Kevin Love and Cleveland Cavaliers Both Need This Relationship to Work
We don't know for sure what Kevin Love will do this summer.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' All-Star power forward controls his own destiny. He can choose to stay in Cleveland by exercising a $16.7 million player option or opt out and become an unrestricted free agent.
Love is putting up 16.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with a player efficiency rating of 18.9. By most accounts, these are excellent numbers. Based off what Love poured in night after night with the Minnesota Timberwolves, however, they appear a bit disappointing.
This is the puzzling question for Love: Be the No. 1 option while putting up video game numbers on a losing team, or take a backseat to star teammates while coming away with the win?
Love has now been featured in both roles. The tough part? It's at times been difficult to tell which one he actually enjoys more.
Do the Cavaliers even need him? After all, there are many nights when Love serves as little more than a stretch 4, something they could certainly acquire for less money than the max contract he's expected to command.
Does Love even want to play in Cleveland? He's seemed distant, tired and frustrated far too often this season, even on the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.
The truth is, both Love and the Cavaliers need each other and need to do everything they can to make the partnership work.
Why Cleveland Needs Love
It's been easy to overlook Love's contributions to the Cavaliers.
Over six years, we saw Love transform from a below-the-basket rebounder and post scorer to one of the best offensive weapons in the game today. He can shoot threes, play pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop, post up, hit the mid-range jumper and get to the free-throw line with regularity.
Love was the do-everything offense in Minnesota not only because he could, but also because he had to be. The Timberwolves had little other scoring options during his time there.
While it's natural to want to see Love repeat his 25.9-point, 12.4-rebound season of 2013-14, it's also unrealistic.
Cleveland doesn't need 25-plus points a night from Love, not with James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and others on board. In fact, taking time to slow down the pace while force-feeding Love over and over again may actually hurt the offense instead of help it.
Instead, Love's filling a lot of other much-needed roles.
For example, the Cavs aren't a great rebounding team. Cleveland currently sits at 19th in the league with 42.8 boards per game.
Love may be the team's third-leading scorer, but he's been far and away its best rebounder. His 10.1 boards lead the Cavaliers and are good for 11th in the NBA. He's also third in the league in defensive rebounds (8.1), trailing only DeAndre Jordan and Pau Gasol, via ESPN.com.
Tristan Thompson (7.9 rebounds) is the only other Cavalier collecting over seven a night, and he does a lot of his damage on the offensive side (3.4). With last season's leading glass cleaner, Anderson Varejao, lost for the season with a torn Achilles, the Cavs have needed Love's rebounding more than ever.
As Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer wrote:
"Among all power forwards, Love ranks No. 6 in rebounding ... and No. 7 in scoring.
For heaven's sake, you'd think we're talking about the second coming of Ryan Hollins or Chris Mihm based on how some have characterized Love's season.
When your third-best player is averaging 16.5 points and 10.1 rebounds — that's a great sign for your team.
"
Indeed it is.
Scoring and rebounding are certainly two of Love's strong points, but that is not the full extent of his contributions.
While he doesn't like to be labeled as a stretch 4, his ability to step out and hit the three-ball is extremely important with penetrating players like James and Irving. Opposing teams can't leave Love open on the perimeter, therefore preventing an extra guy from sliding in to provide help on James or Irving at the rim.
According to general manager David Griffin, Love is exactly the type of player coach David Blatt coveted even before being offered the job in Cleveland, via Cavs.com:
"When we brought David Blatt in to discuss our franchise and what he needed to be successful, the very first thing he said was, 'I need a spacing big. Someone who can shoot and pass and knows how to play.' I said, 'We've got one in mind. His name's Kevin Love, he's a trade target.' He [Blatt] said, 'Wow, Kevin Love would be amazing.'
"
Love also provides Cleveland with an excellent pick-and-pop partner for whomever is handling the ball. He's shooting 46.9 percent on long two-pointers this season, a career high. He's quick enough to get up and down the floor, and he can also help slow down the tempo with his back-to-the-basket game.
Could the Cavs use Love in the post more often and less on the wing? Absolutely.
Can this easily be corrected over time as the trio of Love, James and Irving continue to play together? Without a doubt.
That doesn't mean he's not already making a huge impact on the team. Cleveland's scoring, rebounding percentage, assist percentage, steal percentage and shooting all improve with Love in the game. The Cavaliers' team defense has even been better with Love, as he's holding shooters to below their season average from all areas of the court, via NBA.com.
While a team led by James and Irving would be enough to get home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavs wouldn't be true championship contenders without Love.
Why Love Needs Cleveland
Love was the main man in Minnesota.
He put up gaudy stats, shot as he pleased and made three All-Star teams in the process.
Still, the critics swarmed. Six years with the Timberwolves had resulted in zero trips to the postseason, despite Love's best efforts.
Minnesota won an average of 25.5 games per year with Love. Cleveland has won 27 contests over the last 10 weeks alone.
As important as stats and numbers seem to be to the casual fan, winning typically takes priority for most players. If not, Love could still be in Minnesota today.
He certainly won't stay in Cleveland for his own personal stats, the city nightlife or marketing opportunities. If Love does indeed end up signing a max contract with the Cavaliers, it will be based solely off winning.
Love seems to have accepted his reduced role, as long as it leads to victories, of course. As he told ESPN's Mike and Mike, via Dave McMenamin:
"Just knowing that it's for the greater good. If we have a chance at the end of the year to hoist that Larry O'Brien Trophy, then it's all been worth it. I think there's been times this season, naturally, that I fought it, but then seeing the end result, it kind of changes everything. Had it been different, then maybe I would have felt some different kind of way. But knowing that my teammates have my back, Coach [Blatt] knows that I'm going to be a pro going out there every single night, and I'm just trying to find different ways to affect this team. That's what I've been trying to do.
"
To be fair, Love is in a tough position.
First, he was criticized for not leading his team to the playoffs, even with impressive statistics.
Now, Love's name is constantly in the news for lack of production even though Cleveland has been the NBA's hottest team for the past two months.
So, which is better?
One has to assume it's the latter. Love could choose to opt out of his deal this summer and join a franchise like the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks and once again stuff the stat sheet. Would either of those franchises make the playoffs next season? Probably not, leaving Love right back where he was with the Timberwolves.
Cleveland, instead, is the right home for him.
Although his role is still evolving, it's not like the Cavs ignore him on offense. His numbers are still solid, and the team is rolling and has a legitimate shot at a title, both now and for years to come.
There's also a matter of reputation. Typically, if a high-profile player switches franchises once, he has a good reason. Think Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics or James Harden joining the Houston Rockets. Both were moves that were questioned by some at the time but ultimately worked out for everyone involved.
Joining a third team, especially in three years, could significantly tarnish Love's reputation around the league and his quest for landing a max contract.
The perception surrounding Dwight Howard certainly changed after he went from the Orlando Magic to the Lakers and ultimately the Rockets from 2011 to 2013. What if James had announced he was leaving the Miami Heat last offseason and joining a third franchise like the Lakers or Knicks? What kind of backlash would that have created?
Love seems to be a quiet, humble guy who mostly keeps to himself. He appears to take his reputation very seriously.
After being asked during his introductory press conference with the Cavs when exactly he informed Minnesota he wanted out, the previously jovial Love turned quite serious.
"I didn't have that conversation. I had that conversation with my agent and he talked to Flip [Saunders] and management," Love firmly clarified, appearing eager to move on to the next topic. When pressed further about the timing of his agent's talk with the Timberwolves, Love simply said, "I don't know."
It appears likely that keeping his reputation intact while ending his playoff drought may only happen if he stays in Cleveland.
Are Love and the Cavaliers a perfect fit right now? No, but they have the potential to be.
Conclusion
The Cavs need Love for his rebounding, spacing of the offense and versatility as a scorer and passer.
Love needs Cleveland to go deep in the postseason while preserving his reputation.
Sure, there are wrinkles to be ironed out. Relationships to grow. Roles to expand and evolve. When both parties take into consideration what's best in the long term, however, a multiyear partnership should be the obvious choice.
Love isn't a luxury, but instead a necessity. He could also go other places and win, but he won't find a free-agent fit that offers as good of a chance at a championship as the Cavaliers do.
In the end, it's best for both sides to stick together and grow.
If and when they win a title together, no one will question the fit of Love on the Cavs anymore.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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