If the Warriors continue with their thrashing of the Cavaliers (and I dare you to find someone who gives Cleveland a realistic shot), then the rebuilding of the Cavs will be a major story this off-season. As one league executive told Chris Mannix, Love will be the guy to go:
No player entered this series with more to prove than Love, a bystander last June, a lightning rod for criticism today. Critics of Love’s defense declared that he would be a liability on that end of the floor, and Golden State has sought to exploit Love routinely, forcing him to defend on switches, pressuring him to be crisp with his rotations. The Warriors’ offensive outbursts this series aren’t all on Love, but here, his weaknesses are glaring.
Offense, scoring, that’s Love’s strength, where he earns his $20 million salary, but where has that Kevin Love gone? Five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 21 minutes and Love could not have been more invisible. Defenders don’t get much better than Draymond Green, but Love has looked uneasy against Golden State’s switching defense. The aggressive, assertive player seen routinely in the Eastern Conference playoffs has disappeared.
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Two wins to go for Golden State, and perhaps two more games for Love in Cleveland. A humiliating defeat needs a scapegoat, and Love walks around these days with a wide target on his back. If changes are demanded this offseason, Love will be the asset pushed in trades needed to make them. As one league executive told The Vertical, “If they go out like this, I’m betting on a Kevin Love auction.”
No surprise here. The only question is – are the Cavs willing to take 50 cents on the dollar?
Maybe that lowball offer Danny Ainge made to the Cavs this year will look pretty good in July.
Do you think Love’s struggles are a result of the system in Cleveland? Or do you think he’s simply been exposed on the big stage?
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