Sports media, girl Ghostbusters, jerks and The Sidekicks… While We’re Waiting
January 30, 2015I have no idea what Spencer Lanning is doing but I like it
January 30, 2015Thus far through the season, the performance from Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has not been what many expected. A three-time All-Star for which the number one pick of the last two drafts was traded has been the subject of plenty of discussion. He has been battling nagging injuries throughout the season, so would he benefit from the Cleveland Cavaliers giving him some time off? I posed that very question and more to a few of the WFNY writers for a roundtable. Do enjoy.
Kirk: We’re talking Kevin Love, gentleman. In short, he hasn’t been good. He missed his last 11 shots last night. In the last eight games, he’s shot 33% or worse FIVE times. He’s shooting just 42% overall and 38% on back to backs. We know he’s battling back spasms. He’s still rebounding but he’s struggling in all other facets after the first quarter.
Should he be sitting as we are currently a couple of weeks from the All-Star break? Can the Cavs afford to sit him? Am I being too hard on the big guy?
Jacob: Listen, despite all of the second-guessing and such, Kevin Love has been good this year. He hasn’t been All-Star level good, sure. He certainly hasn’t been anywhere close to top-10 level good as he was last year. But I think he’s a value-add on the court for the Cavs. Of course that factors in the replacements, which would be Shawn Marion at 30 minutes a night and more appearances from Brendan Haywood.
Yet I still think the Cavs can afford to sit him. Just like that, they’re now 27-20. They’ve got a relatively easy schedule for the next two weeks and then the All-Star Break. If Love sat for three weeks and the Cavs managed to hopefully play .500 ball, they’re still going to be in contention for a 3-seed or 4-seed down the stretch. That’s the goal, as of now. Health and first-round homecourt.
Kirk: Yeah, the biggest thing I’m struggling with is the drop-off. For me, with the current version of Love, it’s not much (any?) dropoff to Mozgov and Thompson, but they can’t play 40 minutes for a couple of weeks. Haywood’s state and no other bigs forces the small lineup and Marion hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire either. Even as a decoy for the last three quarters, Love draws the defense.
I still think the Cavs are misusing Love, but is all this missing the point if he can’t handle the offensive load right now? He’s too upright, he’s passing and hiding, and he’s not fighting for position on D or on the glass as much as he should.
Scott: I echo Jacob. Have some of his games been ugly? Sure. But the guy is averaging 17 and 10 per night while taking five fewer shots per game. His true shooting percentage is down about 40 points. He looks uncomfortable at times. He doesn’t make eye contact with anyone who asks him a question. But he was actually in the All-Star discussion—when’s the last time we can say this about a Cavaliers power forward? If he’s not healthy enough to play without that back brace following the All-Star break (which will actually, finally be a break for him), I think you look for a stretch in the schedule to give him some more time to rest. Send him to Miami. Give him whatever was given to LeBron. Honestly, this Kings-Timberwolves-Sixers stretch would be close to ideal. If we’re looking after the break, however, the Knicks-Pistons-Warriors-Pacers stretch immediately following isn’t a terrible consolation.
Joe: I do not think you are being too tough on Love. He has not lived up to his hype and past performance level. He has become way too perimeter-oriented and seems to have abandoned his post game. He is such a skilled post player with the ability to beat anyone on the block. But we have not seen that all year. He has become a player who just sits out at the three point line waiting for a kick out pass.
Now I think some of the guilt can be placed on his teammates and the offensive scheme. He does not get consistent touches in the post. The Cavs frequently come out early giving post touches to him, but seem to completely abandon it for the rest of the game. The Cavs need to incorporate him more to get him to turn around his season.
To finish answering your question on whether to sit him now, I would say to keep playing him. I think especially with LeBron out for the next couple games, it could lead to him getting his game back because of the increase in touches he should see. But I would sit him if he continues to struggle after the all-star break. If it’s a week or two after the all-star break and he is still struggling, the Cavs should definitely sit him for a period of time to get him rest and time to get his head straight. It worked for LeBron, so maybe it can work for Kevin Love.
Rock: I have no clue if or to what extend Kevin Love is injured. I do know that he doesn’t look like the same player we’ve seen over the last couple of years since his weight loss. It’s entirely possible that uprooting his entire life and changing everything about his surrounding is just as big of a culprit for his shooting woes as his injury. Or maybe it’s hard to keep your offensive game consistent throughout a contest when you’re not a ball-handler or primary focus.
Either way it’s not like Love isn’t getting good shots. He definitely is. He’s just not making them. Not just three-pointers, but he’s even missing his shots from the post. I hope it’s just that he has temporarily lost his shooting touch and not that he’s injured because I don’t think the team can afford to sit him now. Maybe if they could move Haywood’s contract and somehow get a back-up big who is serviceable, they could let him sit. Bur right now, they simply need him to play and find his shot.
Will: I would love the Cavs to sit Kevin for a week or two, as I think injury is the greatest reason for his poor performance. Relatively poor, I should say, as the guy is still putting up 17 and 10 a night while adjusting to life in an ensemble cast. He’s been shooting like a rifle with a broken sight, but a back injury will do that to you. To borrow from the great philosopher Ja Rule, pain is Love right now.
I believe a few things about Kevin Love and the Cavaliers. I believe that his back injury is affecting every move he makes. I believe that time off will help him get healthy. I believe that getting healthy will see his shooting revert back to form. I believe that he, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving are smart enough basketball players to figure out how to play together, and play together well. I believe the Cavs can still be great.
The short-term issue is, who else can the Cavs play up front? The only healthy big men on the roster are Tristan Thompson, Timofey Mozgov, and Brendan Haywood. Could or would they actually put Haywood out there? LeBron and Shawn Marion can moonlight at the four, but asking those worn tires to go into the rough terrain of the paint doesn’t seem wise.
That said, like Scott said, the coming schedule may be the rare opportunity for the Cavs to get away with sitting Love. The next three games are against the Kings, Timberwolves, and Sixers, teams that have both poor records and thin frontcourts. They play the Clippers after that, and the Bulls a week later, both opponents with multiple legitimate big men. Even if Love just took the next three games off, five days now and a week off for the All-Star break might be enough to get him right.
Scott: I wonder what this team would look like with occasional lineups of four shooters and Timofey Mozgov. You’d give up the Kevin Love outlet passes, but you’d gain incredible spacing and would still have the stopper on defense.
Kirk: I think that regardless of whether the Cavs sit Love or not, the Cavs roster is proving that they are still one big man short when it comes to depth. If someone goes down, even for a short period of time, the Cavs are in the exact same dilemma. If the move is to play small with Marion and James, I guess so be it. However, it seems like there’s a surplus of 2s and 3s (James, Smith, Shumpert, Marion, Miller, Jones, Harris) and not enough point guards or bigs. Maybe it’s why there is speculation that Brendan Haywood could be dealt for another piece before the trade deadline.
19 Comments
Sounds like no one knows which factors are causing his lack of clear game impact: the back, the lack of customary touches, the plays called or his teammates not feeding him. I’d say he sure doesn’t look happy but I don’t know whether he wore that same expression in Minnesota.
I’m with Joe. His inside game is a huge asset they aren’t exploiting at all. The Cavs will need that in the playoff halfcourt sets when there will be precious few fast breaks. They can’t expect Love to just break it out then – it looks like that part of his game is becoming rusty and he’s increasingly unsure of himself everywhere on offense.
My prescription: pow wow between Blatt, LeBron and Love. Talk it out, hug it out. Let Love say whether he’s achy. Regarding his usage, LeBron may say what he did to Bosh: too bad, you stay out there, stay out of my lane and you’ll get your ring. But LeBron is a pretty generous teammate and Love seems like the pouty sort. This is pretty important stuff going on right now. How they listen to him may impact whether Love actually stays next year.
he needs to play until LeBron returns. I was thinking it would be a good idea to get him rested once LeBron comes back, and then use the All-Star break for a few extra rest days, kind of like how players come out at the end of a quarter so they can use the time in-between to get extra rest.
It’s the easiest decision in the world if he’s hurt. You sit him. Look at pre-rest LeBron and then post-rest LeBron. Huge difference. We could get the same type of difference from Love if he is hurt.
Yes, he’s helping us and is much better than the alternative (even hurt). But, these are meaningless games. The Cavs are making the playoffs (gentlemen, Brooklyn is the 9-seed). If Love is hurt though, then they are going to have a much more difficult time doing much in those playoffs.
A healthy LeBron/Irving/Love combination is the primary goal for April. Anything else is secondary.
to me, he either needs rest or he doesn’t. if he does, then you give it to him and don’t worry about other factors. but, if we are going to go middle ground, then your plan works.
excellent points. And I feel i keep needing to add the fact that the Cavs have had the toughest schedule so far of any team in the East. Considering that Atlanta and Washington have had the two easiest schedules in the entire league to date, i figure there will be some serious reshuffling in the standings after the break.
Atlanta – T27th (2nd to last)
Toronto – 26th
Washington – 30th (last)
Chicago – T18th
Milwaukee – T27th (2nd to last)
my plan says that he needs rest, but he needs to hold the fort for just a little bit more until the heavy artillery arrives.
Rest him. Easy choice. The Cavs have a full week of rest for the All-Star Break, then they play 11 of 14 on the road (and 14 of 19, Feb 20-Mar 27). That’s a lot of travel and wear/tear.
Even if they play Love tonight (and the homecoming game in Minnesota), they can pick and choose which games to sit him between now and the ASB. Play him for home games only; sit him for two full weeks after the Clippers game next Thursday; whatever. But if I’m the Cavs, I want him rested and ready for a challenging stretch of the schedule where they all need as many minutes together as possible.
this is what i was thinking as well if rest is indeed needed.
Yes.
Next question.
SVG said it himself, teams are not worried about Love right now. He’s a decoy.
KEVIN LOVE IS A FREAKING DECOY.
he did??!?! can you link to this quote?
not exactly. it’s just that they are so much more worried about LBJ and Kyrie.
http://dimemag.com/2015/01/stan-van-gundy-says-pistons-hardly-discussed-kevin-love-game/
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said, by way of Jason Lloyd at the Akron Beacon Journal. “That’s how talented they are. You go into a game and, I don’t know, Kevin Love’s been an All-Star for what? Three, four years? You don’t even talk about him in your preparation hardly. That’s how good the other guys are.”
Dude, SVG is the Michael Moore of NBA coaches. Pay no mind to the fat troll and his blowhardy ways.
True enough, but what he is saying in this instance is matching what we are seeing from how people are defending and how Love is playing.
Thanks homey.
http://i.imgur.com/c7JjCvV.gif
i like that SVG
Here are my thoughts on Kevin Love. I haven’t watched the last couple games so I guess they should be taken with a grain of salt:
First, I think people completely underestimate his value on defense. Maybe I’m putting too much stock in advanced numbers, but his defensive rating (points per 100 possessions) is tops on the team when you compare all the regulars. Is he good in isolation situations on the block? No. But he must be affecting the game in other ways on the defensive end, by rebounding, playing help defense, rotating,talking etc.
Second, I don’t think you can judge his offensive impact by his point totals and field goal percentage alone. The Cavs are asking him to do things that are entirely different than what he did in Minnesota. He’s being asked to be a pick setter for guys who look to shoot. And he’s being asked to sit on the wing and anticipate kickouts from Kyrie and Lebron when they go one on one. Watching the highlights of the game where Kyrie scored 55, it looked to me like he was doing everything he could to get Kyrie shots once he started to get hot (even though Kyrie was playing a lot of one on one anyways). He was setting picks and giving handoffs. And a lot of the times he is sitting on the perimeter to spread the floor for Kyrie and Lebron (I think its worth noting that Kyrie’s true shooting percentage is up 40 points this year). When he’s sitting in the corner (where he’s shooting 35%), he’s essentially making it a 4 on 4 game, which makes Kyrie and Lebron lethal. It opens up the floor for those two, takes a big away from the basket, and gives the other big (TT or Mozgov) more space to work on the offensive glass. And even though Love isn’t shooting great from the three, its hard to find a big that can shoot the three at all. I don’t think these unselfish acts should go unnoticed.
Finally, I don’t completely disagree with the premise that Kevin Love needs a break. He recently endorsed Korver (talk about an unbelievable floor spreader…shooting .534% from three and .609% from the corner) as a replacement in the All-Star game instead of himself. But I don’t think we should underestimate his impact to this team. Given the Cavs personnel, I think it may make sense for him to take a little bit of a back seat to Kyrie and Lebron. Its hard for me to imagine it any other way. Can anyone imagine Kyrie taking a back seat to the other two on this team? Or Lebron being more of a KG/Kawhi type, the star that is primarily defensive minded? KLove wants a championship, and nothing more. I think we are really lucky to have him this year. Hopefully, He can become more effective at doing what the Cavs are asking him to do. However, I don’t think we can underestimate his value, even if he doesn’t put up all-star numbers.
well, he has driven me nuts this year missing tons of open 3’s with his 4″ vertical leap..and a bad back would explain that, if that is the case, he should take a vacation like james did. 33% from downtown will not ever cut it. i agree he pouts a lot and that is just weak and there is no room for it on the court. pouters are losers..someone mentioned weight loss from previous seasons. it is evident he cant really play in the paint{reminds me of danny ferry getting shoved around like a little kid} as he needs more beef to do that. in the end, it wont matter, because he will never stay here regardless of how the season pans out . healthy. unhealthy. win. lose. hes gone this summer anyway, and im fine with that.