The Cleveland Cavaliers have shown they can win without Kevin Love but does that mean he should be forced out of the door?
I get the notion that Kevin Love is not needed anymore. He might still be wanted, but needed is another story. When Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last offseason, it was the makings of a new Big 3 in Cleveland — with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, but from the start you could tell something was off.
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On paper it seemed like a perfect fit. Irving — the all-star point guard, LeBron — the all-world player and Love — the do everything power forward, but chemistry was hard to come by and they struggled much like the Big 3 did in Miami in the beginning.
What was wrong became the million dollar question?
Was it NBA first-year head coach David Blatt who was still getting accustomed to coaching great players and learning the NBA curve? Was it LeBron and his passive ways? How about Irving looking over his shoulder every second as King James began to take over his team? Those were parts of the early season struggles, but the main issue was Kevin Love.
He never fit in. Not in the Kobe Bryant type of not going out with the team way, but in a sense that his style doesn’t mesh well with what Blatt, Irving and James wanted to do.
Irving works well with the ball in his hands, while LeBron can do everything with or without the ball and Love, well Love was supposed to to that inside presence he was with the Timberwolves, but he seemed more comfortable standing on the perimeter chucking 3’s.
But, as the team began to get comfortable with one another, they finally put the pieces together and made a run towards the top spot in the Eastern Conference. They would fall short, but it was obvious that they had finally reached the offseason potential.
But then it happened.
With Love finally getting a taste of the NBA Playoffs, he went down with shoulder injury that has keep him out since the first round against the Boston Celtics. He was not there as his team struggled against the Chicago Bulls, nor was he there as they went toe-to-toe with the Eastern Conference best Atlanta Hawks in the ECF.
Was he missed? Yes, of course he was, but they never missed a beat when ex-starter Tristan Thompson moved into Love’s spot. With Thompson now manning the blocks at all times, that gave Irving and LeBron the space they needed to create shots for themselves and for others. Thompson was what Love should have been from the beginning, the third wheel that was willing to accept being just the third guy.
Here are the Cavs now, in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors with Love and, now, Irving on the bench.
While many may wonder how this happened without him, Love must be wondering if this continue to happen without him?
Love has a player option for $16 million and has already went on record as saying he wants to stay in Cleveland, citing he wants to win. But do the Cavs really want him back?
I say give Thompson a raise while saving a few dollars and bring in a few more players to fill out the roster on the cheap. Maybe Love will stay out of spite knowing the team really doesn’t need him to win. Maybe he will chase the money and go be the MAN somewhere else like New York or Los Angeles.
He has the power right now and there is nothing the Cavs can do about it if he opts in but trade him right afterwards. The Cleveland Cavaliers are good with Love, but they have shown how great they can be without him as well.
While the Cavs may have love for Kevin, they should be secretly hoping that he has no love for them.