Trading For Markieff Morris Starting To Make Sense
The Cleveland Cavaliers were trounced by the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Is there a specific trade that can help their chances if the two meet again in the Finals?
In a highly anticipated NBA Finals rematch on Monday, the Golden State Warriors flexed their muscles and showcased why they are the league’s top team. In a 132-98 victory where the Warriors were up as much as 43 points, the fact remains that the Warriors are simply altogether on another level from Cleveland.
The first rematch was on Christmas Day and similar to Monday’s matchup, the Warriors came out on top, but this time it was only by six points. The Cavaliers had the excuse of Kyrie Irving not being 100 percent as he recently returned from a knee injury that had kept him sidelined for the first 24 games of the season.
So with a healthy Irving heading into the game Monday, it causes you to raise your eyebrows even more to see them lose the way they did, not to mention on their home floor.
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One particular player that has been put under a magnifying glass has been Kevin Love, and deservedly so. Love signed a five-year, $110 million contract this offseason and has been nonexistent in the two games against the Warriors. He is having one of the worst statistical seasons since his second year in the league (2009-10), averaging 15.6 points and 10.7 rebounds.
While his numbers don’t seem reason to bring any concern, his overall fit with the Cavaliers does.
It isn’t wrong to harshly assess Love’s play either. The Cavaliers are a team that is expected to advance through the Eastern Conference Playoffs quite easily, so foreshadowing how they do against top teams in the West is perfectly suitable at this point. And for Love, his performances against the Warriors prove that he doesn’t belong on the same floor.
Love’s statistics in the two games against Warriors this season: 6.5 PPG, 12RPG, 25.5 % FG, 12.5% 3PT
On top of treacherous shooting, Love cannot handle Draymond Green. Not that many bigs in the league can, but if a player is getting paid as much as Love, expectations of guarding the some of the best at your position is included.
This vine of Love went viral after he looked completely lost on the defensive end while covering a pick-and-roll between Green and Stephen Curry, a combination that the Cavaliers have yet to stop in the past eight meetings.
It is obvious the Cavaliers have to to something in order to put them in a better position against the Western Conference juggernauts. That’s where Markieff Morris comes in.
In case you haven’t paid any sort of attention to the NBA this season, the Morris saga in Phoenix has been one for the ages. Last summer, the Suns traded Morris’ twin brother, Marcus Morris, to the Detroit Pistons in order to create cap space in hopes of landing free agent LaMarcus Aldridge.
Markieff Morris was infuriated since he had just signed an extension with the Suns assuming that he and his brother would be together in Phoenix for some time.
Since then, Morris has had constant arguments with the Phoenix front office and head coach Jeff Hornacek, including one incident when Morris threw a towel at Hornacek during a game.
Some may ask, why take a chance of signing Morris and having him behave absurdly because at the end of the day, he still won’t be with his brother if he was traded to Cleveland. This is true, but being traded to a team that pretty much can walk into the NBA Finals may force Morris to straighten up.
From the Cavaliers point of view, Morris offers size and athleticism that Love doesn’t. He has the ability to guard Green and other stretch 4’s along with having a good all-around offensive game.
If this move was made, it may mean cutting Love’s minutes significantly depending on what the Cavaliers would have to give up for Morris, but it’s clear Love can’t play huge minutes against teams such as Golden State and San Antonio when they go with a smaller lineup.
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Morris may not be the player who will definitively bolster the Cavaliers over the Spurs and Warriors, but it seems as if he would give them a much better chance of sticking with those teams in a seven-game series.