Should The Boston Celtics Get Kevin Love?

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.

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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.

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