Kevin Love will grab the rebound and throw one of his spot-on outlet passes to Kyrie Irving near halfcourt. Irving will lob a pass to LeBron James for an easy two points. It's possible the ball will cover almost 94 feet and not touch the floor.
Or maybe James collects the rebound and starts the break, finding himself with options: Love or Irving or Dion Waiters or Mike Miller at the three-point line. Anderson Varejao or Tristan Thompson in the low post.
Bottom line: The Cleveland Cavaliers, already contenders in the Eastern Conference, made themselves strong NBA championship contenders with the news Thursday that the Minnesota Timberwolves plan to trade Love to Cleveland for 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins, 2013 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and a future first-round pick.
The deal can't be completed until Aug. 23, which marks the 30-day no-trade period required after Wiggins signed his rookie contract.
It is a move that has been expected since the Cavaliers made Wiggins available to the Timberwolves. The Cavaliers were hesitant at first to include him in a package for Love, but Minnesota remained firm in its trade demands and Cleveland realized the only way to get Love was to give up Wiggins.
Now, the Cavaliers have their own Big 3 featuring a starting lineup with three All-Stars: Irving, 22, Love, 25, and James, 29.
How will this play for the Cavs on the court? It's fun to let the imagination run wild with possibilities - no doubt first-year Cavs coach David Blatt has to temper his creative offensive mind - but the melding of talent will take time, just as just as it took time for the Miami Heat to weave a tapestry of offensive efficiency with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Picture a Cavs starting lineup of Irving, Waiters, James, Love and Varejao. Miller, Thompson, James Jones, Matthew Dellavedova, John Lucas III, Malcolm Thomas and Erik Murphy, among others, will come off the bench.
But don't be surprised if the process is accelerated. Blatt has been exceptional at adapting to the talent he has and maximizing it.
Just as important, he has James, a four-time MVP who embraces an unselfish, team-first approach and is capable of playing several styles. James will continue to score and find ways to involve his teammates, and early indications are that he will appreciate Blatt's offensive philosophy.
The Cavs will have firepower. Last season, James averaged 27.1 points, Love 26.1 and Irving 20.8, and Irving and Love will have better opportunities to score this season with James drawing so much attention. And with the addition of Miller, Jones, James and Love and improved long-range shooting from Irving and Waiters, the Cavs should be a better three-point shooting team.
Cleveland will also be a great rebounding team. Love is one of the best rebounders in the league (12.5 per game last season), James is a strong rebounder and Thompson averaged 9.2 rebounds last season. Varejao is also a rebounding workhorse, two seasons removed from averaging 14.1 per game.
Defense, on the other hand, will be a work in progress for the Cavs. James is a regular on the All-NBA defensive teams and doesn't like defensive breakdowns. Blatt is an underappreciated defensive coach, but Irving and Love need to become better defenders.
There is risk involved for the Cavaliers. Love can opt out of his contract following the season and become a free agent. Though the Cavaliers must think they have a strong chance at retaining him, there is no guarantee.
Also, they gave up Wiggins who has the potential to become an NBA superstar. The Timberwolves had concluded they weren't going to retain Love so they pursued a deal they wanted: Wiggins, Bennett and future first-round pick. Minnesota believes those pieces will make it a better team.
But this trade now is about Cleveland and the present. If the Cavs want to win championships sooner rather than later, acquiring Love at the expense of Wiggins was the necessary move.
GALLERY: Kevin Love through the years
Post By http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/cavaliers/2014/08/07/kevin-love-lebron-james-andrew-wiggins-david-blatt-cavaliers-timberwolves/13732019/
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