The Cleveland Cavaliers need Kevin Love to be healthy

While the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to slump, it appears the initial love following multiple trades is lost. The Love they really need is on the I.R.

Kevin Love’s Twitter feed noticeably lacks Cleveland Cavaliers-related posts. At least it has since his Jan. 30 hand injury. In fact, there have been almost as many posts about his collegiate team, the UCLA Bruins, as his pro squad.

Love’s absence on the court has also been noticeable. Cleveland is 7-6 with him on the injured list, struggling to pinpoint a No. 2 scoring option. LeBron James led the team in scoring in 11 of those contests. Three times J.R. Smith was the second-highest scorer, while George Hill and Jordan Clarkson were his top running mate on two occasions.

With Love injured, LeBron is Batman without a discernible Robin, and a jumble of journeymen are trying to fill the shoes of an All-Star.

The big man’s absence is felt at a much deeper level than just his impact on Cleveland’s best player. Yes, Love takes a major weight off LeBron’s shoulders. James has already played three games at 40-plus minutes since the injury, eclipsing the 42-minute mark in a recent loss against Denver.

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The Cavs are rail thin in the post. Without a healthy Love, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and Jeff Green are the tallest players in the regular rotation. All three are 6’9”.

There isn’t a contending team in the NBA without a rotation player taller than 81 inches. To put it in perspective, Cleveland State University rosters nearly as many players 6’8” or taller in its regular rotation (four) as the Cavs (6) do. The Vikings finished eighth in the Horizon League this season.

During its stretch of mediocrity without the five-time All-Star, Cleveland is getting pummeled down low. The Cavs were out-rebounded in four of their losses, but Love’s absence is especially obvious on the defensive end.

Opposing teams are slicing through the Cavs defense like it’s butternut squash. LeBron and Hill provide palatable pressure on the outside, but down low there is little resistance without Love.

As a result, opponents have notched an efficient shooting percentage better than 45 percent in all but one game against the Love-less Cavs. Translation, teams are getting to the paint, earning easy, efficient buckets.

Here’s two examples. On back-to-back positions, (starting at 1:18, and at 1:30) the Denver Nuggets scored effortlessly. The second example is particularly troubling.

With no resistance, Paul Millsap gallops past a lackluster effort from LeBron, who is obviously expecting help. Unfortunately, J.R. Smith stands still as a baseline photographer as Millsap finishes with two of the easiest points of his career. In his defense, expecting Smith to protect the rim is like assuming a house cat will stop a burglar.

That’s one reason Cleveland needs their big man back. No, Love isn’t Dikembe Mutombo. But at least he provides some defensive resistance. As a rebounder is where he will really make his mark.

Known more for his touch from the outside, Love is underrated bruiser in the paint. He’s averaged 11.3 rebounds per game over his career, 22nd in NBA history. It’s more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan. He’s also a reliable finisher, shooting 59.7 percent from under three feet for his career.

It’s why the Cavs excel with Love at the center position. He has the ability to play the traditional big man role — punishing post defenders and gobbling rebounds — while adding a pick-and-pop element from the outside. Neither Nance nor Thompson offer that capability.

With Thompson expected to miss multiple games with a sprained ankle, things become even more dire.

The loss comes at a inopportune time. Cleveland plays Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and DeAndre Jordan’s Los Angeles Clippers over the next three games. Those are three of the top bigs in the NBA.

It’s no wonder the Cavs are counting their lucky stars. Reports hint that Love may be ahead of schedule, on track to return within a couple week. The initial prognoses tagged him as being out 6-8 weeks.

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Love is able to catch a ball with a padded glove and guide the ball while shooting, according to a NBA.com report. His recovery has apparently “picked up speed,” paralleling the heightened level of urgency in the Cavs organization.