Kevin Love - Miami Ground Machine

[theSTEREO.]

I'll just leave this here. Again.

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/mcten/status/564572859885174784

 

[Paul]

Jalen Rose just dug up the ultimate dumb ass meme.

"I THINK KEVIN LOVE IS A ONE AND DONE. I THINK HE AND RAJON RONDO ARE GOING TO BE LAKERS NEXT YEAR"

.....Why? I don't understand why they would make that move when the Lakers are pretty much trash this season.

From a winning perspective, staying with Cleveland makes more sense. If the Cavs go on a deep playoff run, then I think that will weigh heavily in his decision. If the Cavs don't get past the Bulls, then that will also weigh heavily in the negative..


From a non winning perspective, going to the Lakers does a lot of good things for him. He goes back to the city where he played collegiate ball. He is in the same city as his girlfriend, who works as an actress, and who's father is connected in the movie industry (some sort of huge producer or something). He would also be closer to his hometown in Oregon and probably would see his family more.

He would also be the heir apparent to the face of the Lakers franchise after Kobe retires/leaves--one of the most celebrated franchises in the history of professional sports. His scoring opportunities would increase, he would probably be a 18 to 20 ppg guy in LA, maybe more, even if Kobe is healthy. Being a high volume scorer is good for his legacy in basketball. It's pretty hard to get to the hall of fame if youre a 15 and 10 guy with Cleveland. Going to the Lakers maybe he gets 20 and 12 and gets all star selections and all of that paves the way for a hall of fame career. There's also the possibility of a Westbrook reunion in LA, although maybe not likely.

Would he win much in LA, probably not. I don't really respect Rondo and Kobe's abilities at this point in their careers and no one else on the roster is proven.

The ideal for Cleveland fans is obviously that he plays well in the playoffs, commits mentally to being with Cleveland for this year and beyond and shows the world how awesome he can be, even if he can't be the alpha dog here. His back fully heals in the off season and he, LeBron, and Kyrie form a stable nucleus that makes Cleveland a contender for years to come. If Cleveland disappoints in the playoffs, I think it will be a very tough decision for him. IF Cleveland gets to the finals, I suspect he will stay.

 

[czvo]

From a winning perspective, staying with Cleveland makes more sense. If the Cavs go on a deep playoff run, then I think that will weigh heavily in his decision. If the Cavs don't get past the Bulls, then that will also weigh heavily in the negative..


From a non winning perspective, going to the Lakers does a lot of good things for him. He goes back to the city where he played collegiate ball. He is in the same city as his girlfriend, who works as an actress, and who's father is connected in the movie industry (some sort of huge producer or something). He would also be closer to his hometown in Oregon and probably would see his family more.

He would also be the heir apparent to the face of the Lakers franchise after Kobe retires/leaves--one of the most celebrated franchises in the history of professional sports. His scoring opportunities would increase, he would probably be a 18 to 20 ppg guy in LA, maybe more, even if Kobe is healthy. Being a high volume scorer is good for his legacy in basketball. It's pretty hard to get to the hall of fame if youre a 15 and 10 guy with Cleveland. Going to the Lakers maybe he gets 20 and 12 and gets all star selections and all of that paves the way for a hall of fame career. There's also the possibility of a Westbrook reunion in LA, although maybe not likely.

Would he win much in LA, probably not. I don't really respect Rondo and Kobe's abilities at this point in their careers and no one else on the roster is proven.

The ideal for Cleveland fans is obviously that he plays well in the playoffs, commits mentally to being with Cleveland for this year and beyond and shows the world how awesome he can be, even if he can't be the alpha dog here. His back fully heals in the off season and he, LeBron, and Kyrie form a stable nucleus that makes Cleveland a contender for years to come. If Cleveland disappoints in the playoffs, I think it will be a very tough decision for him. IF Cleveland gets to the finals, I suspect he will stay.

Does Kevin want that? I don't know the guy, obviously, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of player that wants to be the face of THE franchise in the NBA. While the media in LA isn't the media in NY, it's still a ton of scrutiny. From what we know about Love, a loner who doesn't really relish being in the media's spotlight and is willing to do the little things to help the team win, I just can't see the guy bolting a winning situation to be the Lakers' savior.

As for the quote from him, it's the same thing he's said all year. This whole "Love leaving" has been really media driven.

 

[Paul]

Does Kevin want that? I don't know the guy, obviously, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of player that wants to be the face of THE franchise in the NBA. While the media in LA isn't the media in NY, it's still a ton of scrutiny. From what we know about Love, a loner who doesn't really relish being in the media's spotlight and is willing to do the little things to help the team win, I just can't see the guy bolting a winning situation to be the Lakers' savior.

As for the quote from him, it's the same thing he's said all year. This whole "Love leaving" has been really media driven.

Yes but youre ignoring the fact that if he is/is thinking about leaving, he can't state that publicly until the season is over. Doing so would be colossally stupid, even for someone who has shown the ability to speak his mind to the media. You would simply be retarded to go public saying that. Plus, I don't think even he knows yet.

 

[Sebastian]

Seriously, can we table this shit until after the playoffs. For fuck's sake.

 

[czvo]

Yes but youre ignoring the fact that if he is/is thinking about leaving, he can't state that publicly until the season is over. Doing so would be colossally stupid, even for someone who has shown the ability to speak his mind to the media. You would simply be retarded to go public saying that. Plus, I don't think even he knows yet.

Of course you don't say you're leaving, but you play it like LeBron did. You're non-committal and leave every door open. Kevin Love is not going that route.

 

[DougHeil]

Yes but youre ignoring the fact that if he is/is thinking about leaving, he can't state that publicly until the season is over. Doing so would be colossally stupid, even for someone who has shown the ability to speak his mind to the media. You would simply be retarded to go public saying that. Plus, I don't think even he knows yet.

Okay good. Let's just focus on the negative.

 

[Paul]

Seriously, can we table this shit until after the playoffs. For fuck's sake.

You're right, I think this talk is better kept til later, clearly it's the "elephant in the room" and a very sore subject for people, understandably. I'm actually fairly optimistic that if we do lose Love, that we can be as good or better by allocating that cap money elsewhere but that's just me. I'll do my best to leave this topic alone for now.

 

[czvo]

You're right, I think this talk is better kept til later, clearly it's the "elephant in the room" and a very sore subject for people, understandably. I'm actually fairly optimistic that if we do lose Love, that we can be as good or better by allocating that cap money elsewhere but that's just me. I'll do my best to leave this topic alone for now.

They won't have any money to throw around if Love leaves. They're already over the cap, with or without Love.

 

[brownsbuck6]

I do know this much - the Kevin Love is leaving after this season bull shit has casual fans buying into that. I have no less than 3 significant bets from guys who just KNOW he's leaving after this season and whom I know follow the league from a distance..AKA watch Sportscenter. The narrative is working with the casual general public, so I guess alot of folks will be in for a "shock" when he reups.

But I agree, this talking point must be shelved for the next two months. Plenty of time for stupid ass gossip after our parade.

 

[MirORich]

Love and Rondo to the Lakers if funny to me on so many levels.

I would deserve to be ridiculed if I failed to acknowledge that within the frameworks of all possibilities that exist, it could happen, but lets examine the myriad reasons why it is so, so unlikely:

1. The Lakers salary cap situation. Kobe, Nick Young, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Ryan Kelly are all going to be back next year. Their combined salaries are 36 million. Throw in the cap hold for a top 5 pick and you're no approaching 40 million. The salary cap this offseason might get up to 70 million. Regardless, Love and Rondo are both going to want the Max. And they both can't get the max together with the Lakers. Yes if you traded Nick Young into a team with cap space you could maybe get close, but ask yourself, what team will take bad basketball playing, cancer 3 years left on his deal Nick Young without a major sweetener? And what sweeteners do the Lakers have to offer? The Lakers owe their first rounder next year to Phoenix and another future first rounder to Orlando. When the Cavs used picks to clear space for LeBron and acquire Love, they were dealing from a position of being overloaded with draft picks. They could risk shipping out the pick we sent in the Jack/Zeller trade, to create the opportunity to sign LeBron. Can the pick barren Lakers send out yet another future 1st rd pick just to create a situation where they still can't give Rondo and Love full Max deals?

2. The age/fit factor. So Love is going to leave 23 year old Kyrie and 30 year old LeBron for 37 year old Kobe and 29 year old Rondo? Also, we're to be believe Love, who notoriously is a bit of a loner and who just saw firsthand the hardships involved in super star teams that assemble gain chemistry and familiarity on the court, we're to believe he's going to choose to re-set the clock on that, got through it again, all so he can join two players who are older and inferior their counter parts on the Cavs.

3. Depth. Even in the far fetched scenario that the Lakers let Jordan Hill go(can't pick up his 9 million option and afford Love and Rondo) and find a team who will take Swaggy P without bringing any salary back, look at what that roster would be:

Rondo, Kobe, Love, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly, their first round pick. At that point, they will be over the cap and essentially have just the MLE and vet min to fill out the other 7-8 spots on their roster. On top of that, their only two promising young players(Clarkson and Randle) play the exact same positions that Rondo and Love do

Now, if you're really hellbent on finding a scenario that Kevin Love could go to salary cap wise, fit wise, and roster talent wise, there are a few of those scenarios around the league. The Lakers however are not one of them.

 

[iamacavalier]

JR Smith on Klove

"And forget what anyone says, Kevin Love is the ultimate teammate. He isn’t the most athletic player out there — actually, Kevin is like that guy you see in a 40-and-up league just killing it because he knows the game better than anyone else out there. Mentally, Love is just in another stratosphere when it comes to understanding basketball. Plus, not only is he an underrated shooter who can knock shots down better than half the guards in the league, he is also the best rebounder I have played with, hands down.
More important than what you notice about Love’s game, though, is what you don’t. He does all of the little things a team needs to win, and that sort of stuff trickles down to each and every one of us, including me. Guys like him make you want to play harder. They help you keep your focus and intensity, because if he’s doing it night in and night out with smarts, heart and determination, well … what’s your excuse? Put it this way: If I had a son grow up to be a big man, you better believe he’d be enrolled in Kevin Love’s summer camp."

I think this is obvious to anyone who watches more than just the dunks and 3 pointer highlights on ESPN. Love is an interregnal part of this teams winning. His IQ, passing, shooting, unselfishness, and rebounding are essential. Cavs will offer him the max this year and if he decides to wait for the new TV deal the cavs will offer him the max then. Period. We are just seeing the tip of what this team can accomplish if they stick together (which I fully expect).

 

[gourimoko]

Love and Rondo to the Lakers if funny to me on so many levels.

I would deserve to be ridiculed if I failed to acknowledge that within the frameworks of all possibilities that exist, it could happen, but lets examine the myriad reasons why it is so, so unlikely:

1. The Lakers salary cap situation. Kobe, Nick Young, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Ryan Kelly are all going to be back next year. Their combined salaries are 36 million. Throw in the cap hold for a top 5 pick and you're no approaching 40 million. The salary cap this offseason might get up to 70 million. Regardless, Love and Rondo are both going to want the Max. And they both can't get the max together with the Lakers. Yes if you traded Nick Young into a team with cap space you could maybe get close, but ask yourself, what team will take bad basketball playing, cancer 3 years left on his deal Nick Young without a major sweetener? And what sweeteners do the Lakers have to offer? The Lakers owe their first rounder next year to Phoenix and another future first rounder to Orlando. When the Cavs used picks to clear space for LeBron and acquire Love, they were dealing from a position of being overloaded with draft picks. They could risk shipping out the pick we sent in the Jack/Zeller trade, to create the opportunity to sign LeBron. Can the pick barren Lakers send out yet another future 1st rd pick just to create a situation where they still can't give Rondo and Love full Max deals?

2. The age/fit factor. So Love is going to leave 23 year old Kyrie and 30 year old LeBron for 37 year old Kobe and 29 year old Rondo? Also, we're to be believe Love, who notoriously is a bit of a loner and who just saw firsthand the hardships involved in super star teams that assemble gain chemistry and familiarity on the court, we're to believe he's going to choose to re-set the clock on that, got through it again, all so he can join two players who are older and inferior their counter parts on the Cavs.

3. Depth. Even in the far fetched scenario that the Lakers let Jordan Hill go(can't pick up his 9 million option and afford Love and Rondo) and find a team who will take Swaggy P without bringing any salary back, look at what that roster would be:

Rondo, Kobe, Love, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly, their first round pick. At that point, they will be over the cap and essentially have just the MLE and vet min to fill out the other 7-8 spots on their roster. On top of that, their only two promising young players(Clarkson and Randle) play the exact same positions that Rondo and Love do

Now, if you're really hellbent on finding a scenario that Kevin Love could go to salary cap wise, fit wise, and roster talent wise, there are a few of those scenarios around the league. The Lakers however are not one of them.

I read this post and it still seems to boil down to the same thing; Love won't leave because he doesn't want to, and he won't go to the Lakers because they aren't as good as the Cavs.

Again, for one we don't know what Kevin Love does or doesn't want; that's why I don't really like playing that game.

Secondly, I don't put anything past a guy who is coming off a 26/12 season to the one we just saw.

But I'm with Stannis on this... we really should table the discussion until after the playoffs. I think whatever happens in the next few weeks will be a very large factor in all this, so there's no point in discussing it now.

 

[Anglefan]

You won't table it until after the playoffs though because you thrive on worrying about this. You have been the consistent person in the Love leaving discussions for the ENTIRE year. You can't get enough of it.

The next few weeks will not be a large factor. He's staying. He's said it eight million times. I don't know why people like you can't get that through their heads. Players who are thinking about leaving just do not consistently affirm that they're staying. They just don't.

 

[gourimoko]

You won't table it until after the playoffs though because you thrive on worrying about this.

Whaaat?

Where the fuck did this come from? Lol...

You have been the consistent person in the Love leaving discussions for the ENTIRE year. You can't get enough of it.

I don't even know what this means -- I just said up thread, twice, that I don't think Love will leave in the offseason.

"Why would he?" were my exact words.

Get a fucking grip.

The next few weeks will not be a large factor.

Umm, but every Cleveland media reporter including Brian Windhorst has said the exact opposite. That, if the Cavs didn't do well in the playoffs, they might need to worry about Kevin Love; whereas if they do perform well, everything should be fine.

He's staying.

Thanks for letting us know..

He's said it eight million times.

People say all kinds of shit.

I don't know why people like you can't get that through their heads. Players who are thinking about leaving just do not consistently affirm that they're staying. They just don't.

You must have trouble in breakups I think.