Cavaliers Trade Rumors: Depth Behind Kevin Love Should Be Focus at Deadline

Sometimes the flashy move is not the right one. 

This is a lesson too many teams learn at the NBA trade deadline each year and one the Cleveland Cavaliers better adhere to as they look to make even more changes to the roster for the home stretch.

The consensus seems to be that the Cavaliers should make a splash by dealing for a backup point guard or a rotational piece in general to reinforce the backcourt.

The problem with this is that the Cavaliers have bigger issues underneath the basket if starters such as Kevin Love cannot stay healthy.

According to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald and The Morning Journal, the Cavaliers want to upgrade two spots on the roster in the coming days and weeks: "The Cavaliers (33-22) are in the hunt for a backup point guard and backup big man. In the ideal world, they could add both for the stretch run. They might not be able to add both."

Love is a warrior, no doubt, hardly missing a game all season despite his banged-up status with back and knee issues, not to mention a recent eye issue.

Any moves the Cavaliers consider soon have the playoffs in mind. The team can live with its current backcourt depth.

It can't live with the depth underneath the basket—not in the Eastern Conference.

There is next to nothing behind Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson if Love is out or nursing an issue. As Finnan points out, the coaching staff recently trotted out 34-year-old James Jones—all 6'8" and 215 pounds of him—at power forward with Love out of the lineup.

That's a good way to get destroyed in a hurry in the postseason against Washington and Marcin Gortat, or Atlanta's duo of Paul Millsap and Al Horford—or even Chicago's twin-towers look with Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah.

It's a horribly kept secret that the front office wants to deal Brendan Haywood's unique contract in exchange for a rotational player, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal points out.

"It’s apparent by now Brendan Haywood has nothing left," Lloyd wrote. "At least the Cavs believe he’s done. But they need him around for his contract to use in trade either in the coming days or this summer. Haywood as an option on the floor, however, apparently no longer exists."

Those trade efforts need to focus on depth behind Love as opposed to replacing backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova.

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Dellavedova averages just 4.2/2.9/1.8, sure, but the front office can upgrade there through other avenues.

Free agency and the buyout market are ripe with candidates who can act as the coveted guard depth to help prevent Kyrie Irving from averaging his ridiculous 37.7 minutes per game.

The team has an obvious interest in free agent Ray Allen. LeBron James met with him, and Lloyd notes that the organization remains in touch with his people, writing, "The Cavs have been in contact with Ray Allen’s camp in recent days, but still no decision has been made on where (or even if) Allen will play this season. It remains possible Allen has played his last NBA game."

ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst even goes so far as to note that the Cavaliers have targeted veteran guard Jameer Nelson of the Denver Nuggets, who could be a buyout candidate sooner or later.

The common thread on the rumor mill concerning the Cavaliers backcourt? Championship experience. Allen has plenty of it. One of Nelson's best years as a pro came when the Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA Finals. 

All of this taken into account, James does not exactly lack for confidence in his team, even if his friend does not join the championship pursuit, as NBA on ESPN captures:

James has every right to be confident in the roster given the strides the team has made as of late now that recent additions such as Mozgov and J.R. Smith seem settled into their roles.

This is about the postseason, though, and a Cavaliers squad with a banged-up Love underneath the rim is a major weakness. If the front office is serious about further upgrades, the landscape of the league right now plainly shows that the backcourt is fixable in other ways, so the trade route needs to focus on depth behind Love.

A move to improve that area or lack thereof at the deadline will be one of the critical hindsight factors. The good organizations get out in front of those scenarios.

Cleveland's playoff fortunes ride on how the front office acts in the coming hours.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.