The Cleveland Cavaliers need to make a move this summer, and trading for Carmelo Anthony probably makes the most sense
Carmelo Anthony for Kevin Love.
We’ve been down this road before. We’re about to go down it again.
Any casual basketball fan can rattle off the salient points for each side. Melo is selfish and doesn’t always try, but he’s a different player when engaged. When surrounded by true talent – Olympic Melo is right up there with Facilitator Kobe on the list of most overused NBA nicknames – Anthony’s game blossoms.
Love, on the other hand, has thrived in both a leading and a supporting roll. His effort and acumen are top notch, and the guy came up huge on the biggest defensive possession of his life.
That possession, of course, was in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. The 2017 Finals never made it to that point. In the deciding Game 5, which Cleveland lost by nine, Love was a -23 in under 30 minutes. Although the Warriors didn’t target him as much they probably could have in this series, his defense remains a huge issue against the only opponent Cleveland cares about.
Even last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers only hit their stride after Love went out with a concussion during the Finals.
Thus, here we are. We need to talk about Kevin.