Kevin Love is a good fit for the Los Angeles Lakers but only in 2015
Kevin Love
Los Angeles Lakers fans, who have been secretly smiling after reading reports suggesting that Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Love wants to join the Lakers, let me inform you that he becomes a free agent after taking a player option only in the summer of 2015. So there is still over a year and a half to wait.
That obviously did not stop Lakers fans from thinking about it and it most definitely does not stop papers from writing about the possibility, its consequences and effects.
Love played one year of college basketball with the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Bruins, which could be part of the reason as to why he wants to join the Lakers but as per the reports when Ken Berger from CBS sports managed to poll few general managers this is what one of the Eastern Conference Executives had to say:
“They should trade him. No one thinks he’s staying. Everyone knows he wants to go to the Lakers.”
However Berger went on to say that not all Executives were in agreement with that assessment.
Let’s assume that this is the perception all General Managers in the league have about two time All-Star Kevin Love. You cannot blame the player if he wants to leave a franchise with which he has experienced nothing but disappointment.
So let’s give in to the reports and rumors.
Would Kevin Love be a good fit for the Lakers? Would it benefit him and the franchise? Yes and here’s why.
Love wants and needs a change of scenery
As a team, Love has only tasted failure and disappointment as the Timberwolves have not made it to the Playoffs even once since Love’s arrival.
For starters his first head coach does not play him enough minutes for him to make an impression and then his first General Manager fails to build a good team around him.
If that was not disappointing enough, it was insulting for a player of his talent and temperament to be not offered a max contract by the franchise. When things did settle down he fractured his shooting hand and two months later would refractured it.
Finally at the start of this season, Love had everything – great healthy supporting cast, seasoned coach Rick Adelman was back on the sidelines and most of all he was fit and healthy.
However the season has not turned out as many expected. Despite all the positives and firepower at their disposal, the Timberwolves are half a game under .500 with a record of 18-19. The biggest disappointment for Love has been the absence of a trip to the post-season. Not a single time has he been in the Playoffs.
He has tasted very little success with the Timberwolves franchise and it is no secret that he would be looking to exercise his player option at the earliest possible opportunity.
A perfect fit for the Mike D’Antoni’s offense
Kevin Love is a huge talent and a perfect fit to the Mike D’Antoni’s offense.
The Lakers organization have supported the head coach and in his first full season as a head coach built a roster that would fit his style of offense the most. Injuries have taken away the opportunity from the team to show what they are capable of if they played the full season.
A huge feature of the D’Antoni offense is outside shooting and that explains the stretch 4’s he has always had in his roster.
Kevin Love, listed as a power forward, would be a perfect fit. He has the dual qualities of rebounding and outside shooting.
When healthy he has consistently ranked among the top three rebounders in the league and his shooting has always been lethal even from beyond the arc. At the expense of sharp shooter Kevin Durant, he won the 3-Point Shootout contest at the All-Star Weekend in February of 2012. He can also get out and run in transition.
The more you analyze the more you start to realize what he can do in a system of offense such as the Lakers.
Love will provide the Lakers with an answer for Blake Griffin
He fits in their offensive style perfectly and also is a great defender for Blake Griffin’s style of play. A style of play the previous Lakers forwards have failed to stop or match.
The Lakers fans are probably tired of seeing Blake Griffin overpower and dominate his counterparts in contests between the cross town rivals. With his height, power and superior skill level, Love would be a great player to throw on Griffin.
As good as the things look for the Lakers to grab Love, they should wait till the summer of 2015 for him to become a free agent. There are two major reasons for such a move.
The current performance of the Lakers might be useful when you talk in terms of high lottery picks. From the trades of players such as Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, all of which were forced trades that took place before their contract expired, we can deduce there is most certainly going to be a first round pick involved.
The depth of talent in the 2014 Draft is said to be the best since 2003. The Lakers would not want to lose the chance of grabbing a player of their choice, if given that choice, which seems highly likely with each game.
Trading or letting go off Pau Gasol and not chasing an impossible max-contract player in Anthony this summer would mean the team would be able to clear the cap space to grab Love and build a team around him.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has also expressed his opinion about Nick Young, a huge Sixth Man of the Year candidate, to be a long-term player.
See all the good things Love can bring to L.A?
There is no denying that the move to the Lakers would be beneficial not just for the franchise but to his career as well.