Was trading for Love a mistake?

[[Q]]

Well, I guess it's a bit too early to tell, as Love could still opt-in in the summer, but since his season is done would Cleveland have been better off with Wiggins & Bennett instead of Love? I'm assuming they would not have traded for Smith & Shump but probably would have gotten Mozgov or other big man.

I'd like to say yes. Love turned into basically an overrated Bosh, and his rebounding totals were a far cry from his league-leading 15.2 rpg a few years back. Cleveland's need for him to be an interior presence forced them to get Mosgov which shows he wasn't really the answer on the inside with Lebron & Kyrie on the perimeter.

[Sauru]

i always said they should of kept wiggins. of course who knows where wiggins would be right now if he stayed. he certainly gets far fewer touches and i am sure he does not win the rookie of the year award but in the long run i liked him on the cavs better than love

[Andrew]

If he leaves in the offseason...kinda, sorta, but he was worth taking a gamble on, and the deeper the Cavs make it into the Playoffs, the more we could see them feel his absence. If anything, I think it'll be a case of "Well, that didn't work out" as opposed to "Well, they definitely shouldn't have done that".

[mp3]

If he was to leave this summer then sure the trade was a major fail but as the Cavs were winning before Love's injury I think he would of stayed, even more so due to him hitting free agency coming of surgery is never a great sales pitch too.

When you look at Wiggins I'm minny you can't take the player they have on the twolves and believe that he would of being the same player in Cleveland he wouldn't he would not be rookie of the year and we may not of seen what we see now for a couple of years with him playing 3rd fiddle to lebron and Irving.

Bennett wouldn't of made the slightest difference where he played and he is probably going to the Hall of Busts when all is said and done.

[air gordon]

I agree premature but I say it is a mistake on the assumption Cleveland finding a replacement level player at pf who can shoot

I'm unsure how difficult it is to find this player but if they had that AND Wiggins, that would be a better situation

[NovU]

How can it be a mistake when they did what they were supposed to and made best out of the situation? Wiggins needs to develop, the Cavs need to win now or lose LBJ for the second time. They made best out of their situation and landed Love.

Give Love his max contract, he's all worth it. At the very least, he's a very very sexy trade chip in his prime. He still suits the team better than Wiggins/Bennett combined because the Cavaliers would be torn between WIN-NOW or Develop Mode. Answer to this is obvious with LBJ.

Cleveland's need for him to be an interior presence forced them to get Mosgov which shows he wasn't really the answer on the inside with Lebron & Kyrie on the perimeter.

Mozgov deal was more to fill Anderson Varejao's absence. Then they still added Kendrick Perkins on top.



Love made the most(probably only) sacrifice out of the new trio. Much of blame fell onto him though for shortcomings. Neither LBJ nor Irving refused to give up the ball but it's Love that did. Note the usage, LBJ maintained his, Irving nearly, Love not so much. But it's actually LBJ that regressed big time despite maintaining the usage rate. Irving benefited. Love's decline is kinda self-explanatory as a third wheel.

[Patr1ck]

Love would be a fool to leave. LeBron is right in his prime, possibly a few more years before he starts to decline. Kevin is in his prime right now, while Kyrie is just going to get better as time goes. So Love had a bad season integrating with his new teammates and system. That team had a slow start, had to learn how to win, then make the playoffs, and then sweeped the first round. I don't see how the trade was a mistake. Were they expecting first year Boston-trio-like heroics from veterans with a new coach?

I read something about Kevin Love leaving Cleveland after the season. They said the chances were 50%. Which means yes he's leaving Cleveland or no he's not leaving Cleveland. That 50% means jack shit.

The debate for Kevin Love before Cleveland was if he could carry a franchise. I think that question is answered.

[Lamrock]

Meh, until he went down, Love and the Cavs were arguably the best team in the league. There's a good chance Wiggins will be better than Love in a few years, but would he be a good fit on a team with LeBron? They would have likely held on to a healthy Embiid. An added bonus was the Cavs getting to dump Anthony Bennett's contract in the deal. If Love leaves, then yeah, it looks bad, but hindsight is 20/20, and they'd have the cap to replace him in the next couple years.

There's no problem with being "an overrated Bosh". He'd be a perfect fit if he played better D, but spreading the floor and getting rebounds makes him an ideal fit for that team. This idea that LeBron doesn't like him or that he's a poor fit is mostly manufactured by ESPN imo.

[air gordon]

Is it worth having a perceived overrated bosh who is on the bench in the 4th for max money?

I don't think you spend that amount on a player you want to just rebound and space the floor. You're taking about a shane battier type player lol

Bennet was on a rookie deal. Not a big strain on the cap

[benji]

No.

And Love isn't leaving for another season* unless he signs a one-two year deal somewhere. And why not stay in Cleveland, with a healthier and more advanced version of this team? If they win a title next season the world is his and LeBron's oyster right as the salary cap goes insane.

*His max contract isn't expiring, he has an opt-out. As does LeBron** btw.

**I still believe one reason LeBron's contract includes the endless opt-outs is because it'll allow him to instantly drop his salary at any-time ala Dirk, Duncan, etc. without having to wait.

[Stress Fracture]

Do you think Lebron would play for much less money?

[Andrew]

He's taken less money before, to join the Heat in 2010. I don't see him leaving Cleveland, though; moving his family closer to home was one of his reasons for returning, so it seems unlikely that he'd be looking to uproot them again. He's won a couple of titles, so the pressure is off him somewhat. They had a good turnaround this year, and they've still got room to get better, whereas the Cavs team he left in 2010 had peaked. I'd be surprised if he left again...the current arrangement either allows him to take a paycut so they can bring someone else in, or sign an even bigger contract when the league's new TV deal kicks in, instead of being locked in long-term at his current salary.

[NovU]

The Cavaliers are struggling against the Bulls. LBJ's back to ground zero, it's all him on both ends, reminds me of the Cavaliers prior to leaving for the Heat, only worse.

Irving's overrated. His chemistry with LBJ sucks, maybe more so than Mo Williams ever did. He can go off when LBJ becomes a second but he's just not that good with LBJ/Love first. Irving can't even stay on knee-dead Rose that LBJ needs to guard him. Problem is Irving can't disappear and be a threat in any form. There's nothing else he does well other than taking shots.

Love, Love's different. He played off the ball all season and he accepted whatever came his way. He had the game to elevate when needed, rebounding to scoring to banging whatever. He was that another extra gear that everyone talks about when playoffs come.

Love was a mistake only if you count Canadian arm bar specialist Olynyk.

[Kevin]

Olynyk 4 MVP

[Mandich]

Irving was playing injured.

When they dealt Wiggins for Love, it was a good move. Love is a proven player, but there was a risk he could get injured. Shame it came true.

What would CLE do if they had Wiggins instead of Love? He play the same position as the main guy.

Why is it even considered a mistake? Because of the injury? That's just bad luck.

[mp3]

And that he could bolt in the summer hanging over Cleveland's head...

That won't happen now though imo after the injury

[shadowgrin]

Does it matter if it's a mistake or not?

We're talking anout the same team that wasted a 1st pick on a shit player like Anthony Bennett.

Cavs couldn't care less.

[mp3]

To be fair it wasn't a strong draft and there was not really any clear number one pick based on the players then and not what we know now.

I have always thought it must be tough for gm's in that position when there on the clock with the 1st pick and no LeBron James's, Tim Duncan's of Shaq's to choose from.

[benji]

Nerlens Noel. Or Zeller or Len.

Remember Anthony Bennett was injured too, had ballooned in weight and never did any of the pre-draft stuff. Noel was already recovered enough to do workouts. The Sixers chose not to play him at all that season so they could be even worse and he could extra heal.

Plus Bennett is Canadian.

[mp3]

Alex was a reach just like Bennett was, there was no one taking Cody Zella number one and people still had mixed feeling about the Magic's Victor!

If Noel was able to play right away he would of being the clear pick but that knee injury made his stock fall alot

[NovU]

Bennett was a stupid pick. There's no defense to it. Only possible in Amurica. Canadians were shocked to see him going #1.