NBA Rumors: Kevin Love To Remain With The Cleveland Cavaliers For Now
Kevin Love will remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers for now. Is Kevin Love staying with the Cavaliers for the duration of this season? That has not been determined, but the star power forward has a chance for redemption this upcoming season.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kevin Love is not on the trading block, not now at least. That has to ease the minds of Cavaliers’ fans who want to see him see him stay with the team. Love feels better about being with the Cavaliers after so many NBA rumors had him going elsewhere.
“That’s just something that you live with. We have so much hype and media and the good and the bad surrounding this team and it just comes with the territory. So, I love this team, love the coaching staff, my teammates, the organization. I mean, I don’t think it will ever leave but frankly, I don’t really give a s***.”
The latest of the NBA rumors comes from Yibada. The website’s scenario has the Miami Heat trading away Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow for Kevin Love. It is not a trade that will happen at this juncture.
After struggling to find his niche with the Cavaliers, Love has an opportunity to make himself irreplaceable or drive up his trade value for a later time.
It is a somewhat surprising decision that the Cavaliers will not trade Kevin Love at this time. The fit is not the issue when it comes to Kevin Love and the Cavaliers. The issue is his overall usage in the Cavaliers’ offense.
Kevin Love’s usage rate with the Cavaliers last season of 23.4 percent was higher than his inaugural year with them. His 21.7 percent usage rate in the 2014-15 campaign was his lowest since his rookie year with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the Timberwolves, Love’s role was starkly different. He was the go-to player, the first option, and most of the time he had the ball in his hands at the end of games. He is now the third scorer with the Cavaliers. And it will only get worse for Love going forward.
Look for Cavaliers’ point guard Kyrie Irving to continue to ascend to superstar status. That will play a role in Kevin Love’s touches on offense. Expect them to slightly diminish over the course of the season. Love attempted an average of 14.5 shots over 36 minutes per game in the Cavaliers’ championship season. That could shrink to the 12-13 shot range he attempted in actually game time over the same period. Kevin Love took an average of 12.7 shots last season.
If Irving’s scoring load were to increase, Love would be limited to taking around 11 shots a game. That could be the difference between Love putting up 16 points and 12 points per contest.
If Cavaliers’ superstar LeBron James winds up taking a slight backseat early on this season Love will not see a steep drop-off in shot attempts. It would be best for the Cavaliers if they were able to add to the amount of shots Love needs to be effective.
Love’s on-court relationship will determine that, and also how long he remains with the Cavaliers.
The on-court relationship between Love and LeBron have to evolve. If it does not continue to grow, it would be a franchise-saving move for the Cavaliers to trade Love while he has value.
For things to continue to work out, the Cavaliers must improve the overall chemistry of the team. The Cavaliers could adopt a program similar to what the Miami Heat used five years ago. What made the Heat successful was that they took turns being the guy. At times it needs to happen with the Cavaliers.
If Kevin Love does wind up on the trade block, look for at least six teams to reach out to the Cavaliers to acquire him. Look for the NBA rumors regarding the Cavaliers looking to trade Love to continue. A big offer may force the Cleveland Cavaliers to send Kevin Love packing
[Featured Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
