Wolves Updates 8/28
by SG on Aug 28, 2010 8:18 PM CDT
Email
PrintRubio calls Minneapolis "a great city to live" and more
From Sam Amico's twiter feed (via Twolves Blog):
Early word around NBA is Nuggets will try to trade Carmelo to 1 of 3 teams: Wolves, Kings, Nets. In other words, careful what you wish for.
From Pete Thamel/New York Times:
"Ricky will be very successful," Kahn said. "No matter what he does in basketball. I just think in effect he’s been proving himself on someone else’s dime. That’s not such a bad thing."
Rubio dismissed the notion that he did not want to play for Minnesota, one of the league’s smaller markets.
"Everyone is talking like Minneapolis is not a good city to live, but I think that it’s a great city to live," he said. "O.K., the weather is not so good. But there’s a lot of things to do there, a lot of sports to watch and centers to go. I think it’s a great city."
From Pete Thamel/New York Times:
Even before Minnesota drafted him fifth over all in 2009, the biggest question looming over Rubio was when he would play in the N.B.A. The likely answer is 2011. He will return to Barcelona for a second season, which will allow him to live in the cozy beach suburb El Masnou, about two miles from his parents, while playing for one of Europe’s most prestigious teams.
"It’s my dream; we’re going to see how it goes after next season," Rubio said of the N.B.A. "My idea is to go there."
While there has been much speculation about Rubio’s future in the United States, little is known about his past and present. His house is modest and the pool is small; the only hint of celebrity is the red Alfa Romeo that Rubio drives, a car given to him by a local dealer.
Rubio’s family does not crave the spotlight, limiting his exposure to the news media and trying to ensure him a normal life.
159 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
No...
…unless he comes really, really cheap.
And even then: no.
Inefficient scorers who shoot alot are the bane of my basketball fandom.
+1
i echo your response – and i’d like to append to the end of your last sentence ….that don’t defend or rebound well (to put it mildly).
ew.
Partly it's a SF/PF thing for people I think
Carmelo Anthony is such a physical beast at the three, and then Denver played him at a de facto PF for much of last year. His rebounding numbers generally look middle-of-the-pack among SFs, and of course he’s had a long back and forth with George Karl about not playing outside as much…. Is it Oceanary who always mentions the ratios of threes to post-up shots that Karl gave him?
Just grabbing SF-type names from the air, here’s how ’Melo looks next to a few other careers.
Short version is that he’s better on the boards than Richard Jefferson, but doesn’t rebound as well as Grant Hill (who was a freaking mensch before that injury, just a basketball deity). Ryan Gomes, whose ’tween characteristics we all know, also outboards Anthony by a bit when we adjust for opportunities.
"As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way." RWE
From these stats...
I see that Melo’s the best offensive-rebounder, but the worst defensive rebounder. Offensive rebounds are usually more important.
Carmelo was not playing him at a de facto PF for much of last year
that’s just poppycock.
Furthermore they like to have him leak out on the wing when a shot goes up in hopes of creating a fast break opportunity or a mismatch in the post.
Maybe it was just when I watched.
A typical thing I saw would be a Nuggets run against Boston in which the Nuggets went “small,” pulling Petro and sliding everyone over. When Kenyon was out I could swear I saw multiple articles talking about how often ‘Melo moved over, and against the Wolves in March the Nuggets had a lineup on the floor that forced Kevin Love to defend him. (To which Love’s response was “Really?” after the game.)
He also played a lot of four on the Olympic team, didn’t he? There’s sure a lot of press writing about that.
But okay, you’re a Nuggets fan.
Personally I don’t like the idea of Anthony here, and it’s not because of any objections to his inefficiency or whatever. I don’t want the Wolves to be a decent team because they’ve poached someone else’s star and karma, if you know what I mean. (Since he cut his hair ’Melo’s been much more likeable for me, either way.)
"As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way." RWE
You know...
We don’t have to speculate or argue here. 82games has the precise answer.
Melo played 15.2% of his minutes at PF last year, and 84.8% at SF.
Whether I'm a Nuggets fan or not has nothing to do with it
It’s the mere fact that he did not play much of last year at the PF (only 15% of the time as John Doe shows us).
Now, it is true that he played a lot of four for the U.S. Olympic team but that was not what your originally said. That was not mentioned at all, and I don’t read minds.
If Melo were to come here to Minnesota, I think it would sell a lot of tickets and I think MN would have a nice package to offer Melo but I do ultimately think it would be a one year rental plain and simple. He seems to have his eyes on the east or West coast for the most part.
Why would we rent him for 1 year?
Do we have some grandiose plans to make it to the NBA finals this season? Ummm, nope. So the ONLY way it would even make sense to discuss this is on a sign and trade basis, where Carmelo is locked up for 3 years plus an option. If that’s not part of the discussion, then this conversation’s over. End of story.
I know, that's exactly my point.
it doesn’t make any sense to bring him for one year when the Wolves are developing a nice group of players
I’m not a Melo fan, but you’re underselling him. He’s not inefficient, he’s just not super efficient. I wouldn’t want him for the max contract he’s going to get or as a one year rental if you’re giving up serious assets (and you would be). That said, he’s a good player who would fit a huge need for the Wolves.
The problem that the Wolves have is that they really do need a scorer and scoring almost always requires you to overpay. The Wolves have a ton of capspace, they might just have to bite the bullet on a guy in the Melo mold and know that you can go fill other holes on the cheap. It’s just the reality of NBA contracts right now.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Oops
I posted before I read your post! Basically I said what you said….
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 28, 2010 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions
You are exaggerating here
I get that he isn’t at at an elite efficiency level, but I believe the league as a whole averages a TS% of about 53% or 54%. He’s at 55%, which is in the same neighborhood as Kobe and better than guys like Joe Johnson and Monta Ellis. So yeah, he’s not in Durant or LeBron territory, but he’s solid.
As a scorer, he’s a notch above Al Jefferson in his efficiency and volume, while also rebounding his position well. While I won’t exactly shout from the rafters that we need Carmelo Anthony, I think Kahn should at least return Denver’s phone call.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 28, 2010 9:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Mediocre efficiency at a max contract price
You’re right he’s not terrible at efficiency, he’s just average efficiency-wise, but quite expensive for what he produces.
Last year there were 46 players who took over 1,000 FG attempts and Melo finished 22nd in that group in TS%.
He is slightly above average while being heavily involved in the offense and he plays SF. OK, we could definitely use someone like that.
However, he thinks he’s a superstar, but his performance shows he is not. I doubt his agent or the rest of his retinue will be telling him otherwise. I think that means he will continue to be confused about his role and how much he should be making. And that causes problems with teammates on and off the court.
I don’t really blame Melo – get what you can – I just think he has been inappropriately valued and will continue to be so.
I posted something on another fanshot on this
Bottom line, if we can trade Beas, Flynn & Brewer for Melo, and if Ricky likes the idea of Melo, and Ricky would com over in 2011 as a result, and we can do a S&T…
Then I think we have to do it. If it happens, it will happen because Rambis likes the combination of Love & Melo better than the combination of Love & Beasley. That would make sense to me, I must admit. It would also clear up some potential logjams as well.
We may have to take back some contracts, and maybe toss in a Koufos. Or a pick, but I’d rather keep picks.
Just thinking
Carmelo brings in a few things the Wolves could use, name recognition and drawing power being near the top of that list. He’s also an experienced SF who has averaged 24, 6, and 3 and is 46% from the floor for his career. But I just sat back and thought about what could happen if we can get Carmelo to sign long term…
C: Darko and Pekovic
PF: Love and Tolliver
SF: Melo and Brewer
SG: Johnson and Webster
PG: Rubio and Ridnour
If Johnson doesn’t pan out that’s still a damn good lineup. If Johnson does pan out, that’s a top caliber lineup. If Pekovic turns out to be as good as his youtube clips make him look that could be a championship level roster. I would consider Beasley and Koufos as possible trade bait combined with some of our 2011 draft picks. With Nene and Kenyon Martin going through some injury issues and JR Smith’s legal troubles a couple of guys who can play multiple front court positions might look tempting. I might be willing to look at shipping Flynn, but with Ty Lawson and Chauncey Billups already there he might not be as tempting to the Nuggets.
by newfrickinshow on Aug 29, 2010 3:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes... we need more Syracuse players.
Bring it on home, Melo…
Johnny is as good as gone
When Rubio comes, Flynn’s days will be numbered (if he is even still on the roster at that point.). If we still run the triangle, Ridnour gets the nod over Flynn.
Exactly
No way am I giving up Darko for Melo, no way!!
(btw, thanks for coming over from blazersedge.com KGMN, good to have you aboard!)
Is just disinformation…
by Son of Gerald Green on Aug 29, 2010 4:02 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll give up Love for him in a NY minute
Having two go-to scorers in him and Beasley will be fantastic for this team. They can both also be interchanged at PF and SF much more easily than Love and either of them.
Because using Beasley as a second “go-to scorer” in Miami worked out so well? We have seen nothing from him as a pro that makes me confident he’s going to be a legitimate first option on offense. He might get there, but I think betting the future on him is playing roulette.
I’m also curious about why you’d want Melo to play the 4. Why would you interchange them, unless it became clear that Beasley couldn’t play the 4 in the pros? And if that were the case, Love is the better fit, because, you know, Love actually is a power forward.
I’m not saying the Wolves shouldn’t trade Love for Melo (though I wouldn’t, considering the price tags), but using Beasley as the reason they need to go get him confuses me.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Yeah, I’m excited to see. But I won’t make any claims about how it’s going to work out. I think he absolutely could succeed, but if I were a gambling man, I’d say away from those bets. He could be fantastic or be incredibly frustrated on a bad team and check out altogether. Making him feel at home might help, but I don’t know how this will play out. It’s probably the most interesting storyline this yaer.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Love your takes...
Like you’re reading my mind sometimes. We seem to see the game the same way. Do you like kids, puppy dogs, and long walks on the beach?
"I'm gonna make you cry...I'm gonna make you cry and dip my cookie in your tears!!!"
Just because that’s who the Nugs will try to trade him to doesn’t mean he’ll have any interest in it. If the Kings got him without giving up Cousins or Evans, that would be a very interesting experiment.
by pagingstanleyroberts on Aug 28, 2010 8:57 PM CDT reply actions
and add Mr.Smith
Wow that would be one crazy team
by KahningPups on Aug 28, 2010 10:09 PM CDT up reply actions
%Rubio must be lying or misquoted...
I thought he had no interest in the Wolves and didn’t like the NBA enough to want to come here. I’m sorry, but I still believe the opinions of other people about Rubio over the words that come out of his mouth. The Wolves should trade him to the Knicks and hope they can get Wilson Chandler in return.
by pagingstanleyroberts on Aug 28, 2010 9:01 PM CDT reply actions
Haha
Nice,and about melo,i don’t remember seeing the wolves as one of the teams he wanted to go to. Don’t see that one happening.
by bringthesun on Aug 28, 2010 9:38 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
It's The New York Times
You can’t believe a word from that liberal rag. ;)
Check out Humdinger TV on YouTube.
http://twitter.com/HumdingerTV
This Rubio quote is incredible
It’s really the first time Ricky has directly weighted in on Minnesota as a destination. Not only is he not opposed to Minnesota, but the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce may want to have him be their spokesperson.
Not that I don’t trust Kahn on everything, but getting a direct quote from Rubio himself goes a long way.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Agreed
There are several posters whom I would love to rub that quote directly in their face, not to mention several writers from “prominent” news sites.
BUT, none of it means a hill of beans until he’s in uniform. Until then it’s all rhetoric. (just taming my optimism), but you are exactly right, that quote is AWESOME news for the wolves and their fans.
by Cedarpenguin on Aug 28, 2010 10:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Do you sniff glue?
Seriously, Wilson Chandler? The Knicks were willing to deal him for Rudy Fernandez and the Blazers turned them down. I pray to god you’re being sarcastic. Anthony Randolph, Gallo, and Bill Walker, then maybe we start to talk.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 28, 2010 11:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Reading into your quote more
and I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t at first glance see the sarcasm in it. I will go hide in my troll hole now.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 28, 2010 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions
also not the % symbol
which is CH shorthand for sarcasm
I would drive 10 miles to hear fucktwats sing.
There's a reason Chandler was the name in the sarcasm line, though.
There are actually Knicks fans out there who suggested just such an exchange last summer. The Wolves were going to end up with nothing anyway, right?
Rrr.
"As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way." RWE
Well my guess is the Nuggets want
someone like Rubio and something for Melo, I’d pass on that. If I had to give Wes or B-Easy or Brewer and a first or Flynn I’d do it. Melo’s not perfect but he’s still damn good. A number one scorer no doubt which is something even when Rubio come’s over we’ll need.
Also, I’d love to see what ESPN would say if they saw Rubio’s comments.
by Bad News Wolves on Aug 28, 2010 10:01 PM CDT reply actions
Here is Bill Simmons' mailbag for those of you that want to get this in front of his face
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 28, 2010 10:05 PM CDT up reply actions
don't know why the link didn't highlight "sportsguy"...cut and paste the thing
I think we should flood his email with Ricky’s quote.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 28, 2010 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions
@johnhollinger Ricky Rubio. Great potential? Sure. But let’s come back to Earth for a moment – his Euroleague and int’l #s are still mediocre at best. 10 minutes ago
How ironic
He had the 11th best PER in the ACB league last season. I guess PER is a junk statistic then….
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 28, 2010 10:26 PM CDT up reply actions
ESPN=Douche Central, like psychic John Edwards, Douche of the Universe style.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 28, 2010 11:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I knew you were going to say that
(goodnight Minnesota, I’ll be here all week!)
Is just disinformation…
by Son of Gerald Green on Aug 30, 2010 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
He had around the same PER as Juan Carlos Navarro
who, in his prime was a mediocre at best NBA player.
I think Hollinger is right on this one. Rubio’s got great potential, but there’s no reason to believe he’s as good as he is marketable.
And yes, of course Jennings was a completely different situation.
JC Navarro was at a physical disadvantage at his position in the NBA
That’s a big factor when trying to figure out if Euro stats will translate. Rubio has some freakish physical gifts that should enable him to do some of the things he does now.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 29, 2010 7:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Near 7 foot wingspan for a PG would be one of them
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 29, 2010 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Plus Navarro gets way to shot happy.
Doesn’t always go over to well in the NBA if you pull up 5 feet behind the 3 line with 18 seconds left on the clock.
by Bad News Wolves on Aug 29, 2010 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions
plus
PGs typically have a lower PER than shooters and rebounders. The point very rarely grabs the board and is usually farther out at the top of the key. 15 is the average PER for a player, but the average PER for a PG I am sure is slightly lower than that.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Aug 29, 2010 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Hollinger has taken quite the heel turn.
He used to be so objective, but it appears the haters have gotten to him.
Classic case of defending your doctrine rather than asking interesting questions.
The proponents of the various One Stat to Rule Them All schools set themselves up that way. Step one is “I’m Galileo, so all of you must be the Pope!” Things go downhill from there.
"As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way." RWE
just a thought...
seems like an interesting time for ricky to step up and say that. any chance it’s related to the melo rumors? like “hey ricky, we own you, we know you want to come…..we think we’ve got a decent shot at melo if he thinks you’re coming,,,,how about a kind word about minny?”
This is not about where Melo wants to go...
…it’s about where CAA wants ’Melo to go.
The super-agency, which represents Anthony and his model-wife, has its tendrils deep into their lives, and will essentially be determining the direction those lives take over the next several years. Unlike Miami Thrice and CPIII, this is not about ’Melo’s desire to forge some super threesome; it’s about his agency deciding what destination cities would maximize his marketing potential.
There will be no sign-and-trades or extensions or any hope of signing Carmelo Anthony as a free agent after this season unless your team plays in New York or Los Angeles. The only reason Denver lists the Wolves as a preferred trading partner is that we are one of the few teams able to absorb a portion of ’Melo’s salary with raw cap space. Any acquisition of ’Melo would be a one-year rental, and therefore a disastrous move.
Unless Kahn is a total idiot, which he most certainly is not, forget all these silly trade scenarios. CAA says it ain’t happening.
His wife isn't a model, she's a TV personality, one of them MTV chicks, I think she did TRL
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 29, 2010 9:22 AM CDT up reply actions
She's too chunky, not hot enough to be a model
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 30, 2010 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions
then again
Melo is kind of chunky.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Aug 30, 2010 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions
I like em'
chunky, the bigger the better.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 30, 2010 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Wait a sec...
…are you saying that emaciated is hot?
Flesh is hot. Skeletons are not.
Someone is gonna become a bazillionaire by inventing a camera that subtracts 10 pounds rather than adding 10 pounds to the subject of the foto.
I believe they call it "airbrush."
Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric? That's ridiculous! I would never have traded Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric.
- Sam Cassell on McHale's decisions while running the Timberwolves.
KLove doing
great 6th man type stuff for team USA. He’s awesome at bringing energy off the bench. If that’s a role he thrives in then we should look to keep him in it if he doesn’t work as a starter.
Clippers should do same with Eric Gordon
and Pacers do same with Danny Granger. Both looking excellent off the bench for Team USA.
I would drive 10 miles to hear fucktwats sing.
Not really Granger
He’s sucked.
Besides this kind of argument that another team should treat a certain player the same as another because they were bench players for team USA is retarded.
Love brings a lot of energy and hustle of the bench. He also brings great 6th man intangibles more than the rest of the bench players.
You’re selling Love short by comparing his bench play to that of Granger, who has been quite awful at it.
If Love doesn’t translate into a starter then he can fill the Anderson Varejao role for this team very very well.
Unless Beasley turns into Lamar Odom...
… Love is the starting PF.
by Dave T on Aug 29, 2010 10:35 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
This guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-5plDMa1sY&feature=related
He’s clearly a SF.
But what does that have to do with Love showing that he has great intangibles to be a great 6th man at the PF spot for this team if his excellent numbers in short spurts don’t translate when given starter’s minutes?
But what does that have to do with Love showing that he has great intangibles to be a great 6th man at the PF spot for this team if his excellent numbers in short spurts don’t translate when given starter’s minutes?
Please support this argument, if you can. I don’t see anything don’t see anything in his splits to suggest that he’s significantly more effective as a reserve.
Your chain of logic is… questionable. Love has been arguably the second best player on TeamUSA. By his outperforming Odom, Chandler, and a bunch of All-Star caliber wings, you conclude that he should be stuck behind an even more inferior PF on the Wolves?
Who have I said he should be stuck behind on the Wolves?
All I said was that so far he’s shown to have at least excellent 6th man qualities. If he doesn’t translate into a starter, which I don’t know if he will or won’t, then we at least know we have an excellent 6th man in him.
By the way he put up great numbers again today.
He’s shown he can put up excellent numbers for an entire NBA season (save for when his hand was broken) while playing 28.6 MPG. I don’t care if he starts or comes off the bench, as long as he sees an increase in minutes. If he’s not playing about 35 MPG, for a team that will really need his rebounding (Darko/Pek at the center is a rebounding catastrophe), Rambis better have a damn good reason.
And while you say you don’t know if he will or won’t be a better starter or 6th man, you keep suggesting that he’s better off as a 6th man. Usually, on a bad team, if one player really shines in a role, makes Team USA and generally gets people excited about what they can do, fans want him to start. You must have some reason for suggesting that he’s a 6th man type. Do you have a reason to think he won’t be effective as a starter? I’ve seen it brought up a lot, and not just by you, I’m just trying to figure out why this idea keeps coming up.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
I think one reason
is that it’s difficult to find the type of players we need to really maximize Love as a starter on a playoff contending team. A presumably long, tall, shot blocking C who can create from the post, ala Brook Lopez, Dwight Howard, even Joakim Noah, those types of guys, obviously hard to find. Are Darko or Pek that kind of player? I’d have to think no, but remember he’s only 22 in a month and we’re not going to be in playoff contention anyway, we’ll find that guy. Perry Jones? He’s still a very good option even on a borderline playoff team as long as you have some shot blocking behind him, ala what we hope Darko is.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 29, 2010 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
You definitely do need a weakside, rim protecting defender next to Love, but why do you think he needs to create from the post? Do you just mean score or does he have to be a good passer, too?
On the offensive side of the ball, I think Love is really easy to find complements for. You can play him in the high post, ask him to just bully around the basket, drift out to the 3 point line and distribute from anywhere. He’s a perfect “put him anywhere, as long as he doesn’t interrupt our main scorer’s game” sort of guy on offense.
For me, defense is where his fit can be questioned. There’s really only one role that he really thrives in on D—holding post position. He’s a decent man defender as a result of this, but he’s not going to block a lot of shots or scare people away from driving. You need a shot blocker there to defend the weakside and anchor the defense. I don’t know why this would be super hard to find, and Darko will have to play this role for now (though I don’t see him as a weakside defender, he will at least protect the rim), but obviously, like any role, finding someone who is super elite at it will be a huge challenge. Finding elite players to fill most roles will be the Wolves’ main problem from here on out.
I like Love/Rubio as the backbone, but there are particular sorts of players that a team featuring them will need to succeed. Kahn needs to find those guys, but remember how important Love is to the team in the interim. I wouldn’t want him to feel alienated on the team, given how important he can be to a team that’s identity is running and passing. He’s not a perfect player, but he’s a great fit for the sort of team that seems to be forming. Now it’s time for the supporting cast to go from “great fits, little talent” to “great fits, great talent.” That tends to be the problem for a lot of teams. Fingers crossed that Kahn can pull it off.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
That's a stretch.
I like Love/Rubio as the backbone, but there are particular sorts of players that a team featuring them will need to succeed
Rubio and Love are at best complimentary players on an actual contender, but you are not winning an NBA championship at any point in their careers as your core players.
I’m not saying that’s the whole core, but for now, you can build around them as the model for the team. It’s certainly still missing one great player, but there’s a system that can be built around those two. They just need the right pieces, including another cornerstone.
I am certainly not saying that those two plus a bunch of average guys wins you anything—just to clarify.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
I don't know how you can
say anything negative about Rubio’s game at this point without talking out of your ass. He has almost nothing but upside.
Pretty much
Kevin love has only been buying Icehouse for a year and Rubio is 2 years away from his first sangria.
by fanslaststand on Aug 30, 2010 8:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I guarantee you Rubio
has and does drink. He lives in Europe…not the puritan US.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Aug 31, 2010 7:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Aggghhh- here we go again EP...
The drinking age in Spain is 18 so I’m sure he has gotten plowed but I’m curious how you can guarantee this because I’m very interested in obtaining a guarantee that Rubio drinks:)
by fanslaststand on Aug 31, 2010 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
well...
It’s just a cultural thing. Wine and Sangria are pretty big in that part of the world. Even if the drinking age is 18, that is only for being in public by yourself. I have yet to meet anyone from that part of the world that wouldn’t crack open a bottle of wine with dinner and let their barely teenage child have a glass.
Sangria is a very common drink at Spanish tapas bars and I would be very suprised to hear that most 18 year old spanish adults haven’t had at least one.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Aug 31, 2010 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
some posters on CH are pretty adept at
…talking out of their nether orifice.
I meant a player who can score inside
I think an inside/outside duo with another player and Love makes the most sense. He’s just never going to be able to score from inside efficiently. It would open his outside game up more. He’s never going to be a guy who on the outside can get his shot off without the PnR or defenses collapsing in on a C who can score inside. Yes, in regards to his defense, I think more than anything he needs size behind him.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 29, 2010 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions
11 rebounds & 10 points in 13 minutes!
That’s a pretty good backup. That guy could be a starter on the Wolves, IMHO.
Maybe if we get Melo we could trade for him?
Oh, wait…
great showing for sure, but remember the who it is against and what context.
phuckin' machine took my quarter.
Doesn't diminish...
how much better Love have been than his teammates, who are in a very similar context against the same competition.
not to diminish...he will also be a better player for being on team usa.
phuckin' machine took my quarter.
He'd be stuck behind whoever starts ahead of him, obviously.
The fact that you didn’t specify who would be starting at PF isn’t a point in your favor.
It’s wise of you not to make the case that he ought to be a 6th man. What I object to is that we’re even bothering to talk about the hypothetical of Love not translating as a starter. We have 59 games worth of evidence that he’s just fine as a starter, not to mention the established fact that this needn’t be a concern with almost any player, ever.
None of that translated into any meaningful wins
I’m assuming the plan is to win this year and at some point in the future, not meaningless numbers year after year on a 20-something win team.
Love is a 6th man on a team that’s built to win. That may not be us at the start of the season but we should at least start trying to get there by mid-season.
Love is a 6th man on a team that’s built to win.
that is a heck of a compliment. 6th man vs. starter in that context is a mute point, imo. it just means that the guy can play and make a big contribution.
phuckin' machine took my quarter.
Which I've never denied.
It’s all about context in which that contribution comes. We can’t have delusions of pinning any championship hopes on building around Love as a starter.
yea, i didn't mean that you denied it...
more that…i didn’t think you were trying to knock him. i agree with your assessment, and think he could be extremely valuable in that role.
phuckin' machine took my quarter.
Ugh.
So even though Love is a top 10-15 PF in the league right now, having him in the starting lineup means we will not ever win a championship under any circumstances?
What a garbage take. Back to the ESPN boards with you!
And I’d prefer if you’d actually explain why you think he’s a better 6th man. This question has been posed, and you haven’t answered it.
Basically, you just keep shouting “6th man!” and when someone disagrees you say that you can’t win with him as a starter. I have no idea why this would be the case.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Nice strawman.
I was talking about Love’s rebound percentage in one game, in which he literally did grab over twice the percentage of the rebounds available to him as Carlos Boozer’s average last season. Completely irrelevant to the topic at hand, but nonetheless factually accurate.
To review:
Me: facts, sensibility
You: makes ludicrous contrarian statement, unable and unwilling to support said claim, tries to change subject
Whenever you’re ready…
What amazes me is your certainty
You know for certain that Love is the best 6th man in the league and will never be a starter on a championship team.
I play the odds, and they say that Love will never be a 6th man on a championship team either.
But apparently your magic 8 ball told you that I[m wrong on that score.
Sorry to be pedantic but it's "moot point"
A mute is one that cannot speak.
If he is outplaying them so badly why isn't he starting?
Coach K’s respect for Odom and Chandler?
by Breaking Ankles on Aug 30, 2010 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Probably
This is the same guy who started Jason Kidd over Chris Paul and Deron Williams, and never benched Kobe even though Wade was shooting about 20% better from the field as his backup.
I don’t know that Love could do anything to move ahead of Odom, certainly not after just two games.
Well, he and the rest of the Team USA brass assembled a roster so good, that stupid rotations couldn’t screw it up at the Olympics. Winning doesn’t require perfection, and Coach K’s rotations have been far from perfect. At the World Championships, well, I’m on record screaming about the constant small ball with this roster. I’ll be interested to see how this team fares against real competition in real games, but I don’t like how small they’re playing.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
I honestly can’t believe JVG isn’t doing anything right now. How has no one taken a flyer on him? Lots of positions were available this summer. Was he just not at all interested?
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Watching Spain vs New Zealand on ESPN3
Rubio unimpressive in this game – - – a few really bad turnovers.
NZ’s Abercrombie impressive, wants the ball. Knows how to get free
for slams, has springs. Fun to watch.
Note: Rubio should look to score more. You almost know that in every
possession, he’s going to pass, making it easy on the defense for pick-offs. I hope
to see him play stronger than he is today. He looks dark, like he’s spent too much
time chillin’ on the beach.
I think
it’s his role on both teams, Barcelona and Spain. To be the playmaker, not the scorer, that’s Navarro on both teams. He’ll be much more assertive when given the keys to a team, see his games in the U16 European Championships, where he absolutely dominated.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 29, 2010 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions
Also
I think younger players are just treated differently over in Europe, they’re not given the entitlement like younger players over here, there’s more pressue to win over there. I wouldn’t think teams over there could afford to “build” teams like what we’re trying to do, they have to win now.
by NorthernLights666 on Aug 29, 2010 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Unimpressive?
Perhaps our expectations are going up. He had 11 assists and 3 steals in less than 30 minutes of action. He did turn it over 4 times, but I’ll take that in stride as long as he’s dishing out that many dimes and creating nearly as many turnovers with his individual defense. Oh yeah, and the most impressive stat of all? He was a +34 while in the game. Spain was a -17 when he was out of the game.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 29, 2010 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions
whoa.
He was a +34 while in the game. Spain was a -17 when he was out of the game.
phuckin' machine took my quarter.
I’m not a huge plus/minus guy, but if he can do that with consistency, it’s got to mean something. That’s really impressive.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
I like +/-
as a supplemental metric to the production stuff, especially for point guards since they can do a lot to impact a game without necessarily filling up a stat sheet. And anyone that has watched him lately knows that Rubio isn’t just flying on the coat tails of Fernandez, Gasol, and Navarro. He is a major cog on that team. Perhaps not the dominant one, but definitely he is their equal in terms of stature and importance to the team.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 29, 2010 9:30 PM CDT up reply actions
minor plus/minus
may not mean too much to me because of the numerous contributing factors and the room for statistical error, but that split is outrageous. I guess it goes to show you his impact on his teammates level of play even if he doesn’t look like a dominant scorer. WOW.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Aug 30, 2010 7:23 AM CDT up reply actions
To be fair
he was -3 while in the game against France and Spain was a -3 while he was out of the game. So he didn’t really make a big difference either way in that particular game. Unlike the NZ game, I didn’t watch the replay of the France game, so I don’t know if he set up his team mates and they just couldn’t make shots or if he struggled to get them open looks.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 29, 2010 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions
you could even interpret that as meaning that spain is at their best only when rubio is playing well
you can’t expect him to play well every single game at this point
Still too early to draw firm conclusions
but it’s always heartening to see a guy who you think is a winner actually produce winning +/- numbers.
I don’t recall ever being this interested in FIBA basketball, but with Love and Rubio playing, this is an awesome time of year during what is normally the dead zone of the NBA calendar. We’ll have plenty more opportunities to see Rubio play in the next couple of weeks and track what kind of impact he has on the Spain team.
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 30, 2010 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
I did it the old fashioned way
and sifted through the play by play on the FIBA site, which logs the times he checked in and out. I actually had to use a pen and piece of paper, plus arithmetic skills!
by Rascal Flatts on Aug 30, 2010 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
Nice!
I could do that, but I’m busy keeping a spreadsheet tracking Kevin Love’s FIBA rebound rate. (It’s at 38.4% through two games, in case anyone was wondering.)
I remember
the announcer commenting on NZ as having “quick guards” easily exposing Spain’s less quick guards, something along those lines i don’t remember, anyways NZ were really becoming a point machine and then the points would reach double figures this was when the coach would put Rubio in and you can tell Rubio slowed NZ down when he started doing his thing. The audience gave him a standing ovation when he went to sit down after his 2nd foul towards the end by then Spain were up +20 pts than NZ
also I could have sworn he had more steals than that but I dont know how FIBA counts those
Melo IS one of the most overrated superstars in the L
look at his PER and WS compared to other superstars. not quite in the same league with Chris Paul or D-Wade is he? numbers don’t lie. I love Melo but he ain’t signing here. thus, we should have ZERO interest unless we can just rent his ass on the cheap. Like Flynn and a 2nd rounder for Melo. Even that is bad for us. why rent him at all? No…just no. fucking terrible. what the hell man.
Paulo Prestes
Anyone know why he isn’t on the Brazil team? Did he just not make it since he’s so young?
position too deep
They have Nene and someone else (name escapes me).
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Aug 30, 2010 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions
If you were starting a team from scratch
and all players had the same exact contract, would you rather build around ‘Melo, Amar’e, Boozer or Harrison Barnes?
by TimAllen on Aug 30, 2010 12:57 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Now that’s a fun question. I guess I might roll the dice on Barnes since I don’t think any of the other 3 will ever reach superstar status, but I don’t know enough about that to say that for sure. Of the other 3, I’d probably go Melo, Boozer, then Amare. I’d have Boozer ahead of Melo if not for age and injury concerns, but those are real with Boozer and could be a major detriment to him in the years to come.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
I think I'd choose Barnes, too
but I tend to agree with vjl110 below that unproven talent is tough to bet on sometimes vs. guys who have at least shown some skill, so I might be tempted to pick ’Melo.
Agreed and especially true given that I haven’t seen Barnes play at all. Just going off what the scouts say and the fact that I’d probably trade any of those 3 vets for the number one overall pick if I were building a team from scratch and not a contender next year.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Well chosen list...
That is a hell of a toss-up
I am a bit of an Amar’e hater, so I’ll knock him out first, then Boozer b/c of injury and age concerns…. I just hate betting on unproven (even at the college level) talent, so I think I will stick with Melo and pout about it.
I tend to view 'Melo as a shorter Amar'e
so I’m curious as to why you are an “Amar’e hater” but you’re more okay with ’Melo?
Melo defends and rebounds his position better, while Amare’s way more efficient, but I agree, they’re a similar type of player (“get him the ball and let him score, don’t ask him to do much else” sort of guys).
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Melo seems like a mediocre defender, when I watch Amare, I wonder if the goggles obstruct his vision and makes him dizzy. He’s pretty damn awful on D. I’d be interested in seeing if the defensive numbers back that up, but from what I’ve seen, Melo seems at least sort of decent, and Amare looks atrocious.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Basically what the Cap'n said...
but also add to that my skepticism over Amar’e’s ability to create offense without Nash. I could be wrong, but I won’t be surprised in Amar’e instantly becomes a considerably less-efficient scorer this year. Meanwhile, Melo is probably going to put it up at exactly the same efficiency wherever he is… and since that efficiency is slightly above average, that is a good thing.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
