The entire NBA landscape changed this summer, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were certainly part of that shift. They still have LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver, Channing Frye, and J.R. Smith, but the additions of Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Dwyane Wade, and Jeff Green have tweaked nearly everyone’s role.
While some players have been forced to move around and change their games more than others, Love has had to make the biggest adjustment. The Cavaliers have tasked him with holding down the paint as the team’s starting center, moving Crowder and Wade into the starting lineup and Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith to the bench. Neither Smith nor Love was thrilled about the move, but both players are handling it like professionals.
Love is stepping into a somewhat-unfamiliar role as the Cavaliers’ defensive anchor and rim protector. Love played some center when he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but controlling the paint for an NBA cellar dweller is a lot different than controlling the paint for an NBA Finals contender. The Cavaliers’ new lineup was a success in Tuesday nights opener against the Boston Celtics, but we’re going to need to see a lot more before we learn if the Cavaliers can keep Thompson on the bench long-term.
It doesn’t hurt that LeBron has essentially dropped down to power forward and can defend any position as well just about anyone. He pulled down 16 rebounds without breaking a sweat against Boston on opening night.
Love talked about his switch to center with Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com:
“It’s been a little bit of a change for me,” Love admitted. “I still find myself spacing a little bit wanting to roll a little bit more and on the defensive end just playing the primary big on their team the whole time on the defensive end. It’s been a little bit different figuring things out on that end, but it comes with the growth I’m talking about. We need to do that and hopefully be a machine when things start clicking.”
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged the fact that it’s going to be an adjustment for Love and even revealed that Love was frustrated by the move at first. Despite Love’s frustration, Lue sounds convinced that this is what’s best for the team.
“It’s going to be tough for fives to move around with him,” Lue said recently. “When we run pick-and-rolls, they can’t really get out and show. He’s going to have a lot of open shots and we know Kevin, he can make shots.
“When we play big and Tristan goes to the 5 and he goes to the 4, we’re back to our normal positioning. We’re going to try it out and see how it works. He was frustrated at first, but now he’s enjoying it.”
Time will tell if Love’s move to center will pay off. Fortunately for the Cavs, they’ve got limited competition in the Eastern Conference and can really use the entire 82-game regular season to tinker with their rotation until they find something that works.
