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I think the thing you see with Love is how hard it is for a player to dramatically shift roles from being the primary guy to a lesser guy and maintain his value.
In terms of player skill sets, Love is a great rebounder, passer and shooter with true PF size. That sounds like the skill set that would fit with any team and beside any star player. But because of where players like to operate and controlling the ball, it hasn't yet really clicked in Cleveland. Blatt used Love as a stand around the perimeter catch and shoot guy, which was really underutilizing a player of Love's talent. I would be interested to see what Lue does with an offseason (assuming Love isn't traded) to better use Love.
Wiggins would be a poor fit next to LeBron on offence. Perhaps he develops a better 3 ball in Cleveland (Flip Saunders was inexplicably trying to get Wiggins away from taking 3s). Defensively, Wiggins and LeBron at the wings offers a ton of flexibility and potential.
Ultimately the trade came down to Cleveland desperately trying to win a title and realizing that LeBron's prime is their best opportunity. Wiggins would have given them a long term succession plan that would have lengthened their window but not necessarily improved it.
I think the trade worked out for both sides. If Cleveland made a mistake that offseason, it might have been hiring Blatt; who seemed unprepared to coach LeBron and best use Love. Blatt was hired to train up the youngin's but you have to think that Cleveland could have waited until after free agency started to land a coach, because they would have had a great sell to any coach - come coach LeBron or Wiggins (if LeBron hadn't signed).
In terms of player skill sets, Love is a great rebounder, passer and shooter with true PF size. That sounds like the skill set that would fit with any team and beside any star player. But because of where players like to operate and controlling the ball, it hasn't yet really clicked in Cleveland. Blatt used Love as a stand around the perimeter catch and shoot guy, which was really underutilizing a player of Love's talent. I would be interested to see what Lue does with an offseason (assuming Love isn't traded) to better use Love.
Wiggins would be a poor fit next to LeBron on offence. Perhaps he develops a better 3 ball in Cleveland (Flip Saunders was inexplicably trying to get Wiggins away from taking 3s). Defensively, Wiggins and LeBron at the wings offers a ton of flexibility and potential.
Ultimately the trade came down to Cleveland desperately trying to win a title and realizing that LeBron's prime is their best opportunity. Wiggins would have given them a long term succession plan that would have lengthened their window but not necessarily improved it.
I think the trade worked out for both sides. If Cleveland made a mistake that offseason, it might have been hiring Blatt; who seemed unprepared to coach LeBron and best use Love. Blatt was hired to train up the youngin's but you have to think that Cleveland could have waited until after free agency started to land a coach, because they would have had a great sell to any coach - come coach LeBron or Wiggins (if LeBron hadn't signed).
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