HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

There are historic things happening in the NBA this year. Kobe Bryant continues to move up the all-time scoring list, passing some of the greatest players to ever wear an NBA uniform.  The Miami Heat three-o of James, Wade and Bosh are bringing a level of awareness and contempt of their team that rivals any team in history. Quietly in Minnesota, Kevin Love continues his career-year, as well as one that may go down as one of the best in the modern NBA.

But, do most know how remarkable the numbers Love produces every night really are or is he just a cute side-story coming out of Minnesota, while the real NBA season plays out elsewhere?

Everyone knows about his 31-point, 31-rebound game against the New York Knicks on November 12, as that was truly a remarkable game. However, even in becoming only the 19th player in NBA history to record such a feat, there were those who dismissed it as an amazing one-time accomplishment.

Yet, there remains the streak of 32-straight double-doubles, which is still active, as well as an NBA-leading 40 double-doubles in total. Love’s season averages of 21.6 points and 15.7 rebounds would make him the first player to average 20 and 10 since Moses Malone’s amazing 1982 season.

By any way you want to measure it, Love’s season is something many of us have not seen and he should be rewarded with an All-Star nod. At this point, he will need to receive an invite by the coaches or by the NBA commissioner selecting him as an injury replacement. Without question, there are many players this season having All-Star caliber years, but there is only one who continues to do things unseen on NBA courts.

No player in NBA history has ever averaged more than 12 rebounds per game and shot better than 40% from three in the same season and he is also on pace to become the first player in NBA history to average 4+ offensive rebounds per game and shoot better than 40% from three.

Waiting for the All-Star reserves to receive their recognition next week, the Minnesota Timberwolves launched a website dedicated to Love at www.612allstar.com to highlight the significant numbers that the NBA world is aware of, as well as all the numbers that are not as well-known. That would be why the highlight of the site is a spoof of the cologne industry, naming Love’s signature scent "Numbers."

The NBA Most Valuable Player award does not always go to the best player in the league, rather going to an individual who made a remarkably huge contribution to his team and to his league. Awarding that is subjective. Fans vote for the starter in the All-Star game, which is also an idiosyncratic endeavor. However, as the All-Star reserves receive their selection from the coaches, it becomes a much more objective process, at least if those coaches decide on rewarding the players most deserving, rather than with more marketable names, personalities or teams.

Judging Kevin Love’s season puts him on a short list of players such as the aforementioned Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Howard. His numbers this season rival or better each of these Hall of Fame level players in some capacity and his nomination to the mid-season showcase should be a guarantee.

If the coaches do not choose Love to represent the Western Conference, David Stern better be on the ready to tap Love for the injury replacement for Yao Ming. There is no justification for the number one rebounder in the league, coupled with his place as the number sixteen scorer in the NBA not to be a part of the weekend. Quite simply, it is a travesty if Kevin Love isn’t an All-Star in 2010-11.

Don’t take my word for it. Go to the website www.612allstar.com and let the numbers speak for themselves.