Kevin Love - Miami Ground Machine

[jlegg21]

If the Cavs are willing to pay him the max, and they're able to contend for titles for the next half decade with James and Irving, both things he almost surely wants.... I guess I dont see what the issue is other than the media being an impatient monster as usual.

I'm sure Love has personal goals he'd like to achieve, but if you can make a fortune and win, does it really matter HOW you get there? And it's not like there isnt time to build on his role here.

It took Miami almost two full seasons to figure out the pecking order and that's a perfect case study. If he doesnt stick around, I'm not sure how anyone could expect to build trust and cohesion. We were never going to throw this team together in one season and suddenly be the Spurs. Basketball doesnt work that way.

 

[crabbyshark]

This was a week ago...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers-dallas-mavericks-2015031006/

A WEEK AGO

People gotta chill out.

 

[gourimoko]

Well, Love wasn't interested in coming to Cleveland until LeBron called him.

I don't think this helps our case.

Then he was all in. I think LeBron has a lot of sway here.

"Stop trying to FIT OUT and start trying to FIT IN."

Anyway... I don't think Love's going to make career decisions based on LeBron's advise. He's been here, played here, he knows the deal and can make his own decision. It isn't like he's just a free agent with no prior knowledge.

If he really is considering leaving, I don't think LeBron will change that.

 

[TFIR]

Those aren't bad numbers, by any means. In fact, Love is the only qualified player averaging at least 16 points and 10 rebounds while draining over 35 percent of his threes, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Doesn't this actually say it all about Love. For all the stats out there, he fits a spot on this team. We need a guy who can rebound like that, as well as score and shoot 3s. And by the way, I know everyone here also realizes he is a very adept passer as well.

I dunno, am I the only one who thinks this is a win/win anyways?

If Love stays, you have the above statement to justify it. He is a complement to Lebron and Kyrie. And if he stays then he would obviously be good with that.

On the other hand, if he leaves, the Cavs do not have to pay a max salary. The way David Griffin operates, I am sure he could figure out how to use that money quite nicely. And Gilbert will spend endlessly, he has proven that. He knows Lebron is a gold mine and anything he spends is nothing compared to the Lebron windfall.

So really, it's a non issue. The Cavs can't lose. It's made an issue by people in search of drama IMO. Primarily writers with space to fill.

 

[MirORich]

Anyway... I don't think Love's going to make career decisions based on LeBron's advise. He's been here, played here, he knows the deal and can make his own decision. It isn't like he's just a free agent with no prior knowledge.

If he really is considering leaving, I don't think LeBron will change that.

I think at the end of the day, if Love isn't 100% feeling certain about re-upping, conversations with Griffin, Blatt, LeBron, Kyrie, Miller(old teammate and guy he respects), his own father, etc. will bring him around to the mindset of returning to greatness, playing around other great players, and upping his mental approach while building team chemistry and better/more refined usage on the court in year 2 and beyond.

But I'm not even sure it gets to the point where Love needs to be "sold" on buying in to his future here. I think he has enough perspective on his own and will look to those 80's Celtics and Lakers teams where guys like Worthy and McHale, were all stars and champions, even though they had #1 option talent that they could've showcased had they not shared the court with Magic/Kareem/Byron and Bird/Parrish/DJ/Ainge

 

[Otsego Mar]

 

[kovanovich]

I don't know why Windy was so strident the other day about Love. I respect his reporting and don't doubt him, but he does have a way of exaggerating a bit or seeing things in a negative light. Even Broussard wasn't so negative, framing the issue as whether the Cavs would even offer a max contract. Windy has no doubt they will.

At the end of the day, Love would stand to lose a lot of money by not accepting a max from the Cavs. Money isn't everything, but it's a lot when you don't have the off the court money making opportunities that LeBron, or even Kyrie, has. Plus he can actually win in Cleveland too. The Knicks and Lakers are little more than expansion teams at this point. Boston is admittedly quite a bit further along.

Steve Kyler on Basketball Insiders has been consistent all year in pretty much saying that if the Cavs make the ECF his guess is Love returns to Cleveland. I don't think a single news cycle coming on the heels of a loss when Love didn't play under somewhat mysterious circumstances changes any of that.

It's pretty clear there is uncertainty though, and no doubt that's why the Cavs have valued the Haywood contract so highly. It remains their main hedge against Love leaving. Yes, they could attempt a sign and trade in order to get Love more money with his new team, and another year, in an effort to get something back, and maybe that "something" (presumably a pick) could be packaged with the Haywood contract to get a player to replace Love. It won't be easy to replace Love though. The fact is, even though Love has underperformed this year, at a minimum his ability to stretch the floor on offense and provide elite defensive rebounding is a very valuable combination, and is arguably exactly what this team needs at PF.

 

[I'mWithDan]

I find the notion that a guy who has never played in playoffs and openly expressed frustration in Minnesota would bail after one year here to go try to do the same thing again. Not only do it again but do it again for far less money. He would have to be so fucking miserable that he felt like the situation was beyond repair......which I really think we are nowhere near.

While Love is likely somewhat frustrated, I would hope someone advising him would lay out how his role is likely to expand, not contract here. As LeBron ages, more of the burden will fall on Kevin and Kyrie to score. LBJ will morph in to more of a full-time point forward and he'll play games similar to tonight, where he knocks down some outside shots and mainly distributes to shooters.

Also, as a self described introvert, I can't believe so many people believe or buy in to what the media is selling. His teammates in Minnesota talked about how he kept to himself, had a small inner circle and routinely went home to watch movies while others went out. THAT guy is then talking to the media and openly telling them or even hinting that he is leaving? That seems so far removed from his known personality that I'll just chalk it up as rumor mongering at this point.

Is there a chance Kevin leaves? Sure.....it's never a 100% proposition he stays but we're not even through a single playoffs and there are already people that are "certain" of his future? Seems like a stretch to me. At worst, he's picking up his option and we'll try to make it work better in year two. If in 18 months, we're still in the same spot (as far as utilization), then I would expect him to explore S&T opportunities or just walk. Until then, I don't believe any of the shit people are reporting.

Hell, look at what Chris Bosh eerily said in March of 2011:

"It is common sense, we can talk about it, but I think it's evident...I just have to get it where I'm effective. I'm a big man. I can shoot the ball but I'm a big man. So I have to get it where big guys get it. Then I feel I can start helping out this team more."

Sound familiar? We'll figure it out.

 

[Ohio]

Love had an on court interview after the game, anybody got a link?

 

[Otsego Mar]

I have to get it where big guys get it.

 

[Sebastian]

Are we still talking about this? Love is not leaving after this year. Short of a catastrophe. Period.

This rumormongering is nothing more than people trying to generate hits. They have to talk about the Cavs and what else can they write about right now? The Blatt rumors are dead. The LBJ injury saga is over. Dion is gone. They are winning. Negativity lures in readers, not feel good stories.

In the absence of other negatives to write about, they are going to speculate about Love because he isn't averaging 26/12 and because he made that one comment about wanting the ball more in the post, which, I might add, is the ONLY comment he has made that can be construed as negative this year. That one comment is what started this latest slew of stories. Measure that against the balance of dozens of comments where he expressly said he is staying in Cleveland for a long time. How many times does he have to say it?

 

[TFIR]

PS - is it me or did Love have the ball in the post quite a bit last night?



We are lucky to have this guy! He's unselfish and multi-skilled. His only real issue is that I believe he is having physical issues. And, by the way, that was not unusual in Minnesota.

So keep him fresh.

 

[amazon123]

PS - is it me or did Love have the ball in the post quite a bit last night?



We are lucky to have this guy! He's unselfish and multi-skilled. His only real issue is that I believe he is having physical issues. And, by the way, that was not unusual in Minnesota.

So keep him fresh.

It's kinda sad people have forgotten how good and athletic K Love is. He went from this

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK8Xn2uxY_Y


To this

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7TnbhJr8iY


It is clearly due to injuries. Unlikely he will be fully healthy come playoff time, but I bet next season we'll see him in his prime.

 

[Rick Astley]

Kevin not sucking these days has diverted the punitive fans and "insiders" to resort to rumors of him leaving. Sad.

 

[buzzdog]

Windhorst was wrong about Lebron coming back. He was wrong about Kyrie staying. He was adamant that Lebron & Kyrie didn't even like each other, and forget about any chance they'd want to play together, no chemistry there, etc.. If I recall he probably said something about a snowball's chance in hell that we'd end up with Love but I don't recall.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Windhorst is an E-spin drama queen, nothing more. He lost his access to Lebron and now he's scrambling to make a living by stirring up drama, just like the rest of the sports media.