Hardwood Paroxysm: What does the future hold for the Cavaliers and Warriors?
What does the future hold for Kevin Love?
by Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) — Hardwood Paroxysm
No matter what happened in the playoffs, Kevin Love’s offseason promised to be a circus. Despite him repeatedly stating his desire to return to Cleveland, speculation continues to swirl about his potential departure to the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics or Houston Rockets.
With the Cavaliers having advanced to the NBA Finals without him—and having stolen two games against a historically dominant Golden State Warriors team—that chatter figures to grow increasingly louder over the next two weeks. While Love would have provided a much-needed scoring punch for the Cavs in the Finals, decreasing the unprecedented offensive burden LeBron James had to shoulder, his defensive deficiencies might have negated much of his positive impact. When the Warriors went small, slotting Draymond Green at the 5, where would Love have fit on defense? Even if you downsize and put Love at the 5 to counter the Warriors’ small-ball lineup, does he have any chance guarding a pick-and-roll with Green and Stephen Curry?
As Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote prior to Game 3, Love’s absence in the Finals raised significant questions about his future, both in Cleveland and elsewhere:
"The Cavs are also three wins from the title — without Love. They’ve discovered a gritty, anti-modern, defense-first style that demolished the East and came within inches of sweeping the Warriors at home, where Golden State is supposedly invincible. Their success has team executives across the league wondering if Love just isn’t as good as they thought, or whether Cleveland’s success without him is more about LeBron’s presence than Love’s absence. By not playing, Love has become the league’s most confusing and polarizing player."
Tristan Thompson’s glass-cleaning dominance throughout the playoffs only further complicates matters. According to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald, Double-T’s agent has let it be known that [he] wants a max deal, or close to it,” when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer. Back in January, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thompson had declined a four-year, $52 million extension offer prior to the start of the season. In other words, the idea of a hometown discount need not apply here. Thompson rightfully expects to get paid this summer.
Where does that leave Love? Can the Cavs conceivably hand max (or near-max) contracts to two players who play the same position, condemning themselves to a potentially record-setting luxury-tax bill? With the salary cap set to explode next summer, does Love even want to sign a long-term deal with Cleveland, or will he simply pursue another one-and-one deal with a player option in Year 2?
Before writing off Love’s future in Cleveland entirely, keep in mind that Chris Bosh experienced similar struggles during his first season with LeBron and Dwyane Wade in Miami. His numbers suffered a precipitous decline, leading to viral videos and monikers like the “Big Two-and-a-Half.” He proceeded to reinvent his role over the following years, becoming a precedent-shattering small-ball 5, which helped Miami to win back-to-back championships.
It’s not unfathomable that Love experiences a similar career arc if he remains in Cleveland. Unlike Bosh, who rarely attempted three-pointers before his Miami days, Love has long been a prolific bomber from deep. Perhaps the Warriors’ success with small-ball units in the Finals encourages Cavs coach David Blatt to trot Love out more often at the 5, eschewing a typical rim protector for lineups with five legitimate perimeter threats.
With a number of top-tier players set to hit the free-agent market over the coming weeks, this summer promises to be overflowing with drama. If/when Love declines his player option, few free agents will attract more attention than him, given the stakes involved for all parties.
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