Windhorst & Lowe on Kevin Love (Reportedly May Leave Cleveland)

[knuckleballer]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

[Endless Paradise]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

That's entirely fair. Unfortunately, Love's public statements have all been to the tune of the former, so he opens himself up to deserved criticism if he chooses to bounce after a year.

[zubi.anaba]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

Guess it would have really sucked for the Cs and their fans to get Garnett/Ray in 2003 rather than 2007 . I am sure KG didn't mean it when he talked about how he would have left earlier if he could go back in time

[MBunge]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

Guess it would have really sucked for the Cs and their fans to get Garnett/Ray in 2003 rather than 2007 . I am sure KG didn't mean it when he talked about how he would have left earlier if he could go back in time

1.  Did you lose a bet with someone that forces you to use smiley faces in every post?

2.  You're going on like this is something fans are making up.  Windhorst and Lowe are talking about it.  Are they lying?

Mike

[PhoSita]

Good for K-Love. Leaving is a brave decision. Especially given the lack of sure-fire teams out there in FA and the gamble he is going to have to take on a bottom-feeder to mediocre team.

I think it is the right decision. The way Cleveland treated him this year (as if he was Ryan Anderson) was appalling. They had the 2nd most skilled offensive big man in the league and made him into a spot-up shooter 80-90% of the time he was on the floor.

Yep.

He'll be bravely facing Kobe's scorn starting in October.

[Roy H.]

2.  You're going on like this is something fans are making up.  Windhorst and Lowe are talking about it.  Are they lying?

I didn't bother listening to the interview, but the OP said that Lowe said his sources were third-hand, so that could just be speculation.  As for Windhorst, he's not above making stuff up.  He was leading the "Kyrie won't sign an extension" charge.  I know that Kyrie (allegedly) hates him.

I mean, let me quote Windhorst for you, before the season:

If the Cavs ever dream of having LeBron, it’s not going to be with Kyrie there. LeBron and Kyrie have drifted apart in the last few years, even to the point that if the Cavs wanted to get LeBron they would maybe trade Kyrie for someone who would fit better with LeBron. And I’m not making that up. That line of thinking was not originated by me. That’s just the truth.

Does that sound like somebody who shouldn't be doubted?  He was wrong on Kyrie not signing his extension, he was wrong on Lebron not signing in Cleveland, and my guess is that he's wrong on Love bolting.  Maybe somebody should make Windhorst a "sauces" meme.

[PhoSita]

2.  You're going on like this is something fans are making up.  Windhorst and Lowe are talking about it.  Are they lying?

I didn't bother listening to the interview, but the OP said that Lowe said his sources were third-hand, so that could just be speculation.  As for Windhorst, he's not above making stuff up.  He was leading the "Kyrie won't sign an extension" charge.  I know that Kyrie (allegedly) hates him.

Windhorst has made his whole career out of just following around LeBron's team and throwing out rumors or conjecture about that team, whether in Cleveland or Miami.

[knuckleballer]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

Guess it would have really sucked for the Cs and their fans to get Garnett/Ray in 2003 rather than 2007 . I am sure KG didn't mean it when he talked about how he would have left earlier if he could go back in time

But Garnett, Ray, Pierce, Rondo, and Perk fit together beautifully.  Their skill sets complimented each other.  Love is an awkward fit in Cleveland.  He was rated the 7th best player in the NBA by both ESPN and Sports Illustrated before joining Cleveland and missed out on the All Star game with Cleveland.

[D.o.s.]

People say the guy never won anything in his career before, the guy was part of a Wolves squad that almost posted a winning record in the almighty Western Conference, so he has been part of 'winning'.

This is one of the least accurate definitions that has ever been posted on this blog.

[zubi.anaba]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

Guess it would have really sucked for the Cs and their fans to get Garnett/Ray in 2003 rather than 2007 . I am sure KG didn't mean it when he talked about how he would have left earlier if he could go back in time

1.  Did you lose a bet with someone that forces you to use smiley faces in every post?

2.  You're going on like this is something fans are making up.  Windhorst and Lowe are talking about it.  Are they lying?

Mike

I like smileys !! And I have no interest in engaging in a debate about whether them 2 are lying or not. After all Last yr, I remember Windy talking about how Lebron would never go to Cleveland because he and Kyrie have drifted apart. He explicitly said Cavs would have to trade kyrie to get Lebron

And the other thing is: if the Cavs ever dream of having LeBron, it’s not going to be with Kyrie there. LeBron and Kyrie have drifted apart in the last few years, even to the point that if the Cavs wanted to get LeBron they would maybe trade Kyrie for someone who would fit better with LeBron. And I’m not making that up. That line of thinking was not originated by me. That’s just the truth.

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2014/04/windhorst-lebron-and-kyrie-have-drifted-apart/

But hey I just definitely take his word apparently coming from 3rd parties as Gospel

[PhoSita]

People say the guy never won anything in his career before, the guy was part of a Wolves squad that almost posted a winning record in the almighty Western Conference, so he has been part of 'winning'.

This is one of the least accurate definitions that has ever been posted on this blog.

Yeah.  I think it's fair to say that he did a great deal to prop up an otherwise abysmal Timberwolves squad.  That they nearly managed to win 41 games says a lot about how valuable Love has been, even if he's never been a true Alpha Dog Superstar.

[zubi.anaba]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

Guess it would have really sucked for the Cs and their fans to get Garnett/Ray in 2003 rather than 2007 . I am sure KG didn't mean it when he talked about how he would have left earlier if he could go back in time

But Garnett, Ray, Pierce, Rondo, and Perk fit together beautifully.  Their skill sets complimented each other.  Love is an awkward fit in Cleveland.  He was rated the 7th best player in the NBA by both ESPN and Sports Illustrated before joining Cleveland and missed out on the All Star game with Cleveland.

Hey maybe when you change teams, have a rookie head coach, make wholesale changes in playing personnel, have a slight skill overlap with another team-mate, have consistent back injuries through the season and have a down yr as a result, maybe just maybe it might take more than one season for chemistry to develop. Just a thought.

[Jferrari401]

IF all of this is true, then I don't see how anyone could want him on our team. Multiple people have said it, but he complained in Minnesota about the lack of winning and then he was gifted a perfect situation where he could be a part of a great team. Now he doesn't want to be there because he isn't the man? He was never able to make the playoffs when he was the go to guy on a team, what makes us think the second time around would be different?

The report also says that he has stopped showing up to the team facility and their playoff games. That sounds like a horrible teammate to me. How can you quit on your team when they are in contention to win a title?

When you take in to account the way he handled his injury, Love's rep has really taken a hit this season. The Cavs have not missed a beat without him, and I would argue that Thompson has been more effective than Love.

It's always hard to tell how much of these reports are true so I am trying not to rush to too much judgement but regardless he is not a player I would be interested in for the Celtics.

[zubi.anaba]

I still don't buy it.

Me either. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think there is a good chance he leaves.  Would you rather be on a team where your talent is not maxed out, but you are winning championships or would you rather be on a team where your talent is maxed out, but it is an uphill battle to contend?  At age 26, I would choose the latter.  If I was over 30, I would choose the former.

Guess it would have really sucked for the Cs and their fans to get Garnett/Ray in 2003 rather than 2007 . I am sure KG didn't mean it when he talked about how he would have left earlier if he could go back in time

But Garnett, Ray, Pierce, Rondo, and Perk fit together beautifully.  Their skill sets complimented each other.  Love is an awkward fit in Cleveland.  He was rated the 7th best player in the NBA by both ESPN and Sports Illustrated before joining Cleveland and missed out on the All Star game with Cleveland.

Also by the way
KG 2007 22ppg 12rpg
KG 2008 18ppg 9rpg

RA 2007 26ppg 4rpg 4apg
RA 2008 17ppg 3rpg 3apg

PP 2007 25ppg 5rpg 5apg
PP 2008 19ppg 4rpg 4apg

So all 3 players numbers took a serious hit the yr they got together. SO I guess am wondering how much of a fit they would have been if one player didnt want his numbers to go down.

I mean what if KG demanded his normal consistent post touches instead of concentrating on defense and rebounding while scoring within the flow of the offense. What if RA demanded to have the ball in his hands the way he normally does instead of becoming an absolute nightmare off the ball player. I mean Rays numbers in the previous yr clearly shows a go to scorer yet his was relegated to playing mostly off the ball. You know the exact same way we keep hearing about how Love is relegated to a spot up shooter

What if PP demanded his normal 20 shots a game instead of just playing defense, scoring when the offense comes to him and taking clutch shots. I mean PP was a possible MVP candidate in the making and suddenly chances of him ever winning an MVP was zero.

What if all these or at least one of these things happened? How good a fit would the Boston big 3 have been?Just another thought

[Eddie20]

2.  You're going on like this is something fans are making up.  Windhorst and Lowe are talking about it.  Are they lying?

I didn't bother listening to the interview, but the OP said that Lowe said his sources were third-hand, so that could just be speculation.  As for Windhorst, he's not above making stuff up.  He was leading the "Kyrie won't sign an extension" charge.  I know that Kyrie (allegedly) hates him.

I mean, let me quote Windhorst for you, before the season:

If the Cavs ever dream of having LeBron, it’s not going to be with Kyrie there. LeBron and Kyrie have drifted apart in the last few years, even to the point that if the Cavs wanted to get LeBron they would maybe trade Kyrie for someone who would fit better with LeBron. And I’m not making that up. That line of thinking was not originated by me. That’s just the truth.

Does that sound like somebody who shouldn't be doubted?  He was wrong on Kyrie not signing his extension, he was wrong on Lebron not signing in Cleveland, and my guess is that he's wrong on Love bolting.  Maybe somebody should make Windhorst a "sauces" meme.

But you also have Woj with this-

For as much as Kevin Love has publicly resisted the discussion of free agency this season, it has been on his mind. He has never been completely comfortable in Cleveland, with his role, nor his connection to those around him. Throughout the year, league sources say, one destination grew in possibility as his exit strategy: The Boston Celtics.

Boston has been no sure thing to lure Love, but it had a better shot than most had believed. If Love left the Cavaliers, the Celtics had closed the gap on the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

and David Aldridge with this-

The rumor mill has churned for a year with nuggets about Love's supposed interest in Boston after his up and down season with the Cavs. But Love seemed to have finally found his equilibrium in Cleveland at the end of the season before suffering that separated shoulder -- against the Celtics -- in the first round. Yahoo! Sports reported last week that that injury at the hands of Kelly Olynyk may have cooled Love's interest in playing for the Celtics next season. My experience has consistently been that anger subsides as dollars increase, and I'm told authoritatively that Love holds no long-lasting ill will toward either the Celtics or Olynyk. Boston can offer Love a max deal a second after midnight on July 1, an opportunity to again be the focal point of his team, lead an emerging surrounding cast and play for a terrific young coach.

I mean if Love was fully committed to the Cavs, why all these reports? Why doesn't his agent, or Love himself, publicly state that he will undoubtedly be re-signing with Cleveland?