Kevin Love and Cleveland Cavaliers Are Good Together but Might Be Better Apart
By Alec Nathan , Featured Columnist Mar 17, 2015
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Kevin Love has graciously accepted a diminished role with the
Cleveland Cavaliers, but that isn't a reason for either side to get complacent. Love needs an opportunity to reach his full potential, and realistically, Cleveland can acquire a capable replacement at a discounted rate.
From a statistical standpoint, the Cavaliers have benefited as Love's segued into a spot as Cleveland's sometimes-secondary and mostly tertiary offensive option.
But as Love's undertaken a specialized gig that's asked him to hover around the three-point line, he has provided collateral scoring in such a specific way that he's now solely viewed as a stretch 4.
Kevin Love's Impact |
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As
Chris Bosh told
Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick back in October, moving from featured centerpiece to third wheel doesn't come without a great deal of frustration:
Yeah, it's a lot more difficult taking a step back, because you're used to doing something a certain way and getting looks a certain way. And then it's like, well, no, for the benefit of the team, you have to get it here. So even if you do like the left block, the volume of the left block is going to be different. Now you have to make those moves count.
Although Love's aiding Cleveland's cause on both ends, his transition into a more restricted niche hasn't been seamless.
"It's still a work in progress, but I think I've figured it out a little better," Love said, according to
ESPN.com's Michael Wallace. "It's like [former
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Kevin] McHale used to tell me: Just go where they ain't. Just go out there and try to space the floor as best as I can."
In order to clear slashing and driving lanes for LeBron James and
Kyrie Irving, Love can typically be found lingering along the three-point line in hopes of capitalizing on open drive-and-kick looks. To date, a career-high
40.5 percent of his shots have come from three. Additionally, his average shot distance is up to a
career-long 14.7 feet
Credit: NBASavant.com
Kevin Love's 2014-15 Heatmap
Continually pushing out to try to space the floor, Love's field-goal percentage has dipped to a career-low (minimum 50 appearances) 43.0, with his three-point conversion rate dropping just a tad to 36.4 percent.
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.
Love's Usage Rate By Year |
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However, Love shouldn't be pigeon-holed merely as a standout shooter with size. In this symbiotic relationship, he's been relegated to that (successful) role. But he has so much more to offer and hasn't shied away from declaring as much.
"I heard some people calling me that, but I know I'm not a stretch 4," Love told
Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes. "I'm a post player who can shoot. Right now I'm just doing what I'm called to do. For good, bad or indifferent, I'm playing my role and doing what's asked of me."
As Wallace noted, Love's complied with head coach David Blatt's tactical preferences. But conformity isn't necessarily indicative of a prosperous long-term affair.
"It's been far from a comfortable process for Love, who would like a better balance of touches around the basket and looks from three-point range while creating space for Irving and LeBron James to operate," Wallace wrote. "Love has attempted 335 shots from three-point range, which are the second-most of his career."
Kevin Love By Season |
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Love proved throughout his six-year tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves that he has the talent to function as an offensive focal point. A three-time All-Star with a potent arsenal of inside and outside artillery, Love's at his best when he's able to bludgeon smaller opponents on the block while keeping defenders on their toes with his graceful three-point stroke.
According to
Synergy Sports' play-type data provided to
NBA.com, Love is racking up 0.99 points per possession on post-ups. That's better than conventional post-up mavens like
Al Jefferson,
LaMarcus Aldridge,
Marc Gasol,
DeMarcus Cousins, Nikola Vucevic,
Zach Randolph,
Dwight Howard,
Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan.
In order to return to form, it may be in Love's best interest to cut ties with the Cavaliers. While their brief marriage has helped Cleveland build the NBA's
best offense since the All-Star break, a divorce could allow both sides refreshing opportunities for reinvention.
Which brings us to Love's financial options.
In January, Love told
Haynes the following: "I think that we will figure it out here, so I don't plan on opting out or any of that. I plan on being here. As far as leaving my options open, I mean sure, it's always there. At the end of the day, it's always good to have something but no, I plan on being here."
But as
NBC Sports' Dan Feldman explained, "if Love truly plans to opt into the final year of his contract, he’s being foolish. Love has a $16,744,219 player option for next season. His max salary next season projects to be $19,027,800."
There are a few routes the 26-year-old can take—and each one comes with a set of pros and cons.
Behind door No. 1 is a new one-year deal with the Cavaliers that will afford Love another shot at a title while giving him the flexibility to become an unrestricted free agent once the cap spikes again in 2016. At that juncture, he can always bolt for a new locale and get compensated handsomely.
Behind door No. 2 is a long-term deal with the Cavaliers that would pay him roughly $109 million over five years, according to Wallace. Straightforward and lucrative, but not exactly flexible.
Door No. 3 offers the same framework as door No. 1, but with a little more uncertainty. If Love opts out, he could ink a one-year deal with another franchise as a trial run of sorts. Then, he would wield the option to sign a long-term deal once the cap explodes or explore other offers if things don't work out.
Then there's door No. 4—the most compelling of the bunch. If Love feels his skill set has been too marginalized in Blatt's offense, he can seek out a four-year deal with the team of his choice.
If he does wind up taking the latter route, it may wind up being what's best for both parties.
Love has so much more to offer than a lethal flick of the wrist, and his track record suggests he should be paid like a primary option. He shouldn't waste his prime years playing third fiddle to James and Irving, even if it means the Larry O'Brien Trophy won't annually be in his crosshairs.
Jason Miller/Getty Images
Sacrificing personal gains for rings would be entirely respectable and even a bit admirable, but these are Love's peak earning years, and he should capitalize while he can.
Love's departure wouldn't necessarily be a major blow to the Cavaliers, either. If James and Irving are the backbone of Cleveland's long-term plan, then Love is an expensive limb.
Shelling out max money for a stretch 4 isn't exactly appealing, and it's likely Cleveland could scour the market for a cost-effective replacement. With an extension due to Tristan Thompson (who's already one of the game's
most ferocious rebounders) as well, the Cavaliers have plenty of financial considerations to comb through.
Love has made the best of a difficult situation, and the Cavaliers have to be thankful that the offense is clicking with his responsibilities waning.
But when the time comes for Love to make a decision about his future, the temptation to mold his legacy with a new franchise and a fresh supporting cast could be too tantalizing to ignore.
All statistics current as of March 17 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise. All salary information retrieved from BasketballInsiders.com.
