The Cleveland Cavaliers recently agreed to a contract extension with All-Star forward Kevin Love that is reportedly worth $120 million over four years.
The love for Kevin in Ohio is real ❤️ (via @cavs) pic.twitter.com/ecfaRjjcvx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2018
He took $8 million less than the max to give the Cavs some salary cap flexibility going forward. If offered the max, Love could have been drawing in close to $35 million.
With the recent departure of their former star player LeBron James, the Cavs felt that securing Love for the long-term would ease the pain that came with LeBron taking his talents to Los Angeles. But was this the right move?
Secure the ?!!! Congrats brother @kevinlove. Nobu Malibu or Wally’s on you!!! ??♂️ ? ? ? ? ?
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2018
It is possible that Cleveland is banking on the fact that Love was a much more prolific scorer when he wasn’t playing alongside a superstar. During his four seasons in Cleveland with LeBron James, by far his best season came in 2017 when Love posted 19 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. While these numbers are impressive, the fact of the matter is that Love was even better before LeBron came along.
He spent the first six years of his career with the Timberwolves, and his stat line was off the charts. During his final four years in Minnesota as the no. 1 option, Love averaged 22.7 points and a monstrous 13.8 rebounds per game, including two seasons where he averaged 26 points. He would also make the All-NBA Second Team twice in 2012 and 2014, an accolade that he is yet to reach in a Cavs uniform.
That being said, I don’t think extending Love was a wise choice. The one anecdote that the Cavs may be forgetting is that although Love was good with the Timberwolves, the team itself was not. Minnesota couldn’t even crack the top 10 in the West during Love’s tenure with the organization.
He isn’t the athlete he once was. Although he is still an All-Star and a productive player on the floor, he is more of a second option at this point in his career. Forcing him to be the first option in Cleveland will provide him with plenty of scoring opportunities, but it won’t lead to much Cavs success.
They will likely be mediocre, finishing in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings. You can still anticipate a possible playoff appearance, but realistically they don’t have enough talent to compete in the East. They already have so much money committed to average players like George Hill and Jordan Clarkson, so this extension only acts to place this franchise in “NBA purgatory.” They will be too good to finish at the bottom of the conference and thus getting a high draft pick, but they won’t be good enough to make any noise in the playoffs.
Featured Image Via Wikimedia Commons
