NBA shows its Love
By FRANK ZICARELLI, QMI Agency
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  Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love smiles during a timeout in the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in the Target Center in Minneapolis January 29, 2011. (REUTERS/Eric Miller) |
Love was definitely in the air Thursday as the NBA announced its most improved player of the year.
Kevin Love would earn the award, a fitting choice given his perseverance through the many losses endured in Minnesota.
But some love was also given to Raptors second-year wing DeMar DeRozan, who ended up 13th in voting.
Not that he deserved any first-place consideration, but one voter thought otherwise, which again reinforces why the media should be limited in the process.
DeRozan had a breakout season, but for anyone to give the kid a first-place vote is sheer lunacy or homerism at its best.
Love received 400 of a possible 580 points, including 66 first-place votes. Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Golden State’s Dorell Wright finished second and third, respectively.
Players were awarded five points for a first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.
Chicago’s Derrick Rose, the leading candidate to win MVP, was fourth, followed by New Jersey’s Kris Humphries, an ex-Raptor.
Love led the NBA in rebounding with a 15.2 average and had the longest double-double streak (53 games in a row) since the 1976 ABA/NBA merger.
“I think I can make another big leap,” Love said. “There’s always stuff to work on. The great players, and even the good players in this league always add a couple things to their game. I intend on adding more than a couple if I can so I’m going to work my butt off to take another big leap.”
