Blake Griffin vs. Kevin Love: Who Would You Rather Build a Franchise Around?
Blake Griffin and Kevin Love may be the two best young big men in the game. They are both getting ready to play in their first All-Star Game, and both are clearly the centerpieces of their teams.
It is clear both of these guys are staring at long and bright futures.
This slideshow is not questioning the talent of these two. There is no denying they are awesome. The question now is which one would you rather have?
If you were starting a franchise today would you say, "Blake is great," or "Love is the answer?"
No. 5. Blake Griffin: Filling The Stands
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Blake Griffin has quickly become a phenom and SportsCenter regular. His high-flying dunks are the things that legends are made of.
And that means Griffin not only helps a franchise on the court, but off of it.
He is going to sell jerseys, fill the stands, and get his team on TV. One way or another Griffin is going to help the bottom line.
Not even the infamous Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, could mis-market Griffin.
No. 5. Kevin Love: Longevitiy
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If you've watched Kevin Love play for longer than a nano-second then I am sure you've noticed that Love's game does not rely on athleticism.
Love's game is like the annoying 50-year-old in pick-up games who is wearing goggles and has perfected the hook shot, because it is the only shot you can do accurately while holding a beer. You know—the one that always seems to be on the winning team.
Love grabs rebounds with his amazing timing, positioning and innate ability to tell where the ball is going to end up. He scores with post moves and a solid jump shot.
These are not skills that are going to be leaving Love anytime soon. In fact, they will probably just get better.
No. 4. Blake Griffin: Room For Improvement
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Let's face it, Blake Griffin has earned his earned his All-Star status with rebounds and dunks.
He has a very limited low-post game and a sporadic jump shot. These are skills he can learn. He has pretty good form on his jumper, and with time you expect that to improve.
If he picks up one low-post move per offseason, we are looking at a player that could quickly end up with a complete game.
If Griffin can make these kinds of improvements it is easy to see him going on to have a career very similar to Karl Malone.
No. 4. Kevin Love: Versatility
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Kevin Love has the kind of game that allows him to play many positions. This offers his team an amazing amount of flexibility.
He can get in the low-post with the power forwards. He can shoot and pass with small forwards, and if teams want to go small he can provide enough low-post presence to play some minutes at center.
This kind of versatility is priceless.
There is not a system where Love will not fit in, and not another player he could not play with.
No. 3. Blake Griffin: Game Changer
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Blake Griffin has the kind of explosive ability that makes teams adjust to him.
He can run bigger power forwards and centers off the court.
He is the kind of guy that can neutralize an opposition's length, because their length cannot keep up with him.
If he does develop a few post moves and improves his interior defense this is a guy that could play serious minutes at the center position.
In other words, if Griffin develops he is going to be a matchup nightmare.
No. 3. Kevin Love: Free Throws
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Blake Griffin shoots free throws like the only free part is missing. On the season he is collecting just 61.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile Kevin Love is connecting on his free throws at an exceptional rate. On the season Love is hitting on 88 percent of his free throws.
When a game comes down to the wire having big men that can convert from the free-throw line can make the difference between winning and losing.
No. 2. Blake Griffin: The Ceiling
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We have already discussed Kevin Love's tremendous all-around and well polished game. While it means that his strengths are not likely to fade with age it also means he has less room to improve.
If Kevin Love all of a sudden develops the high-flying of explosiveness of Blake Griffin chances are he would be asked for a urine sample right there on the spot.
My point is that Kevin Love does not have as much room for growth.
While he can certainly improve we all have a pretty good view of the player Kevin Love is going to be. And while that is far from a bad thing, it is not as dynamic or as possibly dominating as Griffin's future.
No. 2. Kevin Love: Injuries
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Blake Griffin is considered a rookie this season, because he was not able to play in his first year as a NBA player due to breaking his knee cap.
Bad knees and NBA big men are a horrible combo.
The broken knee cap was not originally supposed to force Griffin to miss the entire season, but it did not heal right. It was also not his first instance of knee problems.
Griffin had suffered through ligament sprains in college and once had to go through arthroscopic surgery.
Love missed time last season, but it was with a less concerning, and freak, broken hand incident.
No. 1. Blake Griffin: Defense
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Neither Blake Griffin or Kevin Love are being mistaken for elite low-post defenders.
However, Griffin is a step ahead of Love on the defensive end.
Griffin has more size and strength to keep defenders out of the paint. He also has the potential to be a somewhat effective shot blocker.
The key word there is potential—he is currently only averaging .5 blocks per game.
If Griffin devotes himself to playing defense he could very realistically double that number.
No. 1. Kevin Love: You Can Put The Ball in His Hands
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The Timberwolves offense often runs through Kevin Love. He is asked to be a scorer and facilitator and has the ball in his hands a lot.
On the season he is averaging 2.2 turnovers per game. This is a decent number considering how often he has the ball in his hands, and it is a number that will likely drop as he gains experience.
The offense doesn't run through Griffin as much as it ends with him.
Protecting the rock is still a work in progress for Griffin who is averaging 2.8 turnovers per game.
The Final Verdict
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Both of these guys have tremendous upside. As we've pointed out, Griffin's ceiling is higher.
Griffin is a high risk/reward young man. He has the potential to be a difference maker on both ends of the court, and be downright unstoppable on the offensive end.
Kevin Love may not have as a high a ceiling as Griffin, but his room is a lot longer.
He has the game that should translate really well as he ages. If you have to pick one young guy to build your franchise around, Kevin Love is a safe pick that is likely to provide dividends for years to come. In the end, these two factors seem to even out.
That leaves us with one big difference: the injuries.
If I have two guys that I consider pretty even on the court, I am taking the guy with better knees every time.
My franchise player is: Kevin Love
