NBA Rumors: Kevin Love Demanding More Ball Touches From Cavaliers, ‘They Just Have To Trust It’
Despite suffering a huge disappointment last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers still refused to trade All-Star power forward Kevin Love and undergo a full-scale rebuild. As of now, the Cavaliers view Love as the player who will lead them back to title contention in the post-LeBron James era. As the face of the franchise, Love is expected to be the focal point of the Cavaliers’ offense.
However, according to Sam Amico of Sports Illustrated, that doesn’t seem to be the case in the Cavaliers’ first game in the 2019-20 NBA season, where they suffered a 94-85 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic. Though he finished with a game-high 18 rebounds, Kevin Love only scored 11 points and just took 10 shots. Love is well-aware of how many touches he got against the Magic, and he’s hoping that those things will change in their upcoming game against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
“I just have always felt if the ball touches my hands, something good’s going to happen,” Love said. “They just have to trust it. I do, too. I just have to trust that the ball is going to find me and I’m going to get more of an opportunity to make some plays for us.”
Kevin Love definitely has every right to demand more touches from the Cavaliers. Though they currently have young and promising talents like Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, and Darius Garland, Love is still the best player on the Cavaliers’ roster right now. Cavaliers Head Coach John Beilein doesn’t seem to have any problem granting Love’s request, saying that they would be “crazy” not to give him more touches in the upcoming games.
“We’re working on that right now,” Beilein said. “When he did get the ball we had really good numbers. (His teammates) have to see that.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDuWK5dzwaY
Kevin Love may have spent his first four years in Cleveland as LeBron James’ sidekick, but his stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves proved that he’s capable of becoming a team’s main man. Now that he returns to being the focal point of the offense, there’s a strong chance for the Cavaliers superstar to bring back the “Minnesota Love” that most NBA fans have been looking for for years. This is especially promising if he manages to remain healthy throughout the 2019-20 NBA season and Coach John Beilein fulfills his promise to give him more ball touches.
Kevin Love’s performance in the 2019-20 NBA season will be vital for the Cavaliers, not only because it would help them return to being a competitive team in the Eastern Conference, but it could also determine his value once they finally decide to make him available on the trade market.
