Kevin Love is an elite player, but he is definitely not better than LeBron James.  It seems every year we have a discussion whether the MVP award should go to the best player in the league or the most valuable player in the league.

The Timberwolves are an excellent rebounding team that don't shoot jump shots well, play decent defense, and depend a lot on free throws to score. Love is the the centerpiece of the Timberwolves' philosophy.

Love outworks his opponents and overcomes some athletic deficiencies to dominate for the Wolves.  He isn't the biggest at 6'10", 240 pounds,  but what he lacks in muscle and size he makes up for with intuition and positioning.  Watching Kevin rebound is like watching a professional chess master.  He thinks moves ahead of his opponent and takes into consideration where the ball will bounce and what his opponent will try to do. 

Jump shooting has gotten slightly better for Love, but he will never be mistaken for Ray Allen.  A big way Kevin makes up for this is working hard on the boards and providing himself easy tip-ins and trips to the free throw line.

Anyone who watched the Wolves win at the Clippers, where Love hit the game winning three, can tell you he is the heart and soul of his team.  He has a new found aggressiveness and is taking some heat for it, but it's that desire to win which motivates Kevin and his Timberwolves teammates.

On the other side of the coin is the Timberwolves team that played in Memphis Wednesday night.  They were lethargic, looked bored at times and just didn't play Timberwolves basketball.  Kevin had been suspended and didn't make the trip with the team.

My definition of most valuable is a player that the team simply cannot do without.  It's a player that makes everyone around him better and a player that everyone wants to play with.  Who better fits that description than Kevin Love?

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