Kevin Love out for 2nd rd series

[trojanfight]

Hate to see injury like that. But it's kind of karma for Lebron. Gave him benefit of doubt when he left for Cleveland but then here we go again with needing multiple all stars to win rings. Should they lose in 2nd round it will cement Kevin love's path out of Cleveland.

 

[gordontrue]

Hate to see injury like that. But it's kind of karma for Lebron. Gave him benefit of doubt when he left for Cleveland but then here we go again with needing multiple all stars to win rings. Should they lose in 2nd round it will cement Kevin love's path out of Cleveland.

Ahhh... but, unfortunately for the critics, its a double-edged sword. Much less ammo for your agenda if they win the title this year. Who am I kidding.. there will never be a shortage of perceived ammo for those critics

 

[wildturkey]

I've seen the Instagram pic of Love post surgery on a few shows and no one mentions he's wearing a Cleveland hat. That's obviously intentional and saying he's at least signing a one year deal to stay, right? Why else would you wear a hat post surgery, especially a Cleveland hat?

 

[Heatles84]

I've seen the Instagram pic of Love post surgery on a few shows and no one mentions he's wearing a Cleveland hat. That's obviously intentional and saying he's at least signing a one year deal to stay, right? Why else would you wear a hat post surgery, especially a Cleveland hat?

I wouldn't read too much into it. We're in May right now; there's still another two months until he can become a free agent. A lot can change between now and then. There were signs that made Heat fans think Lebron was staying in Miami, then he went back to shit hol....I mean Cleveland.

Kevin Love isn't coming back in the playoffs. He's projected to miss 4-6 months and may not be ready for the start of the season, let alone trying to come back for the Finals.

The Cavs defense this season is cute, and by cute, I mean pathetic. They relied heavily on scoring to win games as opposed to defense. The playing in space that Love provided Lebron is going to be difficult to overcome. Also, the Bulls cut put Butler on Smith or Irving and essentially take one of those guys out of the series. It will be an interesting series though.

 

[gordontrue]

I wouldn't read too much into it. We're in May right now; there's still another two months until he can become a free agent. A lot can change between now and then. There were signs that made Heat fans think Lebron was staying in Miami, then he went back to shit hol....I mean Cleveland.

Kevin Love isn't coming back in the playoffs. He's projected to miss 4-6 months and may not be ready for the start of the season, let alone trying to come back for the Finals.

The Cavs defense this season is cute, and by cute, I mean pathetic. They relied heavily on scoring to win games as opposed to defense. The playing in space that Love provided Lebron is going to be difficult to overcome. Also, the Bulls cut put Butler on Smith or Irving and essentially take one of those guys out of the series. It will be an interesting series though.

Agree with pretty much everything except the bolded.

Since LeBron came back on Jan 15 the Cavs have been a top-10 defense and have won several games with their defense. Without Love their offense will hurt (which they are #1 since Jan 15)... but their defense might actually improve.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I wouldn't read too much into it. We're in May right now; there's still another two months until he can become a free agent. A lot can change between now and then. There were signs that made Heat fans think Lebron was staying in Miami, then he went back to shit hol....I mean Cleveland.

Kevin Love isn't coming back in the playoffs. He's projected to miss 4-6 months and may not be ready for the start of the season, let alone trying to come back for the Finals.

The Cavs defense this season is cute, and by cute, I mean pathetic. They relied heavily on scoring to win games as opposed to defense. The playing in space that Love provided Lebron is going to be difficult to overcome. Also, the Bulls cut put Butler on Smith or Irving and essentially take one of those guys out of the series. It will be an interesting series though.

If Butler is on Irving, which it really doesnt matter who guards him, who does DRose guard? He wont be running around screens to keep up with Smith. Butler will probably be on Lebron which is a tough matchup bc he is undersized. DRose really cant guard much of anyone let alone Irving, so it will be interesting to see how the matchups work out.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Agree with pretty much everything except the bolded.

Since LeBron came back on Jan 15 the Cavs have been a top-10 defense and have won several games with their defense. Without Love their offense will hurt (which they are #1 since Jan 15)... but their defense might actually improve.

I agree, we saw much improvement in that Boston series from the defense without Love. The spacing and rebounding on offense will hurt the Cavs

 

[cwalke3408]

If Butler is on Irving, which it really doesnt matter who guards him, who does DRose guard? He wont be running around screens to keep up with Smith. Butler will probably be on Lebron which is a tough matchup bc he is undersized. DRose really cant guard much of anyone let alone Irving, so it will be interesting to see how the matchups work out.

Rose is guarding Irving and Butler is guarding Lebron. As long as Brooks is not guarding him, Bulls should be ok. Rose is bigger and stronger than Irving, it won't be a easy for him to guard Irving but the same can be said about Irving covering Rose. As long as Butler remembers he's a defensive guy first the tough matchup will be for Lebron. Butler is one of the if not the best Lebron defender in the league, he plays him tough and physical which is why he's so effective on him. Lebron is still going to score but not as much and efficient.

 

[WiggyRuss]

If Butler is on Irving, which it really doesnt matter who guards him, who does DRose guard? He wont be running around screens to keep up with Smith. Butler will probably be on Lebron which is a tough matchup bc he is undersized. DRose really cant guard much of anyone let alone Irving, so it will be interesting to see how the matchups work out.

very good points.

Nobody on this planet can keep Kyrie down single handedly on the perimeter

Nobody on this planet can keep LeBron down single handedly anywhere.

If I am the Cavs I hope and pray the undersized Butler guards LeBron and Rose has to cover Kyrie. Tahts perfect. Kyrie will run Rose ragged- unlike in the Milwaukee series where Rose had to guard the seriosuly offensively challenged MCW who cant shoot worth shit- it will be a shock to his system to try and guard Kyrie. TRUST ME- especially with Rose's knees- chasing Kyrie Irving around and making him play defense should limit Rose's effectiveness offensively

I really like Jimmy Butler as a player. It seems to me that he could be working his way up to be considered a top 20 player in the game. He cannot guard LEbron though- the only guy that I think can guard LeBron- and by guard LeBron I mean limit him to the low 20's while shooting a poor percentage is Kawhi Leonard. Butler is not Leonard- not size wise, not skill wise defensively.

If we are talking about straight up defense- with Smith and Love missing the first two games- who actually has teh better defense in the starting lineup?

REALLY THINK ABOUT THAT

the Cavs- with LeBron at full go in the playoffs, with Shumpert who has shown at times this year that he can shut down anyway- including a game wehre he blanketed Steph Curry- and who when Blatt made the adjustment in games 3 and 4 to put Shumpert on I. Thomas Shumpert ended up smothering the poor kid- Mozgov at center who plays solid d and is a good rim protector, Tristan thompson who has been playing solid D and is an absolute terror on the glass- and Kyrie who while he has improved on defense is certainly not a good defender

Or Chicago- Butler is obviously either the best or second best defensive player in the entire series (id still go with playoff LeBron as a better defender personally)- thats a GREAT place to start, Rose- who used to be a good defender but because of injury is not the defender he used to be- hes probably about average to maybe slighty above average defensively, Gasol who is a shit defender, Dunleavy who is a poor defender, and Noah who is a damn good defender.

To be honest- if you are looking at starting lineups if the Cavs have Shumpert and Thompson in for Smith and Love- I gotta give the Cavs the edge defensively.

Offensively the Cavs still have the 2 best players in the series- LeBron and Kyrie- Noah and Thompson are pretty even offensively- Gasol is obviously a damn good offensive player- and gives Chicago the only post-player in the series that could hit 20 points more than one or two times- I mean Mozgov, Gibson etc. COULD hit 20 points but its unlikely---

Who isthe better offensive player? Rose or Kyrie?- I gotta go with KI2- LeBron is obviously LeBron- but Dunleavy can score the basketball and shoot very well- he needs to be respected- Shumpert is hit or miss...while Butler is damn good....

of course- it needs to besaid that individuals dont win- teams do- and Chicago has a great system and coach defensively but gets very stagnant on offense at times- while the Cavs also can get stagnant buthave the trump card of 2 of the top 8 one-on-one players in the entire league...


its a fascinating matchup- but people that underate the Cavs defense- especially with Shumpert and thompson playing for love and smith- really have not been paying attention. Lets just hope that Kyrie and LeBron have enough in them to make up for the drop offensively that is GINORMOUS from Love to Thompson- and pretty large from Smith to Shumpert.


And- i am way more afraid of Dunleavy than Mirotic in this series. I have watched Chicago games other than ones against the CAvs- and have seen Mirotic play well- but ill tell ya- he didnt play much in the first two games against Cleveland- like 4 minutes the first game and 15 the second and pretty much did nothing- but in the next 2 games he got decent run and looked like absolute shit against the Cavs. I cant remember how/who the Cavs defended him but however they did- they did it well.

Mirotic seems streakier than DJ's underwear after Taco Bell night.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Rose is guarding Irving and Butler is guarding Lebron. As long as Brooks is not guarding him, Bulls should be ok. Rose is bigger and stronger than Irving, it won't be a easy for him to guard Irving but the same can be said about Irving covering Rose. As long as Butler remembers he's a defensive guy first the tough matchup will be for Lebron. Butler is one of the if not the best Lebron defender in the league, he plays him tough and physical which is why he's so effective on him. Lebron is still going to score but not as much and efficient.

Kawhi Leonard defends LeBron WAY better than Butler does. Paul George when healthy. Because of Giannis' length and athleticism and quickness if i were an opposing coach id take Giannis over butler to guard Lebron. Tony Allen has had success here and there guarding LeBron- certainly more than Butler- Sefolosha on the Hawks did a good job against LeBron- and by good job i mean LeBron didnt kill them....

Butler is a damn good defender- But LeBron did go for a triple double in the last game against the Bulls, 31 in another ( the sole loss), 36 in the opener, and 26 in a game the Cavs handled the Bulls throughout....he roughly shot about 50% in those games- where the team went 3-1.

I like Butler a lot as a player- like i said- hes starting to creep up into territory where its not crazy to consider him near a top 20 player in the league- which i believe is high praise considering this is his first year where he has put up numbers that garner being an All - Star. 20-6-3 with great defense is big time.

I will be interested in Rose and Kyrie- i hope they matchup- I am sure they will a little- but ti wouldnt surprise me if Bron or Shumpert guard Rose and Butler- and Kyrie guards Dunleavy here or there

Has Kyrie improved enough defensively to do some good work on Rose? Is Rose physically fit enough to guard a guy like Kyrie who handles the basketball like a yoyo on a string and can run around the court all day all night and then all day again?--- Fascinating matchup.

 

[Heatles84]

I wish I had the rose colored glasses that Wiggy wears every day. This is of course the same guy that said the Cavs would flat out win 66 games, so there's that.

 

[Wamu]

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Why are you guys saying Rose can't cover Kyrie? Kyrie has been pretty inefficient. Here are his stats against rose this year....

6-18 (1-3 3pt) for 17 points, 7 assists, 1 turnover
7-16 (1-2 3pt) for 18 points, 12 assists, 1 turnover
6-17 (1-2 3pt) for 23 points, 3 assists, 4 turnovers

His assists aren't bad, but it's not like he's tearing up D Rose. Rose can actually guard Kyrie pretty well.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

you don't know what you're talking about troll.

Im here to objectively talk basketball. If you are going to troll me, I'm just going to ignore you. After this post I won't see anything else you post. I hope your life gets a little less sad so you stop trolling message boards for satisfaction.

 

[gordontrue]

you don't know what you're talking about troll.

 

[cwalke3408]

Kawhi Leonard defends LeBron WAY better than Butler does. Paul George when healthy. Because of Giannis' length and athleticism and quickness if i were an opposing coach id take Giannis over butler to guard Lebron. Tony Allen has had success here and there guarding LeBron- certainly more than Butler- Sefolosha on the Hawks did a good job against LeBron- and by good job i mean LeBron didnt kill them....

Butler is a damn good defender- But LeBron did go for a triple double in the last game against the Bulls, 31 in another ( the sole loss), 36 in the opener, and 26 in a game the Cavs handled the Bulls throughout....he roughly shot about 50% in those games- where the team went 3-1.

I like Butler a lot as a player- like i said- hes starting to creep up into territory where its not crazy to consider him near a top 20 player in the league- which i believe is high praise considering this is his first year where he has put up numbers that garner being an All - Star. 20-6-3 with great defense is big time.

I will be interested in Rose and Kyrie- i hope they matchup- I am sure they will a little- but ti wouldnt surprise me if Bron or Shumpert guard Rose and Butler- and Kyrie guards Dunleavy here or there

Has Kyrie improved enough defensively to do some good work on Rose? Is Rose physically fit enough to guard a guy like Kyrie who handles the basketball like a yoyo on a string and can run around the court all day all night and then all day again?--- Fascinating matchup.

A case can definitely be made for Kawhi being the best Lebron defender but to think he's "WAY" better or to think Bulter is not very effective on Lebron? Ok you'll see tomorrow. He will still get his points but it won't be easy. The way Butler first started to make a name for himself was the series two years ago when he was forced on him because Deng was out. Then he limited Lebron to 23 ppg for 43% shooting.

 

[FantasyBelowZero]

I've seen the Instagram pic of Love post surgery on a few shows and no one mentions he's wearing a Cleveland hat. That's obviously intentional and saying he's at least signing a one year deal to stay, right? Why else would you wear a hat post surgery, especially a Cleveland hat?

It's intentional because he is on the Cavs for , but I don't think he will sign for another year. Just Love blowing smoke up the press' skirt.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Rose is guarding Irving and Butler is guarding Lebron. As long as Brooks is not guarding him, Bulls should be ok. Rose is bigger and stronger than Irving, it won't be a easy for him to guard Irving but the same can be said about Irving covering Rose. As long as Butler remembers he's a defensive guy first the tough matchup will be for Lebron. Butler is one of the if not the best Lebron defender in the league, he plays him tough and physical which is why he's so effective on him. Lebron is still going to score but not as much and efficient.

The thing is they are going to need Butler's offense in this series, they need all they can get on the offensive side. So Cleveland's defense is also going to be a key, obviously. Maybe this Love injury will help them defensively especially with a Bulls team that isnt the greatest on offense, but I wouldnt take this offense for granted though. It will definitely hurt them offensively, but they just need contributions from everyone.

Also, he needs to post up Butler more to get him and foul trouble and create easier opportunties.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Why are you guys saying Rose can't cover Kyrie? Kyrie has been pretty inefficient. Here are his stats against rose this year....

6-18 (1-3 3pt) for 17 points, 7 assists, 1 turnover
7-16 (1-2 3pt) for 18 points, 12 assists, 1 turnover
6-17 (1-2 3pt) for 23 points, 3 assists, 4 turnovers

His assists aren't bad, but it's not like he's tearing up D Rose. Rose can actually guard Kyrie pretty well.

I wanna say those games were before Kyrie went on a rampage the 2nd half of the season, but I could be wrong. Irving especially late in the regular season has been shooting lights out. This will be an interesting matchup nonetheless.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

I wanna say those games were before Kyrie went on a rampage the 2nd half of the season, but I could be wrong. Irving especially late in the regular season has been shooting lights out. This will be an interesting matchup nonetheless.

Thats a fair assertion.

Kyrie scored 27 points on 42 percent shooting a few games before the playoffs, but Rose was not in the game.

The 6 for 18 for 17 points game came about two weeks after Kyrie scored 55 points in a game and was still very much on a roll up until his game against Chicago.

The 12 assist game came after a huge game for him against the clips (he had 37 points)

The last one, where he had his biggest game came right at the beginning of the year.

Here is the link to his game log this year...

Kyrie Irving | Cleveland | National Basketball Association | Yahoo! Sports

Kyrie is a great player. I had him on my fantasy team, and he was probably the most entertaining player to watch in the entire NBA. However, he has struggled a little with D Rose. People don't understand that D Rose is actually a very good defender when he has to be. He's able to concentrate on it even more this year because of the rest of the teams ability to score. It will definitely be a key match up in this series. Kyrie will probably win the matchup in a few games and Rose will win it in a few games. I'm excited to watch it.