2022 Off-season Thread - The Future is Bright

[foucault87]

i watched the kevin love that played 10 whole minutes in the atlanta hawks play-in game... come the second round of the playoffs .....you cant be in a position saying....were one player away while love is on the bench cheerleading and towel-waving...you can pay the water boy $500/game to do that

I watched Kevin Love single handedly win tons of games bombing from 3 and at times being our best playmaker last season. He has a lot left in the tank and offers more than your boi

 

[gambler]

And Rondo/Love were the reason the Cavs got back into the Nets game before that. Love placed second in 6MOY voting last season, he's on an expiring contract, and is worth more to the Cavs than what he could return in a trade. He's unlikely to be traded.

the possible argument here is that you might be looking at an 8-10 whereas im looking at an ECF....10 minutes a game in the playoffs generally does not have much value for an ECF team....even less so when taking into consideration an injury-prone player.....10 minutes a game in the playoffs is what you pay carmello anthony 2.5mm/year..... this was just 10 months ago....

Cavs' true feelings on Kevin Love's long list of injuries, revealed

With Kevin Love missing a significant amount of games over the past three seasons, the Cavs front office isn't too happy right now.

cavsnation.com

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

That column was written before last season.

 

[gambler]

didnt fact check.....but if correct....this is just ugly.....

From 2018-19 through 2020-21, the UCLA product missed 116 of 219 possible games due to injury. In that latter season, he averaged just 12.2 points on 40.9% shooting.

if the goal for the cavs is to finish 8-10....kevin love is not a problem.....tehyll get there with or wthout kevin love should everyone else remain healthy.... if the goal is the ECF....then kevin love and his 10 minutes game in the playoffs is in all likelihood a very very very big problem...

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I have said this before….Okoro’s biggest problem is the same as Windler’s….he has no confidence in his shot to even shoot the 3 ball enough. You can’t coach confidence. Averaging 2-3 shots beyond the arc when you’re left open as much as he is will not cut it!

I worry that there is a fear of a quick hook from JBB that has wrecked the confidence of some of these guys.

 

[Peacedog]

didnt fact check.....but if correct....this is just ugly.....

From 2018-19 through 2020-21, the UCLA product missed 116 of 219 possible games due to injury. In that latter season, he averaged just 12.2 points on 40.9% shooting.

if the goal for the cavs is to finish 8-10....kevin love is not a problem.....tehyll get there with or wthout kevin love should everyone else remain healthy.... if the goal is the ECF....then kevin love and his 10 minutes game in the playoffs is in all likelihood a very very very big problem...

The funny thing is Love was the healthiest player on the roster last season. Off the top of my head, other than his early season bout with COVID, which was 2-3 weeks, I think, I can't think of a single game he missed all season.

 

[Randolphkeys]

didnt fact check.....but if correct....this is just ugly.....

From 2018-19 through 2020-21, the UCLA product missed 116 of 219 possible games due to injury. In that latter season, he averaged just 12.2 points on 40.9% shooting.

if the goal for the cavs is to finish 8-10....kevin love is not a problem.....tehyll get there with or wthout kevin love should everyone else remain healthy.... if the goal is the ECF....then kevin love and his 10 minutes game in the playoffs is in all likelihood a very very very big problem...

Do you see why the data skewed negative right after LeBron left? The franchise was in chaos for most of that stretch, not just one guy.

I've been among the few who preferred keeping Love through all this. I'll include a few admissions to start it out:

His deal became a bad contract as soon as he was injured in 2018. The four year contract compensated him for two years of near All Star type money with the understanding Father Time would catch up on the last two. The Cavs therefore overpaid in hindsight.

I'll also allow that he didn't take care of his body during the COVID shutdown. He needed to fail in Team USA practices to realize that taking the off-season off doesn't work at his age.

That said, as a locker room voice, he has been vastly underrated. The offense had serious issues from 2018 through the 2020/21 season. As an offensive-specialist power forward, there isn't much he can do if the coaches and young guards aren't getting him the ball when he should get it. All the while, young players loved him as the fanbase scapegoated him for not being a one on one perimeter force.

Last season, he led the team in games played. He led the second unit's offense, no matter which players were on the floor with him. The key to his rebirth last season is the growth of players around him. He needs guards who know how to get him good looks. He needs a defender like Allen or Mobley covering him defensively. He was simply worth every penny.

At this point, the idea of trading Love is a dated viewpoint. It doesn't make sense because we are the young contender who would need what Love provides. Moving him for another fading power forward in Barnes doesn't move the needle at all.

 

[Dr No]

Kevin will be 34 when the season begins and there are a lot of miles on that body. He can’t carry the workload he once did, but he proved last year he can be a helpful player. I think he can do it again. But there’s no doubt that he’s close to unplayable in a playoff series. His defense is so glaringly bad that whoever he guards will repeatedly take advantage or will put him in the p & r so someone else can do it. It’s kind of an odd situation where he can help get us to the playoffs but won’t help much when we get there.

 

[-Akronite-]

Kevin will be 34 when the season begins and there are a lot of miles on that body. He can’t carry the workload he once did, but he proved last year he can be a helpful player. I think he can do it again. But there’s no doubt that he’s close to unplayable in a playoff series. His defense is so glaringly bad that whoever he guards will repeatedly take advantage or will put him in the p & r so someone else can do it. It’s kind of an odd situation where he can help get us to the playoffs but won’t help much when we get there.

I think it’s matchup dependent. Frye provided great spacing just by camping on an island during our Eastern runs but was coached out of the Finals rotation.

And yes, despite people calling for him to retire before last season, Love’s game may age very well because he’s proven to be effective without his athleticism already.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Kevin will be 34 when the season begins and there are a lot of miles on that body. He can’t carry the workload he once did, but he proved last year he can be a helpful player. I think he can do it again. But there’s no doubt that he’s close to unplayable in a playoff series. His defense is so glaringly bad that whoever he guards will repeatedly take advantage or will put him in the p & r so someone else can do it. It’s kind of an odd situation where he can help get us to the playoffs but won’t help much when we get there.

I think that is less of a problem because he isn't going to be a starter. They can pick and choose the spots in which to use him, and can use him offensively as a guy who creates mismatches on the second unit. He is still such a good offensive weapon that his vulnerabilities against the second unit defensively should be acceptable.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

I worry that there is a fear of a quick hook from JBB that has wrecked the confidence of some of these guys.

This is so important in a game that relies heavily on playing instinctually while competing.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Cavs first nationally televised game. December 8th. Against the Lakers.
LBJ's last game in Cleveland before The Return II.

 

[Ohioplayer00]

This is so important in a game that relies heavily on playing instinctually while competing.

Then Okoro should “instinctually” take that corner 3 ball when the ball hits his hands and he’s wide open! If I’m a coach and see you hesitating then I believe you’re hurting the team. What’s the old saying “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”

 

[foucault87]

didnt fact check.....but if correct....this is just ugly.....

From 2018-19 through 2020-21, the UCLA product missed 116 of 219 possible games due to injury. In that latter season, he averaged just 12.2 points on 40.9% shooting.

if the goal for the cavs is to finish 8-10....kevin love is not a problem.....tehyll get there with or wthout kevin love should everyone else remain healthy.... if the goal is the ECF....then kevin love and his 10 minutes game in the playoffs is in all likelihood a very very very big problem...

I'm not sure why you are using 2020 or 2021 Love to predict what he will look like in 2023 instead of the last season where he was quite healthy, an awesome locker room leader, and a key piece for the long run of the regular season.

You can't just plan for the playoffs like its a foregone conclusion, we have to show we are better than the 9th best team in the east first. And even then, Harrison Barnes does less for us to be there or win the 12 games to make ECF

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Then Okoro should “instinctually” take that corner 3 ball when the ball hits his hands and he’s wide open! If I’m a coach and see you hesitating then I believe you’re hurting the team. What’s the old saying “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”

You're not the coach. And I'm saying that not to rip on you, but because I'm not sure that Okoro is getting the same kind of message. I mean, sure, he's told "if you're wide open in the corner take the shot." But what runs through his head? "Am I as open as the coach thinks I need to be to take my shot"? And if this is the only kind of three I'm allowed to shoot, I better not miss!

I honestly don't what what he is told. But I've seen more guys scared to shoot on this team than you usually ever see on an NBA team, and that makes me wonder.