Kevin Love totaled 1,000 rebounds in his 64th game of the season. That’s the fastest pace for an NBA player since rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman totaled 1,000 in 57 games back in 1994.
Love, the Timberwolves talented 22-year-old forward, is leading the league in rebounding with an average of 15.7. That’s the best average since Rodman averaged 16.1 in 1997.
Rodman led the NBA in rebounding for seven consecutive seasons including a career high 18.7 in 1992, and he holds the top seven per year rebound averages since 1971, according to Wikipedia. Is Love, who is only now completing his third NBA season, capable of eventually averaging close to 20 rebounds per game?
“No, this is probably…the top end of what he’s going to be able to get accomplished,” said Timberwolves assistant coach Bill Laimbeer. “When you play with a team that doesn’t have a rebounder on it (like the Wolves), you’re going to get a lot of the rebounds. Our pace of play (another factor) is pretty strong to get a lot more rebounds to be had. We get another solid player to go along side of him as a rebounder, his stats will go down.”
Laimbeer played with Rodman in Detroit and Laimbeer once led the NBA in rebounding with a 13.1 average. He thinks a season where Love averages 15 to 16 rebounds is likely his ceiling.
“That’s probably the highest he’ll go,” Laimbeer told Sports Headliners. “He will probably end up (averaging) 12-13, maybe 14…the next five years.”
Could Love play increased minutes and boost his numbers? “No, he’s playing 35-plus, you can’t play much more than that,” Laimbeer said. “You just wear yourself out.”
Love is a better shooter and scorer than Rodman. Love averaged 21.8 points and 16.3 points during 53 consecutive double-double games, the best such streak since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.
But Laimbeer makes it clear Rodman was the more skilled rebounder. “Rodman was a much better rebounder because he was quicker and could jump higher…a pogo stick. Dennis got up in the 18 range in some years. That’s all he did was rebound, so that’s all he concentrated on.”