No Love for the Post
Fig Jam
I tried to think of the nicest term I could to describe the Sonics selection of big men over the past few seasons. “Grossly incompetent” is the best I can do. So it was no surprise to me that with the #4 pick yesterday the Sonics skirted the center position, despite the availability of Kevin Love, to take his teammate Russell Westbrook. I guess I don’t really have a problem with the Westbrook selection. I know Mr. Echelon called for this a while back. However, if you are a team that is desperately in need of a center, and you have available to you the best center in college last season, why wouldn’t you take him? As a true freshman this past season, in an absolutely loaded PAC 10 conference, Love was the best player. He was a first team All American. What further player analysis do you need?
Especially because Westbrook, while just an amazing athlete and basketball player, isn’t a point guard, which is arguably the only other position at which the Sonics are seriously lacking. I heard on KJR that the Sonics drafted him to play Point Guard, but that’s a stretch because Westbrook never played that position at UCLA. Westbrook’s best basketball is played when he is slashing, not distributing.
It almost seems to me that when it comes to bigs, the Sonics refuse to do the obvious thing. They want to outsmart everyone else. Take the guy from France, or Africa, or Robert Swift - and prove that they saw the ‘diamond in the rough’ potential when the player turns into an all-star. The problem with that logic is that the Sonics have been Sexsonesque in their big man selections. Swinging wildly for the fences, missing badly, and then quietly walking back to the dugout (until next AB/draft !!- then repeat).
So a guy like Love - who was on everyone’s radar - just wouldn’t interest this team. Too many Sport Illustrated covers. He dominated a far to high profile conference in college. Everyone knows who he is. Just makes too much sense. Now I don’t know whether Westbrook or Love will be the better NBA player. I love Westbrook’s game. But when you need a center like the Supes’ need a center, and you get a 88 mph fastball grooved down the center of the plate in the form of a first team All-American from UCLA, just take him. Don’t think about it, just take him.
*Memphis took this advice and drafted Love at #5, but then traded him for OJ Mayo. The only reason this upsets me is that it takes away the “Gay Love” possibilities that Rudy Gay and Kevin Love presented. Now we will have to be content with Gay Mayo.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:24 am
That’s the reason why Memphis traded Love. I can see them in the “war room,” celebrating that Love fell to them at 5. Someone then yells something a a potent future of Gay, Love, and….” but the room goes silent. “This is the South; where do you think you are tree-hugger?” Next thing you know, Wallace (a Boston guy) is on the phone with McHale.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Before anyone could intervene, Memphis had drafted DJ White and traded for veteran point guard Eric Snow, allowing for next year’s starting lineup to feature some Snow White Gay Love.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Kevin Love is not without huge question marks. (1) He can’t jump. (2) He’s fat. He’s been able to get by because there aren’t a ton of 6′10″ dudes in high school or college.
Westbrook comes in as the best perimeter defender on the team from day one. We’ll have to see how he develops as a one, but unlike Kevin Love he won’t be consistently out-athlete-ed.
Enough of that, what about your Spurs taking a guy from IUPUI? You have to be conflicted.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I disagree. Huge question marks are reserved for guys who you haven’t seen play for an entire season at the D1 level. You personally have probably watched Kevin Love play 10 games. Your unflattering (yet true) description of his athletic ability aside, he still managed to be the best player in the best conference in the Country. Bottom line is, he gets it done. And - he will be playing his true position in the NBA.
(the obvious counterpoint to this argument is Adam Morrison, who did all of the above as well. I can only refute by saying that Morrison didn’t do it as a freshman, shot way to much, didn’t play any defense, and was a punk bitch).
The only question mark about Westbrook is how he will be as a 1, which is a fair inquiry since he wasn’t a 1 in college. In that regard his selection was based on potential. Look - I’m not trying to bash Westbrook because I think he’s a great talent, just not the #4 pick and not when Love is on the board.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Why do I feel like the second paragraph was written explicitly to get my goat?
June 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Why I never….. such a spurious allegation.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Most good college post players suck dick in the pros also. I was just thinking that for your NBA fan career your worst case scenario was David Robinson. Take it from a guy who used to really like Benoit Benjamin: Most of these fuckers are terrible.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I saw Love dominate the likes of Artem Wallace and Joe “I attended Kevin Hinton’s bachelor party with Flawson” Wolfinger. I don’t see him dominating the likes of Troy Murphy or Brendan Haywood much less Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard. I don’t see Westbrook being any worse than Steve Francis when he was good.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:50 pm
This post is infuriating. Kevin Love is 6′10,” and is the next Nick Collison if he’s lucky. Westbrook PLAYED point when Darren Collison was injured and looked great.
Great Pick.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I thought you were losing all access to the internet…. what happened to that?