Should The Celtics Get Kevin Love?

Should The Boston Celtics Get Kevin Love?
by ggrammer 53m ago




In the summer of 2014, the Boston Celtics were viewed as heavy contenders to snatch a disgruntled Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then the Cleveland Cavaliers won their third lottery in four years, used the No. 1 pick to grab Love for themselves and formed a new super team.


And while Chris Bosh was the third wheel out of the Miami trio, Love was viewed as an equal, if not superior, to Kyrie Irving.

But now Love is firmly behind Irving and LeBron, and even Cleveland’s recent successes have not completely quelled the idea that he could go to another team this summer.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported a few days ago that Love will be the Celtics’ primary target this summer. While Marc Gasol and Jimmy Butler have been mentioned as alternate targets, Boston does have a much better chance of snagging Love.

The idea that Love might leave LeBron James to play with Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley seems crazy, but it is possible that he wants to be more than just the third wheel. And the Celtics will definitely have the cap room to offer Love a maximum contract this summer. As Kyler states, Boston could have as much as $22.57 million in cap room.

But is getting Love necessarily the right move for the Celtics?

For one, Boston’s biggest weakness at this point is that they do not have a rim protector. This past Sunday against Orlando, the Magic outscored the Celtics 52-26 in points in the paint. Tyler Zeller blocks just 0.7 shots per game, and Brandon Bass is 6’9’’.

Love is an offensive force, but his lack of defense has been noted for years now. He is so focused on grabbing the rebound that he will not give up rebounding position to challenge a driving guard. At 27 years old at the start of next season, that is unlikely to change.

Furthermore, Boston’s cap space is not a “use it or lose it” scenario. The Celtics have a good deal of cap space now, but they will have a lot more in 2016.

In addition to how the cap could shoot up thanks to the new TV deal, Boston will finally be free of Gerald Wallace’s albatross contract. Boston is in no rush. They could wait one more year and go all out to sign multiple stars and form another super team.

There is also the concern about whether Love is really that good.

Cleveland has been resurgent, but they are still not as good as predicted at the beginning of the season. Much of that was due to Love’s poor defense. And then there are the years of futility in Minnesota where the Timberwolves missed the playoffs.

Despite these issues, the Celtics should jump over themselves to sign Love if he really does choose to leave the Cavaliers. Love would be a massive upgrade at the 4 over Bass and Kelly Olynyk. Jared Sullinger could morph into the star which many thought he would become, but his injury red flags are now blaring red alarms, especially with his self-admitted conditioning problems.

Love would be a great fit in Brad Stevens’s offense. Despite his great three-point shooting, Love views himself as “a post player who can shoot” and not just a stretch four. Stevens could place Love on the block like he does with Sullinger, use his passing to get open three-point looks for Bradley and Thomas, and shoot whenever the defender gives him room.

All of this becomes irrelevant if Love should choose to stay in Cleveland. But remember what happened to Dwight Howard. Everyone thought he would stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. Then Los Angeles suffered a disappointing season, Howard clashed with Kobe, and he left to join a Houston Rockets team where he thought he would play a bigger role.

All of these things could happen or have already happened to a degree with Love in Cleveland.

There are few teams that could offer Love the full max and give him a better supporting cast than what he could find in Boston. If Love should choose to leave to form his own team, the Celtics should and will jump all over the star power forward.



bob
MY NOTE:  I watched the San Antonio-Cleveland game last night.  He was a complete non-factor.  8 points on 2-10 and completely non-existent defense.  The issue, to me, is "can Sully drop poundage and keep it off?".  If he can't, then he is not a longterm solution since his career won't last long-term.  If he can, then he is certainly no more of a defensive liability than Love and a fraction of the price.  There is, however, that "if".


.

As Bob Barker use to say...(if) the price is right...........but he won't come cheap enough for my taste or DA's either. PASS and vote no

beat

I voted no. He doesn't have what we need, i.e. a strong defensive presence in the paint.

Berlin-T

I voted no for Boston too.
Love has had a very disappointing year for Cleveland.
Boston should stay the course and not tie up cap space for Kevin Love when Boston still won't be a championship contender next season.
I wonder if Love will bet on himself and just sign another 1 year contract so he can cash in when the cap dramatically rises in 2016 or will he be content to take a 4 year $60-$70m offer if one is available...???

The more I think of Boston even thinking of Love, I think that Olynyk might even be a better choice for the Cs.

wide clyde wrote:The more I think of Boston even thinking of Love, I think that Olynyk might even be a better choice for the Cs.

RE KO vs KLOVE

Not as good a rebounder and perhaps a better defender to boot. I'd say he's not as good a shooter but damn close also takes it to the rim better too. At least as good a passer and a little better handle........and the biggy, KO is a whole lot cheaper too !!

If not for a couple significant ankle issues that set him back KO might even be looking better.

Wrong move is worse than no move.

beat

Agree with what was said above and voted no. Love is a really good offensive player at his position (PF), and a below average defender. He will command a large contract. We already have two guys at that position who are decent players. Will paying a huge difference in the contract be worth the difference in production from Love vs. Kelly / Sullinger? Or would we be better off keeping those guys and spending that money to get a larger upgrade in production at a position we don't already have a solid player at (SF, C)? I think adding an above average starting center is a much bigger priority than an upgrade to our already decent PFs. Given the salary cap, we probably can't have both, so I vote to spend the money on the bigger need, and make due with what we have at PF.

-V

The unanimity of the votes is a great testament to the fact that the Celtics are clearly moving in the direction of a defensive-centric team.

Sam

Sam,

I think that the Celtics are playing better defense because they have become a much more "team oriented" group as the season has progressed.  Their offense is better as a team and so is their defense.  Their character as a team has also improved significantly.  Can any Cs fan be unhappy that Rondo is gone?

They are not playing better defense because they brought in a ton of new defensive talent.  In fact, outside of Crowder, i am not sure that they have added any real top level defensive players all year long.  Bradley is a good defender and so is Smart, but the rest of the players on the roster are really not known for their defensive prowess.  

However, there is a reason why these same guys who are not great defensive players are contributing to the much improved "team defense" is that the team is happier now and hustles much more as a result. Of course, they are getting quality coaching as well.

Again, congrats to Stevens and his staff and especially to the guys (Crowder, Smart, Wallace, etc) who have stepped up to provide the player leadership that is so necessary for a team to get better with or without exceptional talents.

Well stated, Clyde.

Sam

Dboss,

I think many people felt badly that at least some or all of those player left the team.  But I see little-to-no indication on this board that people don't feel the moves had to be made.

Sam

wide clyde wrote:Sam,

I think that the Celtics are playing better defense because they have become a much more "team oriented" group as the season has progressed.  Their offense is better as a team and so is their defense.  Their character as a team has also improved significantly.  Can any Cs fan be unhappy that Rondo is gone?

They are not playing better defense because they brought in a ton of new defensive talent.  In fact, outside of Crowder, i am not sure that they have added any real top level defensive players all year long.  Bradley is a good defender and so is Smart, but the rest of the players on the roster are really not known for their defensive prowess.  

However, there is a reason why these same guys who are not great defensive players are contributing to the much improved "team defense" is that the team is happier now and hustles much more as a result.  Of course, they are getting quality coaching as well.

Again, congrats to Stevens and his staff and especially to the guys (Crowder, Smart, Wallace, etc) who have stepped up to provide the player leadership that is so necessary for a team to get better with or without exceptional talents.

Music to my ears!

Berlin-T

Hi,
I voted "Other" because it depends on (a) price and (b) on availability/possibility to get other star players.

AK

Happy Pi day, everyone.

I'm the lone yes but of course with the same caveats as sinus007. I certainly could see him fit what we are trying to do. Yes, he isn't a shot blocker but he does offer rare offense from the PF position.

Individually, he can struggle defensively but if he buys into what the team does, he should fit in well and have his flaws there covered. Ainge and Stevens obviously are outstanding at getting players who are willing and able to commit to the type of game they want to play. Love fits offensively. I think he could fit in terms of mindset defensively. Certainly as a rebounder, he can add a lot to the Celts defense.

Love doesn't provide us the wing scorer or the shot blocker that we need but I definitely see an important role as a PF inside scorer as well as capable shooter that can help bring us closer to a championship. Maybe he's a luxury pickup. Maybe even if he is that, we can use him to be the center of the next move to get those other players we need. I think there's certainly a possibility that Boston's current run can make this team an attractive one for the best available players this offseason. Butler is probably my #1 target this offseason. I expect that we use the trade exemptions that Ainge has created and keep the cap holds as opposed to staying under the salary cap.

To build on what Kyle said (and I forgot to say in my post above), I'd be OK with getting Love if DA and Coach Stevens think they can build him into the team concept, AND then use either Sully or Kelly as part of a trade to upgrade another position of need. That way, we're hopefully getting better production at two positions out of the deal.

-V