The Cleveland Cavaliers’ decision to extend Kevin Love is panning out to be a regrettable commitment
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team in the NBA who hasn’t won a game in the 2018-19 season, and there isn’t a list of excuses for their 0-6 start; they’re, simply put, a bad team. And management’s decision to extend Kevin Love before the regular season is proving to be an immense mistake.
When LeBron James left the Cavs in free agency (again), it was clear that they were going to enter a rebuild, but some felt it would be a competitive one. An indicator for such a notion derived a great deal from general manager Koby Altman and the Cavs giving Love a four-year, $120 million extension which begins in the 2019-20 season.
It was a transaction that surprised many, but could be justified. With proven commodities such as Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, George Hill, and Jordan Clarkson and intriguing youngsters such as first-round draft pick Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance Jr., and Sam Dekker in place, it was reasonable to think the Cavs could, at the very least, compete for a playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference with Love at the helm. To this point, the Cavs have shown little to no signs of being able to do as such.
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Now, six games is six games. The season is not over, nor is it even one month in. But when you’re 0-6 and four of your first six games are double-digit losses, that speaks volumes. And two of those losses were at home to the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets – who are each perceived as teams playing for ping-pong balls – by a combined margin of 38 points. Going into Sunday, the Cavs were 24th in points (105.7) and 23rd in points surrendered (118.5) per game. And Sunday morning, Cleveland fired head coach Tyronn Lue – furthering the confusion surrounding the team’s future.
This is a Cavs team that, collectively, is struggling to get into a rhythm offensively, defend as a unit, and close out games. Now, does Lue deserve a fair share of the blame for this treacherous start? Of course, this is a team with talent that has been unable to string together a win; that certainly makes Lue look bad especially considering the negative notions that surrounded his coaching before James departed for Hollywood.
Love has missed the Cavs’ last two games with a foot injury, but has been productive in the four games he’s played this season. Averaging 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, he’s played to his strengths. He’s serving as a go-to scorer offensively, a tenacious rebounder on both ends, and is one of the best passing big men in the association. And while he may not play inside as much as the Cavs would like, Love can stretch the floor and finish in the paint. But what does it matter on a team like the Cavs?
When the Cavs gave Love an extension, they were in the midst of a second consecutive discouraging offseason. Last summer, they honored Kyrie Irving‘s trade request and ended up shipping him to the Boston Celtics. In the middle of the season, they made multiple trades including shipping Isaiah Thomas (who was the focal point of their return on Irving) to the Los Angeles Lakers. In the offseason, they lost James to the Lakers in free agency.
Extending Love was the Cavs’ way of saving face. They, of course, weren’t going to be a powerhouse in the East, but the playoffs were feasible and giving their best player a long-term deal showed a commitment to being competitive in the meantime, as opposed to blowing up the roster. And based on them going 19-63 in their first season without James back in the 2010-11 season, the Cavs wanted to keep a prominent player in place to avoid that nightmare from recurring. The Miami Heat did this when they lost James to the Cavs back in 2014.
The Heat backed up the truck to re-sign Chris Bosh on a five-year, $118 million deal to run the show alongside Dwyane Wade in the summer of 2014. Now, the end result of the Heat doing as such eventually resulted in a playoff appearance a year later – which appears unlikely in the Cavs’ case. But the Cavs’ decision to extend their best player is proving to be a mistake before the contract even begins.
When you move, or lose, your two best players (James and Irving), you feel inclined to keep the bright spots on your roster; Love was the final member of the Cavs big three. But, in reality, how many teams were the Cavs definitely better than in the East going into the regular season, or in the present time?
The Toronto Raptors, Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers are at the top of the food chain in the East. The Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Heat are only a tad bit behind. The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets are viewed as teams who will be fighting for a playoff seeding.
Heck, couldn’t you argue that the Nets and New York Knicks are better than the Cavs?
When at, or over, half the teams in your conference are better than you, and you still have a premier player in his prime – or on the back nine of his career – it’s wise to entertain a trade for his services. Now, could the Cavs get out from Love’s contract before the NBA trade deadline, or sometime in the foreseeable future? While an annual salary of $30 million a year is large, there are probably a few teams who would be interested in acquiring Love.
With that said, the Cavs probably could’ve received a better return for Love had they not extended him. If they didn’t extent Love, teams could’ve acquired the big man and either let him walk after this season, or offer him a contract of their choosing. If the Cavs traded him this year, it would likely be a money dump, rather than for a package of intriguing, young players.
Plus, Love has missed at least 22 games in each of the last two seasons and may miss more time in the coming weeks given his nagging foot injury. That could degrade his trade value and health, in general, moving forward.
Sexton, Thompson, Osman, Nance, and Clarkson are the Cavs future for the time being. Thompson and Smith likely aren’t going anywhere. For the meantime, neither is Love. And the losing probably isn’t going anywhere as well.
Love is a great player, but it’s pointless for a team who’s living in the NBA’s basement to be paying a complementary star $30 million a year to be their focal point. The Cavs extended Love out of fear of the past repeating itself post-James. And it appears it will do so with or without Love present; it’s a contract Altman and the Cleveland Cavaliers would love to have back.