Nike welcomes LeBron back to Cleveland
July 11, 2014He Selected Us
July 11, 2014
Just as I was tweeting about how my newfound strength as a Cavs fan had me balking at the idea of trading Andrew Wiggins for anyone, Chris Broussard has sourced a report that the Cavaliers might feel strong today too.
Source: Cavs have told Wiggins he's not being traded. TWolves want Wiggins. Cavs will try 2 do it w/out losing Wiggins. Must find 3rd team
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 11, 2014
Of course, it hasn’t been the best day of reporting for Chris Broussard, but that doesn’t mean he is off his game here and now. Plus, it makes tons of sense. Assuming we’re talking about Kevin Love, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now talking from strength and the Timberwolves have very little leverage. They can move him now and get something or they can risk losing him to free agency as he walks away.
Given that fact and given that the Cavaliers are sitting on a lot of accumulated assets, it’s probably not a great time to just jump at the first couple of rings on the old telephone.
47 Comments
Sometime I think that there’s are two 14 year old boys, stifling giggles, prank calling Chris Brousard, and he just hasn’t caught on yet. #Sources
I don’t know about this I’m a huge Kevin Love fan outside of LBJ Cleveland hasn’t had anyone close to Love, ever. I’m not enamored with Wiggins to justify missing out on a player the caliber of Love. Not only that but Golden State also wants Love and they have Lee, Barnes and possibly Thompson for a deal. To me that’s a no brainer if I’m Minnesota.
Nor should they trade him. Everything we hate about the NBA is now suddenly on our side. If Love really wants to come here and no where else, he can force Minny’s hand. The longer this drags on, the more desperate they will become to get something back in return for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t moved until the trade deadline next year.
Outside of Love, there is a strong free agent class next year, guys who could maybe be had in a trade this year, a quick glance I see Milsap, BLopez, Jefferson, Chandler, Ellis, DJordan, MGasol, TYoung, Aldridge.
Plus they have the flexibility to also snag another one of these guys next summer in a S&T. Things is looking up!
blopez and mgasol. yes please.
the idea of the stretch offense rendering the true low post 5 obsolete is the nba equivalent of nfl’s ‘running game is dead’ premature hot take. give me a guy who can attact a double team on the block (and thus create your spacing); do not particularly want my 7 footer spotting up for corner threes.
I’m torn. I’m a big fan of Love, and he would fit in so many ways. I just can’t get past the thought that defense becomes a legit concern with Love and no Wiggins. That, and in a total abstract way I feel like trading Wiggins for Love helps the Cavs turn into everything I’ve hated for the past 4 years.
Fact is, I guess I’ll be cool either way. It sure beats the hell out of choosing to give the max to Gordon Hayward or overpaying Trevor Ariza.
I just can’t get over how great today has been. I’m giddy.
honestly considering GS’s lackluster offer (no more Klay), I would hope the Cavs have patience, show off/ get a closer look at their (remaining) young guys and flip say Bennet OR Waiters + a 1st next summer using the Haywood contract
Totally agreed. I would take Marc Gasol any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Defenseive stud at the rim who is an elite passer for a big man and score too? I’d go after him now. When does that Brendan Haywood trad become attractive to teams?
I’m a huge Kevin Love fan, but no chance I’m giving up Wiggins in a trade for Love since Minnesota just lost all leverage after the SI article came out. You don’t trade a key piece of our future like Wiggins for a guy who is all but likely to sign here the following year anyways.
Golden State has stated that Thompson is not in the deal, plus hard to believe they make the deal without getting some reassurance from Love that he’ll re-sign. No way he makes that guarantee with the prospect of playing with Lebron and Kyrie out there. The Cavs hold all the leverage, wait it out Minnesota they’ll break soon enough.
You just added one of the games best defenders/scorers/everything now is the time to go all in I like Wiggins he has tremendous upside but he’s going to need a couple years overall. The one bright spot is he’ll always play defense but honestly you can scheme and play team defense if you have guys who are smart. The Spurs aren’t exactly a top defensive team if anything they’ve moved towards more offense they are just smart. Love has incredible basketball IQ certainly more then anyone else on the Cavaliers until LBJ signs his deal.
Absofrickinlutely!
#BESTOFFSEASONEVER
Brook Lopez is all but done he’ll never be the player he was with all of the work he’s had to have on that foot now and I’m a Lopez fan just ask mgbode.
Love is head and heels better then all of those guys. The only other guy I’d be interested in would be Aldridge.
Lopez has had to have his foot completely redone and I don’t mean just one surgery no way. Gasol maybe but I’m being greedy today, I want more now not in a year. LBJ said they aren’t ready now (as previously constructed) that doesn’t mean they don’t do more now. You can’t plan for tomorrow the Cavaliers are in the best position to make more happen now which is probably just as big a reason why LBJ decided to come back. Don’t stop now Griff!!!
yowch, had no idea lopez had the big man foot thing going on.
His foot has been an issue for years but last I heard he had to have a surgery to redo his arch to help the way he bears weight. Having had foot surgery and not being an athlete I can tell you 3 years later my foot is much better but it’s not the same.
Boston will compete for Love but if Love is determined to use this window to hook up with LeBron all he has to do is tell Boston he won’t sign long term. At that point Minny loses their leverage and Dion plus picks look a whole lot better.
Perfect time for LeBron to pick up the phone and recruit for the Cavs. What a core: Kyrie, LeBron, Love and Wiggins.
truly mind boggling.
I think now, it’s just a matter of being patient.
Minnesota has an expiring asset.
I think we can score Love without losing Wiggins.
last couple days have been ripe for Captain Janks.
now lookie here.
Chicago is the suitor that worries me the most. Who knows if Rose will ever be healthy, but if he is, Rose-Love-Noah is a darn good core.
The Haywood contract gives them a lot of possibilities next summer, but I’m not sure that any of those guys on that list that we actually want will be available in a trade. To use the names that Kanick mentioned, why would Brooklyn or Memphis give up Lopez or Gasol?
He’s all but signed the deal to stay in Portland.
Love can’t just sign here next year. He’ll have to be traded now that we’ve maxed our cap space with Irving and James. And with suitors in Chicago, Boston, and seemingly maybe still Golden State, Minnesota has more than enough leverage to pass on a Waiters-Bennett offer.
Chris Brousard just reported the Wolves shipping Love for Waiters, Baba Booey and High Pitch Eric.
Because they’re going to be free agents next summer. If they say they don’t want to resign, the teams might investigate dealing them to get something back. Or the Cavs can just sign & trade for them in FA next year w/the Haywood contract.
I’d think a sign & trade for Love next year *might* be possible. No?
yes sir. I would rather wait a year with Wiggins and go for Gasol. No to Brook Lopez. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. wouldn’t touch him with a 437-foot pole. He can not stay healthy. Take it from the guy who lives across the street from the Barclay’s center, or just take it from the box scores – or lack thereof.
But YES to waiting a year and then just signing a FA. LeBron said he can be patient. The most important thing, to me, is not to rush and flip out and sign Larry Hughes/Mo Williams/Eric Snow all over again.
agree totally. I also still worry about Golden State. This is a time when Minny just gained a ton of leverage. I have to disagree with almost everyone on this board here by saying that Minny is in a position of relative STRENGTH right now.
Golden State – needs to up their offer to compete
Chicago – has every incentive to block Cleveland from getting Love, and has the ammo to do it
Cleveland – will need to part with valuable resources to make a deal
Minnesota has OPTIONS. Those options = strength.
That being said, Cleveland really does have plenty to deal to make this work. How about Dion, Bennett, Thompson, and 2 first-rounders in 2015? Might be a lot, but I’d be willing to make that deal. I mean, Tristan Thompson is going to keep me from getting Kevin Love? That’s like when the Knicks were not going to deal for Carmelo because they didn’t want to part with Timofey Mozgov.
and Varejao. That team has it all: Scoring, outside shooting, point-guard play, hustle, and interior D. Sign up the long-range-shooter-du-jour every year to keep the 3-point line oiled up.
What ammo does Chicago have? Gibson? Pass. Late round draft choices? Pass. Jimmy? Maybe, but is he really better than a Waiters/Bennett/pick combo. The only real asset is Noah which then kills the core mentioned above.
I agree. Wait until he becomes FA and then he can come over if he wants to play at our house
Wrong. LBJ’s career is extended if he doesn’t have to guard the best player. Wiggins can do that extremely effectively. Trading Wiggins would be an epic mistake.
I don’t think they do really. All Love has to do is say, “I won’t sign with anyone but Cleveland if I’m traded.” Then it becomes a game of chicken. No team will give up anything in a trade if Love says he won’t sign there in a trade scenario. Then MN is left to let him walk for nothing, or take the Cavs offer. The Cavs then have to weigh the risk of letting him go to FA and missing out.
Again, can’t discount Love’s power.
(posted above)
I don’t think they do [have strength] really. All Love has to do is say, “I won’t sign with anyone but Cleveland if I’m traded.” Then it becomes a game of chicken. No team will risk anything in a trade if Love says he won’t sign there in a trade scenario. Then MN is left to let him walk for nothing, or take the Cavs offer. The Cavs then have to weigh the risk of letting him go to FA and missing out.
I see what you’re saying but I don’t agree. Love has, in his time on Minny, never made the sort of ultimatum you speak of. I don’t foresee him changing that now. It’s a poor PR move, for one, and could easily backfire if Minny takes umbrage. It’s a game of saving face publicly.
From the Cavs point of view, it’s not only about signing Love but about signing him before their competitors do. Though LeBron has said he would be patient, I’m sure he would want the front office to move on a deal like this. And he’d be dissatisfied to lose Kevin Love to the Bulls, for sure. So there is most definite pressure on Cleveland to make something happen.
It’s simple economics; supply and demand. If there is demand, the price goes up.
Mom just trying to get a feel for your scale: so what’s not an epic mistake – just a plain old mistake?
My opinion is different it isn’t wrong to me it’s insane to pass on a player who is a proven All-Star who averages 25 pts and 12 reb a game for a kid one year removed from college just because the kid can possibly guard someone. He played defense in college for one year that’s not the pros. Besides we’ve been down this road before the first time James was here. He gave the Cavaliers seven years and what exactly did they do to support him player wise? Mo Williams? Larry Hughes? Wally S? Donyell Marshall? C’mon man Kevin Love is a notch below James which is 5 notches above almost any other Cavalier player the last 11 years including Kyrie Irving. The moment James signs his deal, probably four years, the clock starts. I’m not interested in wasting one minute let alone a season. But then again that’s me, I want championships.
The problem with that is, if he’s not traded to Cleveland, he can’t sign here. Chicago could trade for him and take him going to Cleveland completely out of the equation. And then maybe they win 55 games, and he thinks that staying there is the best scenario for him.
Might be? Absolutely. I’m just not sure how it happens though unless he pulls a Carmelo and demands to be traded to a specific spot.
Absolutely on the money.
Golden State has the ammo to get him whenever they want. But they seem to like Klay Thompson a lot. We’ll see how much they like him when he’s no longer on a rookie contract.
And I’m more worried about the Bulls because that’s a direct competitor to making the Finals. If Love is in Chicago, the Cavs shouldn’t be the favorite to get out of the East. Love staying out West means we still only have to beat one truly elite team to win a championship.
I’m not sure how you pass on Gibson to take Waiters or Bennett as the centerpiece of a deal.
So we’re expecting someone to pull a Carmelo? I just don’t see it. None of these guys have even suggested they want to leave, especially leave for a smaller contract.
It takes about five minute of watching a Lebron game to know you don’t want a 7 footer on the block, much less drawing double teams.
Lebron is most effective as a creator when he can drive (and now post up himself). You want the Roy Hibberts and Joakim Noahs as far away from the basket as you can get to make that as effective as possible.
I’m on board that the low post 5 is not dead. But you don’t need scoring at the rim anymore once you’ve added Lebron.
i think it’s just bargaining. And if you COULD keep Wiggins, you surely would want to. If push really comes to shove, the Cavs would move him for Love, you’d have to think. But they aren’t about to advertise that and lose any leverage.
If we can’t pry Love from Minnesota, resigning Luol Deng might not be a bad idea…
what the f does Chicago want with another forward? they have gasol, mirotic, boozer and Gibson. boozer is gone via amnesty because they already have too many forwards. Chicago isn’t going all in on love because they don’t need to. sounds stupid to me. west coast teams are the only ones with an advantage on the cavs, simply because love might prefer playing closer to home. but Chicago. no chance.
give up all that and we have a bench full of d-leaguers surrounding bron, kyrie and love. stupid. better idea to be patient. keep wiggins. use our three picks next year on bigs. hope one pans out. also have haywoods contract next year to continue exploring trades. you need a bench to win. acquiring love means no bench. wiggins & 10 mil for other guys > love and minimums. you’re not picking an allstar team – you have to worry about a salary cap people.
Why would Chicago want a top 5-10 player in the game? Who knows, maybe they want to win a few more games than last year.