24.7 ppg (5th in NBA) and 11.6 rpg (5th in NBA)

Aldridge's scoring average has jumped a whole point in the last couple weeks. A 44 point game helps. Geez, I would think he should be a Most Improved candidate. He's jumped more than 3 points and more than 2 rebounds from last year. Who has ever done that in their 8th season? It's really incredible.

 

25.0 ppg -4th
13.0 reb -2nd

The Love Boat

 

Just put that out there for arguments sake. I love LA, but it's not Love's fault they suck. No different than when LA was putting up numbers while WE lost.

 

I agree with that to a point, however it IS LMA's fault that we are winning. And I also think that Wolves have some talent to be better, they just arent doing it.

 

Posted it in the Around the NBA thread, but seems worth repeating here:

Last 10 Games:

LaMarcus Aldridge: 29.3ppg, 13.6rpg

Kevin Love: 20.4ppg, 10.9rpg

Remind me again, who's the best power forward in the NBA?

 

it just doesn't mesh. they need a pg that can shoot. rubio would flourish in a different system. He is excellent defensively and one of the best passers in the game.

 

Maybe he will flourish in a different system - in Europe, but a PG who is not a threat to score will never flourish in today's NBA. Minnesota is 1-11 in games decided by 4 points or less. No team (at lest not one in the Western Conference) can expect the playoffs when they lose over 90% of their close games.

And, that's a direct result of Rubio's inability to score the basketball. Every team in the league knows he's not a scoring threat. And Rubio himself is afraid to even attempt a shot with the game on the line. So, Minnesota is playing 4-on-5 on offense in the 4th quarter of close games, and the one guy who's a non-scoring threat is the guy with the ball in his hands. He should pull a Sergio and flee back to Spain as soon as his rookie contract is up.

BNM

 

Rajon Rondo and Jason Kidd

 

I didn't say he needed a reliable jump shot, just that he needed to be a scoring threat.

Rondo doesn't have a reliable jump shot, but he's a great penetrator and solid finisher. As a result, his career FG% is a very respectable .480. Like Rondo, Rubio lacks a reliable jumper, but unlike Rondo, Rubio can't finish at the rim. That's why his career FG% is .356, WAY lower than Rondo's .480.

During Kidd's prime he averaged 18.7 ppg. Again not a great jump shooter, but still a threat to score.

Unless you think Rubio can come close to Rondo's career FG% of .480, or can have multiple seasons averaging over 15 ppg in the NBA, your comparisons are meaningless.

BNM

 

Before the season started, the Blazers and Wolves were in a group of teams that the pundits had fighting for the 7th and 8th seeds in the West. By far, most of those pundits picked the Wolves to make the playoffs, while the Blazers were picked to settle 9th or 10th. So, clearly, the "analysts" expected more from the Wolves and believed they had more talent. The fact that Portland is where it is, while the Wolves are where they are, speaks volumes about the top players on each team. One team is greatly exceeding the analysts' expectations, while the other is a little bit under expectations and not a playoff team at the moment (sub-.500, too).

Part of that responsibility is the supporting cast, but part of that is the star players of each team. Last night, as many other games this season have shown, LA is willing us to victory. Sorry, Love is putting up some solid stats, but he ain't done shit besides lose since he's been in the league. He's starting to earn that same label Shareef Abdur-Rahim had as a guy to put up stats but doesn't do enough to help his team win.

 

I think his passing ability can make up for SOME of that bad shooting. He is able to find teammates in positions that 95% of guys don't even see. If he improves his shooting to below average and gets with a coach that can use him right he could flourish. D'antoni seems like a natural fit

 

D'Antoni has been mostly garbage as a head coach without having Steve Nash (in his prime) as a PG. Why?

Because Nash killed you three ways on offense.

(A) Lights out shooter. Arguably a Top 5 shooter in NBA history during his prime. This meant you couldn't sag off of Nash, so Nash could then penetrate.

After getting the lane, Nash could either (B) finish at the rim, or (C) find a semi-open teammate with a pass that few PGs would attempt or see.

Out of these three factors, Rubio only has (C) in his repertoire, which means he's going to struggle in any system, and also means the defense can sag on him, making it more difficult to get open looks at the rim on drives.

 

faster paced offense would give him more fast break opportunities and more chances to get open layups too though

 

True, but it's not like Sergio Rodriguez flourished in D'Antoni's uptempo system. Players with severe limitations are always going to have those limitations. Rubio is a creative and talented player who unfortunately can't shoot the ball very well. This hampers his team at the end of close games. Throw in that Kevin Love never needs to be double-teamed, and your offensive sets become very limited, making it difficult to score when the intensity heightens and the defense gets aggressive.

 

What does Love have to do with my original post? Has Love in his 8th season had jumps like Aldridge's from his previous full season? I didnt even say Aldridge was better than Love. I was just commenting on how great Aldridge is playing. Love doesn't belong in this thread.

 

[video=youtube;Pu8KFlfzk3Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu8KFlfzk3Y[/video]

 

Rubio is a good passer, but he's nowhere near elite. His AST% of 36.4 is good, but again not elite (CP3's AST% of 54.1 is elite). His AST% has gone down every year he's been in the league as opposing defenses have learned he can't score. So, they back off and play the passing lanes. His AST% is currently 8th in the league, again good, but he trails Jeff Teague. Do you consider Teague "able to find teammates in positions that 95% of guys don't even see". At this point, Rubio doesn't even have the flashy stats to back up the hyperbole.

And, that's the problem. Because he can't score, AND the Timberwolves offense runs through him, opposing defenses back way off him and play the passing lanes. That's why the Wolves are 1-11 in games decided by 4 points or less, are below .500 and out of the playoffs yet again. With TWO high scoring big men like Love and Pekovic, if Rubio was really an elite passer, he would be putting up Stockton/Nash (or at least CP3) assist numbers. But, both Stockton and Nash were scoring threats the defense had to respect. So, instead of putting up 11 - 13 APG on a 60 win team, Rubio is putting up 8 APG n a 38 win team.

BNM

 

Sorry Speed, the rest of us didn't get the thread script. So, we're just improvising. Seriously, this is the internet. Since when has staying on topic ever been a requirement?

Learn the interwebs, then post!

BNM

 

To be fair, he has like 1-3 guys he can get an assist out of: Love, Pek, and maybe kinda Martin, but he seems to prefer to create his own offense. And he's passing to guys who shoot (I'm assuming) much lower-percentage shots than CP3's teammates are shooting, which would make his numbers skew low.
I haven't seen him enough to know whether he's a good passer. But assuming he is, I don't know that the assist numbers can be compared straight across because they're so dependent on who they're playing with. With that said, whenever I've seen Rubio play I've been quite underwhelmed.