Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season
By Ryan Piers
5. A healthy Kevin Love
For once, Kevin Love isn’t in the spotlight. A top-ranked recruit turned star at UCLA, Love attracted eyeballs as a potent post player with the Minnesota Timberwolves in his early years. He joined Cleveland prior to the 2014-15 season.
The Cavaliers were under a microscope that year, and the following handful, with the the return of LeBron.
Now, sans a star teammate and fresh off an injury, Love no longer finds himself near the league’s epicenter. It must be a weird, possibly even relaxing for a player who has spent most of his life as a basketball elite.
A toe injury and subsequent surgery left him sidelined for all but 22 games last season. But he’s trimmed and likely relaxed with four more years on his contract. With little pressure or pain, this should be the least cluttered season Love has experienced in a long time.
The tepid excitement surrounding Love stems from more than the prospect of a prosperous season. The Cavs big man is not the bruiser of his younger years. Love orbited the arc last season, shooting a career high 6.7 3-pointers per game.
Love appears to be in the middle of a metamorphosis. We’ll learn soon if he is ready to emerge from his cocoon, a new, better player.