Love Lost: Why Kevin Won’t Ever Be Part of the Answer for the Cavs

I want the Cavaliers to win the Finals, but I’m sad today. I’m sad because I’m a caucasian (former) power forward who (used to) embody every strength and weakness of that archetype: above average shooter, great free throw shooter, effective in the low post, nowhere close to athletic, and a liability on defense. When I played, I struggled to get comfortable in a fast paced offense not centered around me, and never really fit into the team equation.

Watching the Cavaliers is painful for me because I’m seeing the same situation unfold for Kevin Love, who also currently holds a monopoly on the fanship of nearly every washed-white-guy basketball fan like me. Millions of dudes cite Kevin Love as their favorite player because he’s slow and can’t play defense just like them, but unlike them, he’s good enough to be the best player on an NBA team.

There’s no doubt Kevin Love is a max player, and an All-Star who can absolutely fill a meaningful role on a good team in the NBA, the Cavaliers just aren’t that team.

I could give you a bunch of advanced statistics and in-depth analysis about the second rotation after a trap in the Cavaliers defensive scheme and why Love is terrible fit, but I don’t need to because anyone who watched Game 2 and 3 already knows why: The Cavs can survive without his offense, and are able to defend the Warriors much better without him on the floor.

The reality is, Golden State is inexplicably loaded with players who are able and willing to handle the load on offense, and to combat that the Cavs have to be a nearly perfect unit on defense. Kevin Love is the weak link on a defense that the best offensive team of all time is always going to find a way to attack. When the Cavs are already hiding a less-than-average defender in Kyrie Irving, having to compensate for another bad one is just too much (see Games 1,2).

While both are terrible defensively, the reason Irving has to stay and Love must go is LeBron James. Due to LeBron’s deteriorated jumpshot, the most effective place for him to play offensively is at the 4 so he’s not forced into jumpers which haven’t been going in much lately. Love, a good player, has found himself on the same team as a generational player who plays his position.

Whether or not Cleveland will essentially sacrifice its relationship with Love when he’s cleared to play by benching him for Richard Jefferson is up in the air, but it’s really in his best interest. The best situation for him is an offseason trade to a team where he can be the guy again, like he was in Minnesota when people couldn’t get enough of him and some considered him a top 6 player in the league. The Cavs will (hopefully) get a lockdown defender who doesn’t mind being a third or fourth option but can handle being the number one guy at times (Draymond Green is a good example of this kind of player).

Kevin Love is a good guy and a good player, who just got dealt a bad hand. He is who he is, an All-Star despite his weaknesses, and deserves a team where he can make the most of his strengths. To criticize him is wrong; this situation isn’t anyone’s fault, it just didn’t work out. It happens. Hopefully he finds a team where he can once again take his rightful place as champion of every guy like me who was too white and slow to ever be that good.