Two nights ago the Cleveland Cavaliers turned the tables on the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. After suffering two discouraging double-digit losses in Games 1 and 2, the Cavs turned the tables on the Warriors and handed them their own 30-point defeat behind 30 and 32 points from Kyrie Irving and LeBron James respectively. Now it's the day of Game 4 and the Cavaliers face an issue: What should they do with Kevin Love?
You see, in Game 2 the back of Love's head was struck by Harrison Barnes' flying elbow while the two were fighting for a rebound. Love missed Game 3 while in the league's concussion protocol and now faces questions about his usefulness to the team after they won in a blowout without him. Some have said he should have his minutes reduced and be removed from the starting lineup. Others have said the Cavs should bench him entirely due to the possibility of a sour attitude. I think the answer is fairly clear: Love should come off the bench in reduced minutes as the priority scorer in the second unit surrounded by the Cavs' best defensive players. However, that's not really what I wanted to discuss.
After Game 3, I have come to the conclusion that the Cavaliers play better without Love, that he doesn't really fit with their team, and that they should trade him in the off-season if they want to maximize their chances to win a championship in LeBron's remaining time as a great player. Love just can't keep up with Golden State's high octane ball movement and shooting ability, and Draymond Green is the perfect player to neutralize his effectiveness on the other end. Since everything Cleveland is doing should be geared towards beating Golden State, it is essential that Love is traded.
But where does he go? The trade market isn't generally high on slow, non-rim-protecting big men who aren't producing the way they were two years before. The Cavs need to find a team that 1) has good wing defenders/scorers (the Cavs greatest necessity) to add in to the deal, and 2) can maximize Love's skills similar to the way that he was used in Minnesota when he was putting up 26 and 12 every night. Teams that can get some star power out of Love will be willing to actually give up something legitimate. Those teams would have to have good defensive players to spare and one creating guard to alleviate some of Love's offensive load.
The number one team that has been connected to Love is Boston, and Beantown is probably the destination that most fits the above the description. They have a number of very good wing defenders in Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart, all of whom could give the Cavs the three-point shooting they need around LeBron (except Smart, who's shooting is still a question mark). It also makes some sense since what the Celtics lack is a go-to star scorer, which Love proved he could be in Minnesota. And I think Love could thrive in Brad Stevens' offense in which he would be the focal point. However, after showing varying levels of interest in Love since the summer of 2014, including a time last summer when they appeared very intrigued, the Celtics apparently gave Cleveland a very lackluster offer for Love at this year's trade deadline (per ESPN's Zach Lowe), and don't seem to want Love that much anymore.
(As a Celtics fan, I have to say I agree. The Celtics' success this year was based on hard work and tough perimeter defense, something Love has never proven he can be a part of. If Love came in for Crowder and Bradley, the Celtics would lose their defensive leaders. I really think that having Crowder and Bradley alone made them a good defense because they don't have that much defensive talent on the rest of the roster. Those guys took the pressure off others to be good defenders. I'd rather try to add a star using the plethora of draft picks at their disposal than trading the backbone of their defense for a pseudo-star. And the Cavs don't want draft picks. They need to win now.)
Other than Boston, where else is left? The Rockets have been thrown into the discussion, and while Love would fit well in new coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo offense, he is too much of a defensive liability on a team full of them. An interesting option that I've heard is Portland, which is where Love grew up. Supposedly he would go there for C.J. McCollum, but why would the Trail Blazers trade the Most Improved Player winner and rising star scorer for Love? Nicolas Batum of the Hornets would be a perfect fit, but he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, so why would the Cavs trade a significant trade chip for someone they could get for nothing but money? (However, there's still the possibility of a sign-and-trade.) People have talked about a Love-for-Carmelo deal which would actually probably work for New York but doesn't solve Cleveland's defensive issues. A possible Love-to-Orlando deal for Victor Oladip would be nice, but Orlando doesn't have the contracts to make it work.
Possibly the most dynamic possibility is a trade with Washington for Bradley Beal. Beal has struggled with injuries in his career, so this is a great risk for a team that needs to maximize her chances of winning while LeBron is still one of the league's best players. But for the way they seem to play better without Love, it might be well worth the risk, and the reward would be tremendous. Beal would be a perfect fit with the Cavs. He's a great pure shooter with the ability to create his own shot in a pinch and athletic enough to be a difference-maker defensively.
The Cavs should definitely look into a Beal trade, just as they should look into any of these possible destinations. Love is just not the fit that people envisioned when he was acquired in the summer of 2014, and he hasn't seemed to mesh in the locker room either. It's time for the two to part ways, but the question remains: Which team will give up something the Cavs can actually use?
You see, in Game 2 the back of Love's head was struck by Harrison Barnes' flying elbow while the two were fighting for a rebound. Love missed Game 3 while in the league's concussion protocol and now faces questions about his usefulness to the team after they won in a blowout without him. Some have said he should have his minutes reduced and be removed from the starting lineup. Others have said the Cavs should bench him entirely due to the possibility of a sour attitude. I think the answer is fairly clear: Love should come off the bench in reduced minutes as the priority scorer in the second unit surrounded by the Cavs' best defensive players. However, that's not really what I wanted to discuss.
After Game 3, I have come to the conclusion that the Cavaliers play better without Love, that he doesn't really fit with their team, and that they should trade him in the off-season if they want to maximize their chances to win a championship in LeBron's remaining time as a great player. Love just can't keep up with Golden State's high octane ball movement and shooting ability, and Draymond Green is the perfect player to neutralize his effectiveness on the other end. Since everything Cleveland is doing should be geared towards beating Golden State, it is essential that Love is traded.
But where does he go? The trade market isn't generally high on slow, non-rim-protecting big men who aren't producing the way they were two years before. The Cavs need to find a team that 1) has good wing defenders/scorers (the Cavs greatest necessity) to add in to the deal, and 2) can maximize Love's skills similar to the way that he was used in Minnesota when he was putting up 26 and 12 every night. Teams that can get some star power out of Love will be willing to actually give up something legitimate. Those teams would have to have good defensive players to spare and one creating guard to alleviate some of Love's offensive load.
The number one team that has been connected to Love is Boston, and Beantown is probably the destination that most fits the above the description. They have a number of very good wing defenders in Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart, all of whom could give the Cavs the three-point shooting they need around LeBron (except Smart, who's shooting is still a question mark). It also makes some sense since what the Celtics lack is a go-to star scorer, which Love proved he could be in Minnesota. And I think Love could thrive in Brad Stevens' offense in which he would be the focal point. However, after showing varying levels of interest in Love since the summer of 2014, including a time last summer when they appeared very intrigued, the Celtics apparently gave Cleveland a very lackluster offer for Love at this year's trade deadline (per ESPN's Zach Lowe), and don't seem to want Love that much anymore.
(As a Celtics fan, I have to say I agree. The Celtics' success this year was based on hard work and tough perimeter defense, something Love has never proven he can be a part of. If Love came in for Crowder and Bradley, the Celtics would lose their defensive leaders. I really think that having Crowder and Bradley alone made them a good defense because they don't have that much defensive talent on the rest of the roster. Those guys took the pressure off others to be good defenders. I'd rather try to add a star using the plethora of draft picks at their disposal than trading the backbone of their defense for a pseudo-star. And the Cavs don't want draft picks. They need to win now.)
Other than Boston, where else is left? The Rockets have been thrown into the discussion, and while Love would fit well in new coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo offense, he is too much of a defensive liability on a team full of them. An interesting option that I've heard is Portland, which is where Love grew up. Supposedly he would go there for C.J. McCollum, but why would the Trail Blazers trade the Most Improved Player winner and rising star scorer for Love? Nicolas Batum of the Hornets would be a perfect fit, but he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, so why would the Cavs trade a significant trade chip for someone they could get for nothing but money? (However, there's still the possibility of a sign-and-trade.) People have talked about a Love-for-Carmelo deal which would actually probably work for New York but doesn't solve Cleveland's defensive issues. A possible Love-to-Orlando deal for Victor Oladip would be nice, but Orlando doesn't have the contracts to make it work.
Possibly the most dynamic possibility is a trade with Washington for Bradley Beal. Beal has struggled with injuries in his career, so this is a great risk for a team that needs to maximize her chances of winning while LeBron is still one of the league's best players. But for the way they seem to play better without Love, it might be well worth the risk, and the reward would be tremendous. Beal would be a perfect fit with the Cavs. He's a great pure shooter with the ability to create his own shot in a pinch and athletic enough to be a difference-maker defensively.
The Cavs should definitely look into a Beal trade, just as they should look into any of these possible destinations. Love is just not the fit that people envisioned when he was acquired in the summer of 2014, and he hasn't seemed to mesh in the locker room either. It's time for the two to part ways, but the question remains: Which team will give up something the Cavs can actually use?
No comments:
Post a Comment