NBA Trade Rumors: Kevin Love Still On Trade Block After Coaching Change As Cavaliers Look To Match Western Conference Powerhouses
The NBA trade rumors regarding Kevin Love are picking up, with reports that a coaching change hasn’t taken the big Cleveland Cavaliers forward off the trade block.
The Cavaliers made a controversial shake-up last week, firing David Blatt despite an Eastern Conference best 31 wins. Many blamed LeBron James, who clashed with Blatt and reportedly didn’t respect his coach.
As Tyronn Lue took over as head coach, there were rumors that the Cavaliers may be backing of their plans to trade Kevin Love, as Lue may have different ideas of who to keep on the roster.
ESPN‘s Joe Kasier wrote that Kevin Love may thrive under Lue, who will likely find a system that better plays to Love’s strengths. Under Blatt, Love often found himself camped out beyond the three-point line, Kasier noted, which took away his strong passing game.
.@AtomicHarpua, @bbdoolittle and @JoeKaiser debate Tyronn Lue’s fantasy impact on the Cavs. https://t.co/DN6L5jgoM4 #FantasyBasketball
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) January 25, 2016
“We’ll be pushing the ball a lot harder.” – @kevinlove talks new schemes. #CavsTV [VIDEO]: https://t.co/wRvfbNnCCZ pic.twitter.com/i49vhTfSTg
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 25, 2016
But Love may likely still be on the block as the NBA trade deadline approaches, Matt Moore of CBS Sports reported.
Moore noted that Kevin Love and the Cavaliers were exposed in a blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors last week, one that made their defensive deficiencies more glaring. Love, who has never been strong on the defensive end, is one of the chief culprits.
“The Cavaliers are serious about winning a title, and the humiliating loss to the Warriors seems to have shown them how far they are from that goal,” he wrote. “If things don’t turn around under Lue, and fast, it can no longer be considered a surprise if the Cavaliers trade Love, even if there have yet to be any reports of substantive talks between the Cavs and a prospective target.”
The NBA trade rumors are aimed squarely on Kevin Love, with reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers are following the big shakeup this week of firing their coach with another big move in shipping off Love.
The firing of David Blatt also made it clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers are very worried about chemistry, even if they still are leading the Eastern Conference. Love has long been rumored to not mesh well with teammates, and his defensive shortcomings have held the team back while his offensive contributions could be assumed by Kyrie Irving or James in his absence.
It’s not clear what the Cleveland Cavaliers would be seeking in a trade for Kevin Love, but Fansided noted that the team would be looking for a piece to help them better compete with the Western Conference powerhouses.
“The Cavs need to build a team that can defeat the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. After all, that’s who they’re going to be facing in the NBA Finals this season. And at the moment, with their win now attitude, the limited offensive usage and poor defense of Love might not cut it. When Golden State run rings around Love like this, you can see why.”
There are other NBA trade rumors surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers, all in the same vein. As the team reportedly tries to unload Kevin Love, reports suggest they are also shopping big man Timofey Mozgov. Both Love and Mozgov have been exposed defensively, and shipping them off would better set the Cavaliers up for a potential NBA Finals matchup against the Warriors or Spurs.
[Picture by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
