In the coming 2014-2015 season, all eyes will turn on the newly revamped Cleveland Cavaliers now that LeBron James is back wearing his old No.23 jersey and Kevin Love is set to come to town after an agreed block buster trade that would send two No.1 overall picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Love, per ESPN.
But Love's arrival to Cleveland doesn't come without any drama and intrigue and he has himself to thank for it. He forced his way out from the Minnesota Timberwolves threatening the team that he won't resign next year when he becomes a free agent. He also flirted with Celtics fans, among other teams and fan bases, with his unannounced visit to Boston which includes a 'chance' meeting with Celtics star point guard Rajon Rondo - giving Celtics fans a false hope that he would be the coming hero of a team that won just 25 games last season.
This time around, LeBron James may no longer be the villain like he was in 2010 with his infamous 'Decision' thanks to his future teammate Kevin Love.
But perhaps more importantly, Kevin Love has a lot to prove to the world now that he is with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He needs to prove that he is a different player from what we have witnessed in his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves which can be summarized into three words: zero playoff appearances. Kevin Ding from bleacher report has this to say about Love:
For all the gaudy individual numbers and All-Star appearances, here is the final decision on the Kevin Love era in Minnesota: He was not a defender, not a team guy and not a winner.
Love can make all kinds of excuses that he lacked the help when he was with the Timberwolves but LeBron James took a Cavalier roster with far lesser talent to the NBA Finals. Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic are clearly better options for Love than Mo Williams and Andre Varejao for LeBron but still James manage to take the Cavaliers to the biggest stage of them all.
Kevin Love, with all his gifts and talents, is not a proven winner. Nor is he a proven leader. And now he has run out of excuses now that his is with the Cavaliers who enter the coming season as the clear favorites to win the NBA title.
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