FanNation - The Republic of Sport

By the time I went to bed on the night of the NBA Draft, I had sufficiently talked myself into liking O.J. Mayo as the newest Timberwolf. I had explained away all of my pre-draft concerns about O.J's prima-donna attitude (He's misunderstood, he's just got a bad reputation), the way he'd fit into a lineup already full of young, offensive-minded combo guards (him and Foye can both run the offense and shoot so well, it will work itself out), and the fact that, short of making it to the championship, there is no effin' way he would come back to a small market team in the coldest state in America (he told McHale he would love to play for Minnesota!).

The voices in my head were so persuasive in their defense of Mayo that they started to actually convince me that I really liked him. I started seeing O.J. as the star power the Wolves desperately need in the post-KG era. I started to picture the brilliant 1-2 punch Mayo would form with Al Jefferson.

So when my friend woke me up with a text that read: "dude... we're trading oj for kevin love," I was upset. Kevin Love!? My mock-draft-washed brain thought. He's not big or athletic enough to be a star big man in the NBA!!! O.J. was the most pro-ready player in the draft!!! I went to sleep that night and dreamt of Kevin McHale torturing me.

Thankfully, however, the night's sleep brought some sense to me. When I woke up the next morning, I started to remember all my worries about O.J. from a week ago. And I began to think back to when I saw Kevin Love play in the NCAA tournament. Screw mock drafts, I thought. Kevin Love is gonna be really good.

Watching a UCLA game this season was a surreal experience because, for teens at least, we've never seen a player affect a basketball game in quite the same way that Love did. He doesn't dominate games in a "Holy Sh--, did you see that?" way, a la Kobe Bryant (and occasionally, O.J. Mayo). But he is a deceivingly good inside scorer and rebounder, and he can plod out to the 3-point line and hit shots too. But it's his ability to fire passes to anyone from anywhere on the court that makes him special. He's the closest thing to an NFL quarterback, in terms of style of play, that I've ever seen on a basketball court.

The main reason Wolves fans should be so psyched about Love is how much better he can make Al Jefferson. Big Al, once he established himself as a low-post threat, practically lived inside double and triple-teams last season. But Love's ability to step out and nail jumpers means that his defender can't double Al. How dangerous are the Wolves gonna be offensively when Love steps out and catches the ball on the wing, draws a post defender out with him, and then can use his magnificent vision and passing to dish to a single-covered Jefferson (count the bucket), or to shooters like Mike Miller and Randy Foye if their man leaves to double Al? As a Wolves fan, I can't even type that with a straight face.

So while Mayo could become a true superstar and join Brandon Roy in forever haunting Wolves fans, I think it's more likely that he'll be a good stats guy -- and probably make it to a few All-Star games as a result -- but one who doesn't play for a great team and who never really sticks anywhere. Think Vince Carter. What good would the Wolves have gained from getting the occasional highlight play and 30-point game, but ultimately a free-agent departure in four years? Love, meanwhile, probably won't ever score like Mayo or make as many headlines, but he helps them alot more, and likely for alot longer time, than O.J. would have.