Cavaliers buy out Kevin Love, sign Danny Green

    This isn't breaking news but I did want to offer a few thoughts on the Cavaliers deciding to buy out Kevin Love's remaining contract and sign Danny Green for two million dollars for the remainder of the season.

Green was bought out by Houston after the Rockets traded with the Memphis Grizzlies at the trade deadline and was therefore available,

Green played in three games for Memphis earlier this month, scoring nine points in those three appearances.

Green played thirteen minutes for the Cavaliers in their final game before the All-Star break, scoring three points.

The thirty-five-year-old Green played for Philadelphia last season, averaging 5.9 points in sixty-five games but spent most of his career in San Antonio with the Spurs after Cleveland waived him after playing twenty games as a rookie as the Cavaliers second-round draft choice from North Carolina.

At his best, Green could fill the role that NBA people call a "3 and D" player, hit an occasional long-range shot, and play tough defense but Green isn't being added for his playing contributions as much as for giving a team that doesn't have a lot of playoff experience (especially after buying out Kevin Love) a jolt of that "veteran locker room presence" that the Cavaliers will need in a few months.

Kevin Love came to Cleveland in 2014 as the player that was going to be the third star in the Cavaliers sky when LeBron James decided to return to Cleveland, join Kyrie Irving, and demanded that the team acquire Love, rather than keep the top overall pick in the draft at that time in Andrew Wiggins.

I wondered about the trade at the time, mainly because I really liked Wiggins (who started to turn his career around after joining the Warriors), and I did have concerns about how Love would fit into the third-option position after being the man in Minnesota for his entire career.

Love wasn't the player that finished with the double-digit averages in points and rebounds that he did as a Timberwolf, although he did accomplish that twice in Cleveland, but he wasn't asked to be with James and Irving around.

Instead, he shot more from three-point range as the game changed and even when Cleveland signed him to a huge contract after LeBron James decided to become a Laker, Love never returned to the player that so fiercely hit the boards and that was a major factor in why Cleveland wasn't at least average to mediocre rather than terrible for most of the post-James years until 2021-22.

Love had well-publicized bouts with depression and anxiety and was usually the subject of the odd LeBron James passive-aggressive behaviors, which certainly didn't help Love's confidence or his game.

Kevin Love lost his first season with a first-round elbow injury in the series against Boston and Cavaliers fans insist to this day that had Kelly Olynick not clamped an armbar to end Love's season that the Cavaliers would have won that championship as well as the following season's title.

Love also struggled with his post-James term, never embracing the role of star, even though he was being paid as one. and twice since 2018-19, played twenty-five games or less due to various injuries.

Several times, Love had on-court tantrums during games and had other issues in practices towards teammates and coaches, and Love made more than one trade demand or ultimatum during this time too.

His play was often uninspired and he spent many days as nothing more than a huge drag on the salary cap with a big reputation, all of his requests weren't going to change that Love's numbers weren't matching his salary and no one was going to bust their cap for a disgruntled veteran that spent more time griping than rebounding.

Yet, Love had a comeback story waiting to be written as he accepted the role of instant offense veteran off the bench for the 2021-22 Cavaliers and helped a group of younger players win forty-four games as a leader and as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Love averaged thirteen points a game for those Cavaliers, and shot thirty-nine percent from three-point range but couldn't sustain that performance this season, suffering a thumb injury that affected his shooting to under forty percent, dropped the points to just eight points a game, and had deteriorated to the point that Love had fallen out of the rotation in order to give his playing time to Dean Wade.

Love was signed by the Miami Heat and the Heat appear headed to the postseason, perhaps even to face the Cavaliers with Miami's frontcourt offering more playing time to Love to prove that he still deserves playing time for a contender.

I couldn't write a Kevin Love post and not mention what he will always be remembered for by Cavalier fans- "The Stop".

Never a standout defensive player or an overly athletic one, Love found himself guarding the smaller and far quicker Stephen Curry at the end of game seven with the Warriors needing to score to tie the contest.

Love shuffled and stuck to Curry without biting on any fakes for ten seconds or so and Love's tenacity didn't allow Curry to set himself or get off a good shot and when Curry missed with LeBron James grabbing the rebound, Golden State's reign was completed, and Cleveland finally had its elusive world championship.

That's what I'll remember most about Kevin Love, that he stepped up and did what he wasn't normally adept at doing at the time that his team needed him most, and on the biggest stage that a basketball player can play on, Kevin Love made his team better.

Love saves Cavaliers, Hornets stung 102-101

    Kevin Love nailed two free throws with 1.2 seconds that allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to win 102-101 over the Charlotte Hornets in a game that will be remembered for quite a while for one of the worst calls that basketball has ever seen.

Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with career highs in points (29) and rebounds (22) the day after the center wasn't selected for the All-Star game in Cleveland.

Kevin Love finished with 25 points and Brandon Goodwin added 12 points as the only Cavaliers to join Allen in double-figures for the evening.

Cleveland improved to 32-21 with the win and will host the Indiana Pacers Sunday night in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) I've never seen a call like the one in the fourth quarter and I've been watching basketball for a while.

Ed Davis, who didn't play in the game, swatted at Charlotte's Terry Rozier as Rozier fired a three-pointer, thinking the play was dead after Cleveland's Dean Wade had stepped out of bounds.

Davis was called for a technical foul for interference, which was fair but Rozier's shot occurred well after the whistle blew, and therefore so did Davis's interference.

Amazingly, the referees counted the three-pointer and even more amazingly the play stood after review.

What the hell is replay for if it doesn't correct mistakes?

2) Charlotte then connected on their next three shots, all from three-point range, and suddenly the Hornets would lead until the Kevin Love free throws- all due to the momentum from a blown call.

Davis clearly wasn't trying to interfere, he was thinking that he was goofing around with a player during a dead ball but the interference did occur but there is no way Charlotte should have been awarded three points-which the NBA agreed with after the game.

3) Cleveland once again played without Darius Garland and it is clear how badly this team needs him.

Rajon Rondo and Brandon Goodwin simply don't shoot the ball well enough to be threats from the outside and I could definitely see the Cavaliers going after someone to cover Garland's absence in the future.

4) Darius Garland was named to the All-Star team but Jarrett Allen was not.

Allen took out his anger on the Hornets as his points and rebounds were career highs and he fouled out Charlotte's Mason Plumlee as Plumlee vainly attempted to stop Allen.

Allen shot twelve of twenty from the floor and split his twenty-two rebounds evenly between offensive and defensive.

With Kevin Durant unable to play, there is an open spot on the Eastern roster and Allen could receive that spot, especially with the East looking short at big men for the game.

5) Charlotte seemed to see some controversy on the foul on the final play that sent Kevin Love to the line.

I didn't see it that, Love was clearly fouled and there was still time left on the clock- no controversy in my opinion.

6) Kevin Love did more than just hit those pressure free throws, Love scored twenty-two of his twenty-five points in the second half and along with Allen, kept Cleveland in the game.

Love has a strong chance of winning the Sixth Man of the year and I would have given him next to no chance of winning that award before the season.

Cavaliers bomb Bucks 115-99

 Kevin Love scored 25 points off the bench and Cedi Osman popped in 23 from the second unit as the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame an awful start to overwhelm the defending world champion Milwaukee Bucks 115-99 at Rocket City Field House in Cleveland.

Cleveland trailed by as many as fifteen in the first quarter and was fortunate to trail by only nine at the end of the quarter.

Cleveland would outscore Milwaukee by seventeen in the second and ten in the third and cruised to the win whereafter.

Cleveland's win was their third in a row and eighth in their last nine games.

The Cavaliers are off until Sunday when they travel to Detroit to play the Pistons.

Swashbucklings

1) Cleveland allowed Milwaukee to connect on six three-pointers in the first quarter and only three others in the final three.

Milwaukee lives and dies with the three-pointer and their bombs rarely hit their target/

2) Cleveland's hit nineteen three's on the game and seven came in the third quarter as the Cavaliers swallowed up their first-period deficit and blew by them in the second quarter.

3) The NBA game has evolved a great deal with the three pointer playing such a larger role in today's game and this game shows how when a team drills nineteen three-pointers and it really isn't all that unusual.

4) Darius Garland left the game with back spasms but did return after missing a few minutes.

Those few minutes likely cost Garland another double-double after finishing with nineteen points and eight assists in twenty-six minutes.

5) Kevin Love had been a target for many (including myself) over the last two years for lack of effort, a massive contract ( which still doesn't get off the books until after 2022-23 ), and an attitude that threatened to infect a young team in the locker room.

This season has been entirely different in play and attitude for Love, who initially appeared to resist being used off the bench as an offensive force.

Instead, it might have saved his career.

6) Cedi Osman can be streaky and both good and bad can come from that.

Osman was six of fourteen from three-point range in the win finishing with twenty-three points.

Osman had combined for twelve points in his previous three games.

7) The win moved the Cavaliers to fourth in the Eastern Conference and their thirty wins pulled them even with the three teams ahead, although playing more games to reach the number than the other teams.

Cavaliers lose late to Hawks 121-118

  The Cleveland Cavaliers led by fifteen points at halftime against the visiting Atlanta Hawks but it was not enough as the Hawks outscored Cleveland by eighteen in the third period and played them even in the final quarter to take a 121-118 win in Cleveland.

Kevin Love continued his recent resurgence with 35 points and eleven rebounds off the bench to lead the Cavaliers with Jarrett Allen scoring twenty-one in his return to the lineup.

The loss was Cleveland's third in a row without Darius Garland and dropped the Cavaliers to 20-16 overall.

Cleveland will host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday evening.

Swashbucklings

1) This game was very similar to the loss to the Pelicans in New Orleans (I missed the loss to Washington as due to blackout rules, I wasn't allowed to watch on League Pass replay and I didn't have the time to watch the games live) as the Cavaliers shot well in the first half and then just shot poorly in the second half.

2) Kevin Love is playing very well of late and some of it could be that as the Cavaliers have missed various players through the Covid protocol, Cleveland is funneling much of the offense through Love- especially since the loss of Ricky Rubio as the other option at point guard.

3) Using Love in that manner may be by need rather than choice as the Cavaliers have a lack of outside shooting with the losses of Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio for the season and the temporary loss of Darius Garland and Cedi Osman.

Other than Love and maybe Lauri Markkanen, the Cavaliers have a distinct problem with their outside shooting until Garland returns but I do wonder why Dylan Windler, who is strictly a shooter, isn't getting more of a look with a roster that needs shooting.

Windler played three minutes against the Hawks and didn't attempt a shot.

4) Cleveland was forced to play Kevin Pangos twenty-four minutes at the point but Pangos didn't spend the most time at the position as recently signed Brandon Goodwin played twenty-five minutes in his first game on a ten-day contract.

Pangos finished with eight points and four assists with Goodwin winding the night up with thirteen points and six assists.

5) Cleveland attempted to fill the backup point guard vacated by the injury to Ricky Rubio by trading for veteran Rajon Rondo from the Lakers.

Cleveland traded veteran Denzel Valentine to the Lakers, who are expected to waive Valentine and create a little cap space for themselves.

Valentine was averaging less than ten minutes a night for Cleveland averaging 2.9 points per game.

Rondo wasn't playing much for the Lakers averaging only sixteen minutes a game in his eighteen games played and averaging three points and three assists but will play far more in Cleveland.

If I have time over the next day or so (unsure with the Rose Bowl and the Ortiz-Martin fight), I'll try to write a quick post on the acquisition of the veteran point guard.

6) Key in the defeat was Cleveland missing six free throws in the final period with Isaac Okoro missing three free throws in a row.

Free throws in the final period are always important but its just as important to hit them early as well.

Cavaliers re-sign Kevin Love

Just when I think I have a chance to start catching up- I get sick.
It started the other night with the Dale Murphy/Bristol post, when something that usually takes an hour or two took all day and it's still here.
I'm going to work my way through it though and here is the biggest and perhaps the most surprising piece of news as the Cleveland Cavaliers extended forward Kevin Love's contract for four additional years at a cost of 120 million dollars.

Love, who most (myself included) was expected to be the asset that brought the most to the Cavaliers as the team attempted to rebuild for life after LeBron James, but the Cavaliers apparently will be trying to rebuild on the fly and avoid the tanking for higher picks that bad teams do.
Love will be the top option and the player that the offense will flow through and I believe his numbers will return to the statistics that he put up during his days in Minnesota that made him so valuable that the Cavaliers traded for him to begin with for Andrew Wiggins.

I'm not sure that Kevin Love's return will be enough to give the Cavaliers a playoff spot, considering the supporting cast, but it is a step towards that goal and I would say that it is at least possible with this move.
Rookie Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr and Cedi Osman at least gives the Cavaliers some building blocks around Love and it'll be interesting to see if role players like Kyle Korver are kept around or traded to contenders that might be able to use their skills better.

Love's contract isn't the "supermax" that he could have received but at eight percent less than the max. the cap-strapped Cavaliers gain some flexibility even if it doesn't come until next year when some of the overpriced veterans can be jettisoned with larger cap savings and help with signing future free agents.
The contract is also team friendly and has a no-trade clause only for the next six months, so again down the road, Love's deal makes him far easier to trade than under a supermax deal.

In closing, I find it ironic that the player that was loyal wasn't the local guy, wasn't the first overall pick, but was the person that most of us thought would be the first to leave.
Instead, despite all the barbs and digs (Some well-deserved) from teammates, coaches, and fans, it's Kevin Love that was loyal to the franchise, the area, and their fans.
There are reasons to be a little cynical, Can Love return to being the Alpha Dog after a few years of being the second or third option? Will Love be worth the extension at 34 (that's the final season)?
Is Love the type of number one player that lifts a team to be better than they are (he couldn't in Minnesota)?

No matter your thoughts on those questions, give Kevin Love a lot of credit for loyalty and the Cavaliers for trying to stay somewhat entertaining and competitive.

Still trying to get well, but I'll try to get another post up tonight.

Cavaliers cruise by Celtics in Game One 117-104

So much for rust and so much for the home court advantage of the Boston Celtics as the Cleveland Cavaliers ran up and down and through Boston on their way to a deceivingly small thirteen point win

in a game one that spent much of the game in the twenty point margin.

LeBron James led Cleveland with 38 points,but he had plenty of help with Kevin Love scoring 32 points and 12 rebounds along with Tristan Thompson's 20 points and 9 rebounds.

The 117-104 win gave Cleveland a 1-0 series lead and gave home court advantage to the Cavaliers.

Game two is Friday night in Boston.

Swashbucklings

1) I'm not sure what Boston coach Brad Stevens can do in any hope to stop LeBron James.

Stevens (who I'm a big fan of as a coach) tried big,small and in between defenders and none created even the slightest concern for James,who drove by everyone,but Red Auerbach to the basket for easy scores.

2) Boston's best two players were not their best players on this night as Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford combined to shoot 11 for 30 on the evening.

In my opinion,Thomas and Horford are nice players and well suited to win games in the regular season.

However,there always comes a time somewhere in the postseason that teams need to have an Alpha Dog-neither Thomas or Horford are that type of player.

3) Was nice to see Kevin Love setting a playoff career high for points with his 32 points.
Love hit six of nine from three point range and many of them were wide open shots.

The Cavaliers moved the ball around with ease,often leaving the Celtics scrambling and more often than not,unable to reach the open man.

I drove to work late in the third quarter and Sirius radio uses the home team feed,so the Celtics announcers were on and they were bemoaning the lack of defense on Love from beyond the arc.

When the home team's network is griping about their teams lack of defense,you know they have been dominated.

4) Credit to Tristan Thompson for not only his 20 points around the glass,but for establishing that the Cavaliers will be the more physical team inside.

Boston is one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and Cleveland figured to have an advantage inside,but Thompson's offense was unexpected,I'll take it.

5) Kelly Olynyk,the Celtic hero in their game seven win over Washington and before that best known for his MMA submission move on Kevin Love in the 2015 playoffs that knocked Love out for the duration of that playoff run,was completely ineffective.

Ineffective to the tune of two points in sixteen minutes.

6) Game two might be the Celtics stand.

At home and with most counting them out,Boston will need their best effort and I think Cleveland is going to get it.

Boston is in "all in" mode-if the Cavaliers can grab game two,I think this series ends in a sweep...

Cavaliers keeping the core!

Dan Gilbert promised that the best was yet to come for the Cleveland Cavaliers and that money was not going to get in the way of that destination.

Cleveland found themselves off to a fast start with the re-signing of Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert to long-term deals and it looked as if Tristan Thompson was going to added to the fold on the same day as well before an apparent monkey wrench has resulted in no current agreement,although talks are continuing.

The big news is the signing of Kevin Love to a max contract for five years and 110 million and ending the last year of speculation (including mine) of whether Love was a long term Cavalier and was the loss of Andrew Wiggins worth the potential of a one year rental.
Love's retention (and Shumpert as well) makes the Cavaliers a realistic title contender for the next few seasons and removes the speculation from the media that followed the team for the last year.
That alone has to improve the team from a morale standpoint not having to answer the various questions spun off the same theme and could result in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Love gives the Cavaliers the frontcourt scoring option that was so sorely missing against Golden State and allows Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson (assuming he re-signs) room to roam in the paint.
This move alone allows Cleveland to continue to contend....

Iman Shumpert's four year contract for ten million per year (year four is at Shumpert's option) gives the Cavaliers a shutdown level defender that can defend both small forwards and shooting guards.
Shumpert might be a player that fits better in a role on a winning team more than a key player on a lesser team and the salary paid Shumpert seems more reasonable than the contract that the Spurs gave Danny Green on the same day.
Shumpert should plug in as a starter,but could also come off the bench,if the personnel dictates.

Tristan Thompson looked close to a five year deal for eighty million dollars,but the reports are currently that the pair are still a little apart.
Thompson did play well last season,but keep in mind that he is a one-tool player right now and is still rolling into his offensive game.
I'm all for the Cavaliers retaining Thompson,but keep in mind that the more expensive that he is,the less money that Cleveland will have to spend on shooters and a badly needed veteran point guard.

Mike Miller picked up his player option for next season as expected.
A few million to basically practice and hardly play is a pretty cushy job and Miller figured to add the
option to stick around..

Planning on a Friday podcast,so stay tuned....

Finally! Kevin Love officially becomes a Cavalier!

The worst kept secret in sports finally was made official as the Cleveland Cavaliers landed one of the top players in the game as Kevin Love was acquired from Minnesota as part of a three-team deal that included the Philadelphia 76ers.

The cost to land a player of Love's skills was high as both of the last two first overall picks were shipped to the Timberwolves as both Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett are Minnesota bound with the Miami first-rounder in 2015 that the Cavaliers added in the sign and trade for LeBron James when his talents were taken to South Beach.
Minnesota then took that pick and sent it to Philadelphia for Thaddeus Young.

Kevin Love is going to fit very well with the game of LeBron James with his ability to hit the boards and go outside to pop the three-pointer, so I don't foresee the growing pains that James had with Dwyane Wade with two players that needed to learn to play with a star teammate that needed to have the ball in his hands as much as the other.
Love knows the game and I think the learning curve will be slender for Love, James, and the remainder of the Cavaliers.

Love instantly upgrades the rebounding part of the team, but doesn't address the rim protector that the team still needs and might lack the chips to bring one in trade.
Honestly, the only deal that I could think of that might work would be with the Pistons for Greg Monroe, who might be available in the right deal as he would be a free agent at the end of the next season.
It would likely take Dion Waiters and maybe a little something extra, but that could be something the Cavaliers might look into.

I'm disappointed to lose Andrew Wiggins.
Really disappointed because I think he is going to be a huge star in the league for a long time, but Kevin Love isn't exactly an aging veteran at 25, so Cleveland can't be criticized for going for the short-term only.
I think Anthony Bennett will be better than he showed in Cleveland, but I wouldn't let Bennett stand in the way of this deal.

As long as Cleveland is able to sign Love to a long-term extension, I'm reluctantly OK with the trade and only reluctant because I am that high on Andrew Wiggins.

The problem that I have is that the Cavaliers might have been able to wait and maybe avoid trading Wiggins in mid-season.
That would at least have given the Cavaliers time to see just how Wiggins's game fits with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and see how that works out.

In the event that Love decides to hit the free agent market at the end of this season (the word is that an extension has already been agreed to), then I am not as pleased and under those conditions, I would not approve of the trade.

The Cavaliers are now the likely favorite to win the Eastern Conference, but there still are holes.
The aforementioned rim protector is one, but another is a veteran point guard that is capable of starting yet is able to accept backing up Kyrie Irving.
The injury history of Irving makes a solid backup for him a mandatory addition.

Now that the off-season is over, we have a better idea of what the Cavaliers will look like and I like what I see, although there still is a little work to do.
Now it's just a waiting game until October-I can't wait to see if that elusive title is finally going to arrive!

Andrew Wiggins signs-the countdown starts....

The Cleveland Cavaliers made the next step that needed to be made in order to trade for Kevin Love or to just prepare for the upcoming season as Andrew Wiggins signed the maximum contract allowed and started the 30-day clock.

Just what is the 30-day clock?
NBA rules stipulate that rookies cannot be traded for 30 days after signing their first contract, so Wiggins could not be the centerpiece of a Love (or any other) deal before that period of time would elapse.
The Cavaliers could come to an agreement with another team before the time allowed to deal Wiggins, but they cannot announce it until the conclusion of the time period.
Wiggins signed a 5.5 million dollar deal, so he could be included in a trade now to make things work fiscally.

Now, the clock begins and we will be treated to 30 days of rumors.
Will Minnesota deal Love at all? Could they ship him to another team other than the Cavaliers?
It's been known that Golden State wants him, but want to keep Klay Thompson, much as Cleveland wants to try to keep Wiggins.
If Cleveland can make a deal, does it have to include Wiggins?
Is a third team needed to make the trade work?
Is Andrew Wiggins even included in any talks?
There have been so many "sources" that are "close to the talks" saying so many different things, that you just get tired of listening to them all because there is so much information that you just do not know which one to believe.

The bigger question to me is this-Is losing Andrew Wiggins and his huge potential worth trading for Kevin Love?
Well, the first answer is easy-No way unless Love is willing to sign a new contract before the trade is finalized.
Regardless of the pundits that insist that Cleveland "HAS" to make the deal for Love because of the window of the prime of LeBron James, if Love does not agree to an extension before a trade, then to me, Andrew Wiggins is off the table.

The second has a few variables.
Let's assume that Kevin Love does agree to a long term extension, lets say four years, do you think that four years of Love is worth 15 of Andrew Wiggins?
I know that all Cleveland fans want a title and one would have to think that James/Love/Kyrie Irving could produce one, but couldn't one think an Irving/Wiggins combination could thrive far beyond the prime of LeBron James?
Wiggins turns 20 in the middle of next season and Irving becomes 23 in the middle of the season as well, so assuming that you think that LeBron has 4-5 years as his peak time remaining (James is 29 now), that would give Kyrie Irving 10 years left at least and Andrew Wiggins could be a Cavalier for a good 15 years.
Is that worth a title against a potential dynasty run?
I know that we are so desperate for a trophy in anything in Northeast Ohio that one wants to win now, but that choice is not an easy one.

I'm in the keep Andrew Wiggins camp.
For as talented of a player as Kevin Love is, the numbers that he routinely puts up in Minnesota would be reduced in Cleveland naturally as he would no longer be the focal point of the offense.
That isn't why I would not include Andrew Wiggins in a trade.
I wouldn't because I think Wiggins is going to be special.
Special enough that I haven't seen a player with his potential on both ends of the floor since LeBron James and I think keeping him is the best way to maintain chances for the Cavaliers to thrive for the next generation and maybe beyond.

I'd love to land Kevin Love and I'd do whatever it takes to get him even trading Kyrie Irving if need be, although after his agreeing to an extension that is not happening, but I've hopefully made my point on how highly I think of Andrew Wiggins.
One way or another-the countdown has started-See you in a month,...

P.S-I really want one of those Cleveland Basketball shirts, if I can find one in jumbo size-I have to have one.