Where is the love...for Kevin Love? Why aren't more people talking about this guy? Is it because he plays for a small market team in Minnesota? Is it because they have a record of 10-32 (as of 1/19/11)? Is it because they are a sure bet lottery team in the 2011 NBA draft?
I have many questions, but one thing is for sure. Kevin Love is the real deal. He's the real deal in the NBA, and he's the real deal in the fantasy realm.
As, by far, the best fantasy value player in the NBA, Love is currently the 2nd-best fantasy producer and only a mere 17 points behind Lebron James. In my opinion, Kevin Love is the best value fantasy player in any sport in recent years, but might also be the best value EVER! Let's look at the numbers.
Love is the top rebounder in the NBA with 659 rebounds, which is 141 more than the 2nd-best rebounder (Dwight Howard). If Howard is Superman, then what does that make Kevin Love? Love ranks 13th in the NBA in scoring with 892 points and well ahead of perennial all-stars like Carmelo Anthony (763), Paul Pierce (761), and Steve Nash (635).
Not only does Love dominate the key, he is also a tremendous scoring threat from the perimeter. Love is currently tied for 20th in the league with 59 three-pointers made. His ability to score from just about anywhere on the court and his domination of the paint clearly separates him from other power forwards like Blake Griffin (511 rebs., 4 three-pointers), Zach Randolph (484 rebs., 3 three-pointers), and Al Jefferson (360 rebs., 0 three-pointers). Love is just a different kind of power forward; one that we have not seen in the history of the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki is a great offensive weapon, can score from the perimeter, but is not in the same league as Love when it comes to controlling the boards. Charles Barkley controlled the boards his entire career and showed that he could score from the perimeter, but not at the pace that Love is on this season (Love has already made 59 three-pointers before the all-star break and Barkley eclipsed 59 three-pointers made in only two full seasons). Karl Malone, arguably the best power forward of all-time, very rarely shot three-pointers but could score from the perimeter. However, at the age of 22, Malone had 718 total rebounds in a full season while Love has 659 total rebounds at the half-way point of the season.
The best part about Love is that he is consistent. He started off the 2010-2011 season very strong and has produced at the most consistent pace among all NBA players thus far. In fact, Love is the 3rd-overall fantasy producer in the NBA over the past 30 days, and ahead of Kobe, Lebron, Wade, and Durant, during that stretch.
When you talk about fantasy value, you talk about what you had to give up in order to acquire a certain player. In Kevin Love's case, he was a 6th-8th round selection in most fantasy drafts in the fall of 2010. He wasn't even projected in the top 40 of most fantasy experts' pre-draft rankings. Well, look at him now. He is on pace to be the top-producing fantasy player in the NBA in 2010-2011. This makes him an automatic first round selection in the 2011 fantasy draft. This also makes him a front-runner for the Phenom's highly-coveted FSYA (Fantasy Stud of the Year) award for 2011.
One final note about Kevin Love....HE'S ONLY 22! Love is going to be around for a very long time in the NBA. He will most likely pull down a handful of rebounding titles, remain a top 10 fantasy selection in all formats, be a perennial all-star, and if he might get lucky by being traded to a title contender.
But, all of that being said...where is the love...for Kevin Love?
The Phenom
thephenom@fantasysportsphenom.com
http://www.fantasysportsphenom.com/
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