential.

I just don’t see how the Wolves keep both guys. What will be different than this year? They will still likely be poor defensively together, Jefferson will still be the highly paid pro that is tough to talk into a bench role, Love will still end up coming off the bench, and it is very likely Love will be complaining and talking to his agent about trades.

Pick one, rebalance the team, and move on.

He has consisently played on losing teams, his defense is suspect, he’s a poor passer, poor defender, he doesn’t make his teammates better, he’s the original Black Hole, and we have Nikola coming over. Talk about redundant. Love has much more upside and is easy on the cap. Get what you can for him. Hurry!

Big Al is just FINALLY recovering from his injury, remember 2 years ago how good he was? He will be back around that level next year. If Kahn trades him, it will be a mistake.

Yes, in a perfect world we could trade either player and get full value and a better fit. But it’s quite clear that this is not the case. You keep them both until a fair trade presents itself. In the meantime, I’m not buying this “they can’t work together” line. Their whole is less than the sum of their parts, but they remain our two best players, the two players that are the greatest net positives when they play, even when together.

A lot of you need some serious education in trade value and cap management. It’s disappointing to me that a place that could be so basketball savvy in most other aspects can be so clueless when it comes to imagining fair trades. Giving Love and Rubio for a 28 year old Tony Parker on an expiring contract whose production went into the toilet this season? Trading Jefferson for packages centered around negative value contracts like Luol Deng or Kirk Hinrich? Insinuating that an overpaid Deng has more trade value than Corey Brewer on a rookie deal? I’m sorry to get on a soapbox, but these are terrible ideas.

If you really thought you coudl get Martin or Granger for Al, wouldn’t you do it? I think the fact that he’s coming back from injury and looked pretty inconsistent last year (and what was supposedly “his” team, at least from an offensive standpoint, really SUCKED), means he doesn’t have a lot of value, especially when his contract is factored in.

if you want to get rid of one, keep your cap flexibilty and find someone reasonably young, it HAS to be Love that goes.

I’m not reccomending he goes, but if you want to help the team, then you trade Love, which I don’t think they will do unless they get a great offer.

If you want to get rid of one because you think you HAVE to, then I think the best you’re going to get for Al is a shorter contract. Prince + the Det pick would be a good result IMO, as would AK + Knicks Pick for AL + whatever else you need. Utah coudl probably use a backup PG, so you could include Sessions in that deal. . .

Brewer, Big Al, KLove, Gomes, Pekovic. Gomes and Big Al can go. Keep the rest. Yes, Al will be better next year, a 20-10 guy. But he demands the ball too much. How many times have we seen him force up a shot when quadruple teamed? This team will never reach the next level with Al as the centerpiece.

Jefferson is a black hole on offense. He doesn’t make any of the other players better around him because he is an awful passer. It just seems to me that he hasn’t learned the fundementals – offensively other than on the post or defensively. His individual skills are solid – his team skills are less than desireable. He stays in the middle and gets rebounds and he is a outstanding post player, but to me a liability on O without the ball and anytime on D. Trade Al. Love may have peeked talent wise but I see him as a student of the game and one that has the tools to change and adapt. With Al, what you see is what you get.