Aimee
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.
