TOP 40-- #38 Kevin Love

I got Kevin Love pencilled in here at 38. He had a great summer. Really played well at the World Championships. That's why I feel like he fits the bill and should be on this list. I am well aware that the FIBA game is A LOT different than the NBA game. And if you look at Kevin's NBA resume thus far, it's lacking a lot of bullet points that make him a strong candidate for this list. Basically it looks like my resume when I walk into an interview room at any legitimate firm or company.

Nevertheless, I think K Love is a valuable commodity and is poised to have a really good year this year. Year 3 is usually the year for a lot of these guys. They start to get it. Their mental game get a little quicker. They are used to the travel. They know how to pace themselves and get their bodies in shape and learn how to deal with injuries. Plus their offensive skill sets are better tailored to what they can and can't do in the NBA.

Kevin is one of the 5 best rebounders in the league. There is no arguing that. He has the gift. He has a nose for the ball and reads the ball off the glass better than almost everyone in the game. Every rebound is his. He's a guy who cares about winning and does the little things that don't show up on that stat sheet. But he's a very well rounded player. He's a talented passer. He knows when to kick the ball out to the perimeter and finds guys on the weakside for open shots. We all know how gifted an outlet passer he is. And although that makes a lot of people chuckle, it's no joke. It's incredible how good he is at throwing long passes.

What I think we'll see this year, at least I hope is Love burying jump shots. Shot corner J's. Just outside the elbows. And also I think we'll see him taking and making NBA 3's. He's got a great stroke. If he stays healthy and gets into a rhythm where he's playing consistent minutes which he should get, I think we'll see a 16 and 12 guy.

I think it's easy to overrate some of these guys that played well at the FIBA games this August. We're all still starstruck about Kevin Durant's monster effort that's for sure. But I watched those games closely and guys like Love and Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon weren't just good--they were really good. So stay tuned. Barring another injury, Kevin Love is gonna be a nice player this season.

Willing to work harder,

JC