Kevin Love intrigued on possibility of signing with the Cavs...

[DMAVS41]

He's not. You already know what you're getting with Love... stat-padding, stretch 4 chucker who plays zero defense.

And you're talking about giving up the most hyped prospect since LeBron James who has limitless potential and is going to be a lockdown defender for a proven loser? I just don't understand it.

Kevin Love is a great fit for Cleveland, but Wiggins has the potential to be a superstar. It's disgusting how overrated this dude is. He's played as many playoff games as Wiggins has.

Are you serious?

Wiggins is not the most hyped prospect since Lebron. That is ****ing absurd.

Wiggins was going 3rd if Embid didn't get hurt in this draft alone.

I don't even like Love, but calling him a prove loser is absurd. He has a skill set at pf that is literally ideal for Lebron. He is one of the best rebounders in the game and he's an absolute great 3 point shooter. Not a big that can shoot like Bosh, but actually a great shooter.

You trade Wiggins for Love...and you are assured of being the favorite in the East for the next 5 years at least...unless injuries happen.

This sounds like the same mistake that Presti made with the Thunder this past season. Always trying to look way too far into the future when the championship is there to be had immediately.

Obviously the Cavs should try not to trade Wiggins, but you don't pass up a 25 year old that is a 26/13/3 when healthy over the last 3 seasons.

There is just too much risk not making a big move. Wiggins, Bennett, Waiters, and Thompson are all unknowns...we really just don't know how good they are. Thompson is up after this coming season. Waiters is up the season after.

They have a need at center as well going forward.

Like I said...you try and move the other guys and picks first, but if it comes down to the only way you get Love is Wiggins. You do it and laugh all the way to being in the finals for a long long time.

And...if the Cavs do give up Wiggins and meet their demands...they can squeeze them for Dieng....as there is no way the Wolves are going to let Dieng hold up a trade to get a great return for Love.

[Kblaze8855]

I dont care for Kevin Love....but hes a 25 year old 26/13 future hall of famer.

With Lebron and Kyrie...

They could win the title next year. And the year after. And the year after....and the year after. It would be 5 years before that team if healthy would even think about retooling.

And in 5 years you have Kyrie and Love in their primes and Lebron winding down.

The odds Wiggins is ever much better than Love are slim. Not because of Wiggins....but because Love is a HOF player in his prime. Every guard to ever be clearly better than Love is first ballot HOF caliber. You cant call any rookie likely to be that before they play a game....

Favoring an unproven guy over Love...at his age....feels more emotional than reasonable. And I once said:

I care about Loves numbers exactly as much as I cared about Antawn Jamison having 30/11 months in Goldenstate and dropping 50 back to back.

Some people just ooze "Meh..."ness. Love is one such player.

He might well make the hall of fame if he doesnt fall off anytime soon. But the hall is full of players who were never elite. Hes a bigtime player. Hes not as bigtime as his numbers. When I need my rim protected im far better off with Darko(healthy) in the game getting half the rebounds than superstar Love and when my bigman doesnt hold down the basket and set a defensive example...ill pass.

There are exception. Dirk for one. But Dirk happens to have among the most unstoppable games ever far as getting a shot he can make under pressure. A skill I feel makes up for needing others to provide defense.

Love isnt a give it to him and get out of the way scorer. Hes an effort scorer. A stand out at the line for 14 seconds till his man has to duck into the paint because of a breakdown scorer.

All well and good to put up numbers. Not what you need out of a player you want to win you close games. He can make a big shot. Most good shooters can. And he is that. But hes not gonna personally generate good looks on a regular basis. Not so far at least.

And when your ppg suggests you are a better scorer than you are, your rebounds suggests you have a huge impact around the basket as most players who get that number do......and you can go drop 50/15 and have people talking you up as better than people who can do half the numbers and make 5 straight shots to win a title?

Perfect storm of overrated.

I dont give a doublestuffed **** what winshares has to say about it.

I have little issue with his personality and dont hate him. So when he plays better....impacts the game at the rate his numbers suggest...ill alter my opinion. But im not doing it in advance.

...so its not like im in love with his game.

But Wiggins would literally have to become Lebron, Durant, or Orlando Mcgrady to justify not giving him up in order to compete for sure the next 5 years. And even then....

All you end up with is a player on Lebrons level with a likely worse supporting cast than the actual Lebron could be given now.

Ive liked Wiggins since watching him eurostep around dudes in his Hs highlights...but if there is a non emotional reason not to trade him for Kevin Love who is only like 2 years older than rookies used to be ive not read it.

Now....would I do it for sure?

No.

But my reasons are emotional not rational.

I dont like Kevin Loves game as much as his numbers suggest I should.

That doesnt make it wise to keep a guy who might be Beasley or might be Tmac....in 5 years....when your team has a superstar in his prime he could pair with and literally win or compete for 4 rings.

If the reasons are "Man....**** Kevin Love..." ill nod in quiet understanding.

But I dont think you can make a sound basketball argument against it.

[305Baller]

Love-Bosh-Duo. Make. It. Happen.

[DMAVS41]

I dont care for Kevin Love....but hes a 25 year old 26/13 future hall of famer.

With Lebron and Kyrie...

They could win the title next year. And the year after. And the year after....and the year after. It would be 5 years before that team if healthy would even think about retooling.

And in 5 years you have Kyrie and Love in their primes and Lebron winding down.

The odds Wiggins is ever much better than Love are slim. Not because of Wiggins....but because Love is a HOF player in his prime. Every guard to ever be clearly better than Love is first ballot HOF caliber. You cant call any rookie likely to be that before they play a game....

Favoring an unproven guy over Love...at his age....feels more emotional than reasonable. And I once said:





...so its not like im in love with his game.

But Wiggins would literally have to become Lebron, Durant, or Orlando Mcgrady to justify not giving him up in order to compete for sure the next 5 years. And even then....

All you end up with is a player on Lebrons level with a likely worse supporting cast than the actual Lebron could be given now.

Ive liked Wiggins since watching him eurostep around dudes in his Hs highlights...but if there is a non emotional reason not to trade him for Kevin Love who is only like 2 years older than rookies used to be ive not read it.

Now....would I do it for sure?

No.

But my reasons are emotional not rational.

I dont like Kevin Loves game as much as his numbers suggest I should.

That doesnt make it wise to keep a guy who might be Beasley or might be Tmac....in 5 years....when your team has a superstar in his prime he could pair with and literally win or compete for 4 rings.

If the reasons are "Man....**** Kevin Love..." ill nod in quiet understanding.

But I dont think you can make a sound basketball argument against it.

Bingo.

Who knows how long Lebron plays, but in 4 years he'll only be 33. He will for sure play longer...what if he gives the Cavs an early discount deal?

Irving is 21, Love is 25, Lebron is 29. That team...with the assets and pieces the Cavs have...would be the overwhelming favorites in the East each of the next 4 years.

When Lebron's contract is up? Irving is 26, Love is 29, and Lebron is 33...still a great group.

I mean...without any major injuries...that group could be a force for the next 8 years if Lebron goes the Duncan route and is willing to sacrifice on and off the court.

Giving up all that for the hope of Wiggins...is silly.

And I'll keep saying it...the Cavs can squeeze the Wolves for Dieng. Giving up Love and a young prospect at center that the Cavs badly need? Really? For Wiggins?

Maybe Wiggins ends up being Kobe. Maybe he ends up being way better than Love. Who knows, but it won't change the fact that right now...not making a move for Love/Dieng when you are looking at at potentially 8 years as a contender is just idiotic.

[La Frescobaldi]

I dont care for Kevin Love....but hes a 25 year old 26/13 future hall of famer.

With Lebron and Kyrie...

They could win the title next year. And the year after. And the year after....and the year after. It would be 5 years before that team if healthy would even think about retooling.

And in 5 years you have Kyrie and Love in their primes and Lebron winding down.

The odds Wiggins is ever much better than Love are slim. Not because of Wiggins....but because Love is a HOF player in his prime. Every guard to ever be clearly better than Love is first ballot HOF caliber. You cant call any rookie likely to be that before they play a game....

Favoring an unproven guy over Love...at his age....feels more emotional than reasonable. And I once said:





...so its not like im in love with his game.

But Wiggins would literally have to become Lebron, Durant, or Orlando Mcgrady to justify not giving him up in order to compete for sure the next 5 years. And even then....

All you end up with is a player on Lebrons level with a likely worse supporting cast than the actual Lebron could be given now.

Ive liked Wiggins since watching him eurostep around dudes in his Hs highlights...but if there is a non emotional reason not to trade him for Kevin Love who is only like 2 years older than rookies used to be ive not read it.

Now....would I do it for sure?

No.

But my reasons are emotional not rational.

I dont like Kevin Loves game as much as his numbers suggest I should.

That doesnt make it wise to keep a guy who might be Beasley or might be Tmac....in 5 years....when your team has a superstar in his prime he could pair with and literally win or compete for 4 rings.

If the reasons are "Man....**** Kevin Love..." ill nod in quiet understanding.

But I dont think you can make a sound basketball argument against it.

Yes and.

If Cavs can draw in a center like a Larry Sanders - exactly for the reasons you list, defense in the key - that team gets crazy kinds of great. Varejao is aging.

I love Pekovic to death but he's not a rim defender. He can play team defense with the best of them but if a guy with elevation gets into the paint it's over. Wolves best plan unfortunately is to break up those two and get a stronger defensive presence at the 4. Pek has elite offensive skills in the post. If Wolves had a Rubio Wiggins going on outside with a powerful defensive forward, they'd actually be a better team.

Adelman was mailing it in last season and did Minnesota a disservice, imo.
I would even put Turiaf at the 4 with Nikola at the 5... and I don't remember seeing that lineup even once last year.

[BoutPractice]

I've always felt Kevin Love was a very specific type of HOF caliber star.

He's someone who can do two things exceptionally well, and one thing really well. He's either average, below average or flat out terrible in everything else.

In other words, he's a "specialist" whose specialties happen to be two of the most highly sought after qualities in a basketball team, especially in the modern era (but clearly it was also highly valued back when Jerry Lucas was rebounding the ball like crazy while making Lucas layups on a nightly basis).

In other words, he's pretty much the opposite of LeBron, who in his prime is such a complete player he could help fill pretty much any hole in any team. He's a "+" player in almost every category. You're lacking in playmaking, shot creating? LeBron helps. Lacking in defense? LeBron helps. Lacking in post scoring? LeBron helps. He can shoot 3s, he might even randomly bail you out by blocking Tiago Splitter, etc. He's not "elite" in every area, but he's almost never a liability.

For that very reason, Love is uniquely suited to being that second or third star next to LeBron. It's like he was destined to be just that. He can finish with 10ish allstars, win two, three titles as the ultimate specialist, and retire with a secure spot in the HOF.


As for Wiggins, I really like his potential. I don't think he's a LeBron. He will probably be less well rounded, with his skillset focused on scoring and defense. Something like a better scoring Paul George (which is what Paul George himself might be a few years from now, who knows) + more of a transition player.

I'm not sure he'll be a "+" in everything (playmaking, passing? I had the same concerns with Durant), but he's a dynamic, two way player, which means that overall, he'll be both "+" on offense and "+" in defense... that's kind of what counts.

In his game, there are elements of 2 guard fluidity reminiscent of young, skinny Kobe and TMac, Dr. J style mastery of the air (he has a similar way of scoring with "one dribble and a finger roll"), but also strong shades of Scottie Pippen. That mix of ingredients could result in something special.

I also think if he stays at Cleveland, he'll develop the same way Kobe, TMac and Paul George did. One season at a time, 7 ppg turns to 15 turns to 20+.


Which is why the best case scenario would be to retain both, but if they have to choose, Cleveland should (and probably will) pull the trigger on Wiggins for Love.

[micz]

Indeed, K Love might be averaging 30 with almost 15 boards in the future.

[navy]

Indeed, K Love might be averaging 30 with almost 15 boards in the future.

He wont average 30 on a good team.

[navy]

I care about Loves numbers exactly as much as I cared about Antawn Jamison having 30/11 months in Goldenstate and dropping 50 back to back.

Some people just ooze "Meh..."ness. Love is one such player.

He might well make the hall of fame if he doesnt fall off anytime soon. But the hall is full of players who were never elite. Hes a bigtime player. Hes not as bigtime as his numbers. When I need my rim protected im far better off with Darko(healthy) in the game getting half the rebounds than superstar Love and when my bigman doesnt hold down the basket and set a defensive example...ill pass.

There are exception. Dirk for one. But Dirk happens to have among the most unstoppable games ever far as getting a shot he can make under pressure. A skill I feel makes up for needing others to provide defense.

Love isnt a give it to him and get out of the way scorer. Hes an effort scorer. A stand out at the line for 14 seconds till his man has to duck into the paint because of a breakdown scorer.

All well and good to put up numbers. Not what you need out of a player you want to win you close games. He can make a big shot. Most good shooters can. And he is that. But hes not gonna personally generate good looks on a regular basis. Not so far at least.

And when your ppg suggests you are a better scorer than you are, your rebounds suggests you have a huge impact around the basket as most players who get that number do......and you can go drop 50/15 and have people talking you up as better than people who can do half the numbers and make 5 straight shots to win a title?

Perfect storm of overrated.

I dont give a doublestuffed **** what winshares has to say about it.

I have little issue with his personality and dont hate him. So when he plays better....impacts the game at the rate his numbers suggest...ill alter my opinion. But im not doing it in advance.

This is a perfect description of Love.

[longtime lurker]

Cleveland is absolutely moronic if they Wiggins. You can get Love without giving up Wiggins. He's leaving Minnesota anyways. The Wolves would be stupid not to get anything for him and unload a bad contract in the process. I don't understand how some GM's could be so stupid. This is nothing like the Carmelo situation, the Knicks traded average players for a guy who they could have signed in the offseason under an uncertain financial climate. Cavs would be trading someone with the potential to be better than Love when they could still offer Minnesota a better deal than they could get anywhere else.

[1~Gibson~1]

Kevin Love sounds cool and all... but why would the Cavs not call around and see what they could get for Waiters+picks instead of trading a guy who ciuld potentially become _______ for Love.

Ive heard:
Prime tmac
Kobe
Pippen
Leonard

Obviously those are all exaggerated, but the point is that he's GOING to be a very good player in this league. I wouldnt trade him just yet.

[knicksman]

LOL another beta who just cares about stats. No wonder this clown is a loser.

[navy]

Kevin Love sounds cool and all... but why would the Cavs not call around and see what they could get for Waiters+picks instead of trading a guy who ciuld potentially become _______ for Love.

Ive heard:
Prime tmac
Kobe
Pippen
Leonard

Obviously those are all exaggerated, but the point is that he's GOING to be a very good player in this league. I wouldnt trade him just yet.

It doesnt matter. Love and Lebron are sure fire title contenders every single year for 3 years straight.

You dont ignore that for a Wiggins who wont be title ready until 7 years from now.

[knicksman]

you dont trade wiggins for love. That guy could be the man lebron wants whereas love is just another beta.

[nathanjizzle]

its either your building around wiggins or lebron. and obviously youre building around lebron, so you get the player that is a veteran in love to play with lebron. if you build around wiggins you keep wiggins and wait for him to become good (maybe) while lebron gets older.