The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2014-15 season just two wins shy of an NBA championship, but it was far from smooth sailing.
The Cavs had to overcome a sluggish start, myriad injuries, chemistry issues, coaching conundrums, and, perhaps most notably, an oft-disgruntled Kevin Love.
Love talked about not feeling comfortable in the Cavs' offense, where he was frequently used as a spot-up shooter rather than the inside-outside, elbow-patrolling fulcrum he'd been with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He called it one of the most difficult years of his professional career. After a season in which he'd averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, Love slipped to 16.4, 9.7, and 2.2 in his first campaign in Cleveland. His usage rate fell by over 7 percent to its lowest mark since his rookie season. None of this helped pull the magnifying glass away from his seemingly frosty relationship with LeBron James.
But with that tumultuous (if ultimately successful) season behind them, both guys are looking ahead, and James says Love - who re-signed for five years and $113 million in the offseason - will be more involved in the offense this time around.
"He will do some of the things he did prior to last year," James said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Cavs head coach David Blatt confirmed that Love is expected to feature more prominently.
"No question, this summer we looked for and identified ways that we can take advantage of Kev's unique skill set, and hopefully we'll see that on the floor," Blatt said.
"The things that you run, the emphasis you place on certain things, the responsibility that you give him and he takes," Blatt added. "Those are the main ways."
"I just think he's more comfortable in the situation that he's in," James said. "He's got a year under his belt; he knows what he expects out of himself and what his teammates expect out of him. I expect big things from him this year with a year up under his belt."
Love echoed that sentiment.
"I think all of us will be more comfortable with what we're trying to do out there," he said. "I think that, like I said (Monday), it all starts with the big man, No. 23, and it all kind of trickles down from there. I think if all the pieces fit together as we expect, we'll be a tough team to deal with."
Perhaps the most crushing part of last season for Love was that after finally getting in a rhythm while the Cavs got rolling - they went 34-9 to finish the regular season - his shoulder got ripped out of its socket four games into the playoffs.
It didn't stop the Cavs from romping to the finals, but it exposed their lack of depth and offensive versatility once they got there, especially after Kyrie Irving went down with a knee fracture in Game 1.
"I think him being out showed even more of what he means to this team, more than him being on the floor for those 3 1/2 games," James said. "It would've been huge for us obviously if he was in the lineup, but it gave him the opportunity to put things in perspective and see what his presence can mean to our team. Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to see how important you are."
