The NBA’s trade rumor mill is beginning to heat up, and, unsurprisingly, Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is at the center of many rumblings. Love’s relationship with LeBron James is once again under the microscope, and his play has tanked in January. But what if Love isn’t the problem, and in fact, Kyrie Irving is the main culprit in Cleveland’s gummed-up offense?
Love: "It's going to take a lot of guys looking at themselves in the mirror and it all starts with our leader over there and trickles down."
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) January 19, 2016
#Cavs Kevin Love was asked about his role right now: "I don't know how to answer that."
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) January 19, 2016
Take a look at Love’s performance before and after Irving returned to the court.
| Stats | Pre-Kyrie | Post-Kyrie |
| Points | 17.6 | 12.9 |
| Rebounds | 10.8 | 10.7 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 1.9 |
| FGA | 13.8 | 11.1 |
| FG% | 43.4% | 38.9% |
| 3-Point Attempts | 6.1 | 4.8 |
| 3-Point % | 37% | 33.7% |
Cavs Locked Into a Roster That Can't Beat The Warriors
There’s been a drastic difference since Irving has returned to the floor, and the correlation isn’t hard to decipher. Love is a high-volume, rhythm scorer, and with Irving on the floor Love is reduced to standing and waiting for a 3-point shot. He is involved in fewer pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop situations, and basically becomes the most expensive version of Mike Miller ever. No one is noticing, because Irving has been doing some dazzling things.
It’s hard to hate on moves like that, and Irving can drop jaws on a nightly basis. But overall, he hasn’t been a big help. Irving is averaging 15.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds a night. He’s making just 28 percent of his 3-pointers, and he’s hoisting 4.2 per game. His PER sits at 17.8, a little above average; Love’s PER is higher (18.8).
David Blatt Is The Big Winner After Being Fired
Irving just isn’t an ideal fit playing with LeBron James. He is an explosive scorer, but not a consistent, knock-down shooter. He requires the ball to be in his hands, but so does LeBron, who scores more efficiently, and is infinitely better at creating opportunities for his teammates. If the Cavaliers’ Big 3 needs a shakeup, perhaps Irving is the one who needs to go.
One more thing … Irving is 23 years old. That might be an argument to keep him around, and that’s fair. But that also means his stock is higher than Love’s, who is four years older. Trading Irving, in addition to opening up more two-man game for LeBron and Love, will also yield a far greater return.
Firing David Blatt will not lead the Cavaliers to victory vs. the Warriors or Spurs if they reach the NBA Finals. More depth, shooting, and perimeter defender will.
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