Power Forward
Starter: Kevin Love
Reserve: Tristan Thompson
Love struggled in his first season in Cleveland, as he clearly lagged behind his “Big Three” teammates in terms of production and value.
His scoring average was at 16.4 per game, his field goal percentage dropped to 43.4 percent and his rebounding average dipped to 9.7, For much of the season he looked lost, until finding his niche as the “third wheel” when the season came to a close.
Griffin stated the following in regards to maximizing Love’s strengths better in his second season with the franchise:
“I think he and Coach Blatt have had a lot of conversations about that. He and Bron 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.”
Tristan Thompson remains unsigned and there has been very little news to report as far as recent negotiations with Cleveland goes.
However, the Cavaliers will do everything in their power to bring back the rising 24-year-old big man. Even if that means offering him a near-max deal over multiple years.
Even without Thompson signed, Cleveland faces a huge tax bill for being over the luxury tax line. The organization has gone all-in in its quest to bring the city its first-ever NBA championship. Because James has publicly vouched for Thompson, there is little reason to believe Thompson won’t return to the Cavaliers.
Next: Center
