Cavaliers' Griffin envisions different offensive role for Kevin Love next season
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The Cleveland Cavaliers lavished Kevin Love with a brand new contract this summer. In October, Love will also have a new role on offense.
Cavaliers general manager David Griffin spoke to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal during Las Vegas Summer League and detailed his vision of a different role for Love.
I think (Love) and Coach (David Blatt) have had a lot of conversations about that. He and (LeBron James) have had conversations about that.
Kevin enables us to have somebody else carry the mail when LeBron sits down once in a while.
(Kyrie Irving) was in a situation where he was clearly the one who was taking over when LeBron was out and I think we probably didn't utilize Kevin enough to make Kyrie's job easier.
I think we have the ability to put him at the elbow and run offense through him a lot more than we did - some of the things he did really well in Minnesota.
After being featured in the Timberwolves' offense in 2013-14, Love began his tenure in Cleveland as the third option behind James and Irving. Love sacrificed touches for the good of the team.
Love's numbers tumbled as a result.
| Statistic | Timberwolves (13-14) | Cavaliers (14-15) |
|---|---|---|
| PPG | 26.1 | 16.4 |
| APG | 4.4 | 2.2 |
| MPG | 36.3 | 33.8 |
| USG% | 28.8 | 21.1 |
| TS% | 59.1 | 56.2 |
| PER | 26.9 | 18.8 |
Still, despite a dip in Love's production, the Cavaliers still locked him up to a reported five-year, $110-million extension this summer.
Giving Love more touches at the high elbow - where he is most effective - can certainly help spark his productivity. Love is a dangerous shooter from all over the floor, he's a fantastic playmaker, and he can also choose to back down his man. Love is a luxury for situations in which James takes to the bench.
However, when all three of Irving, Love, and James are on the court, Love will likely once again resort to being a pick-and-pop floor spacer that rarely sees the ball. In that sense, it's a bit of a waste of Love's talents, but such is the trade-off with James on the court.
Getting Love going is a terrifying proposition for the rest of the league. The trio of Love, Irving, and James posted an offensive rating of 113.5 in 1,441 minutes together, which represented the best offensive threesome in the Eastern Conference last season.