LeBron James says Kevin Love will get his touches, but it’s an adjustment
Oct 28, 2014, 8:30 AM EDT
Getty Images Last season LeBron James had to carry the Miami Heat offense, despite the other stars on that squad.
Kevin Love was cornerstone of the Minnesota Timberwolves attack last season.
Kyrie Irving was the Cavaliers offense.
Now all of them are on the same team and they are trying to figure out how three guys used to the ball in their hands can play nice together. Coach David Blatt’s offense helps, there is spacing and good ball movement (at least through the preseason), but still they are not used to letting others have the ball in their hands.
Already Love is saying he needs more touches in the paint. LeBron told Chris Fodor of the Plain Dealer Love will get his but everyone needs to chill a little.
“I think we are all going to go through an adjustment and less touches than we would like. Anytime one of us says something it will get blown out of proportion and I think that got blown out of proportion,” James said following practice on Friday. “I read the clips of what he stressed. The first thing you see is Kevin Love wants more touches and is unhappy, but I’ve had zero reaction.”
LeBron is right, it’s going to be an adjustment for everyone in Cleveland.
It took LeBron’s Heat team basically a season and a half to find its identity, they made it to the Finals but lost in that time. We may see something similar here in the sense the Cavaliers are going to be unquestionably good but teams like the Spurs, Bulls and Thunder have their identity locked in. They know who they are and what they want to do.
We’ll see if the Cavaliers can get there by the start of the playoffs in April.
-
- miamibeatles - Oct 28, 2014 at 8:47 AM
-
Yes. He will get the leftover touches that Bosh was getting.
-
- truehooper1421 - Oct 28, 2014 at 8:57 AM
-
Exactly.
-
- jeffkx - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:52 AM
-
This is why Dion Waiters will either be gone or coming off the bench..Dion can say all the good things he wants, he won’t allow himself to be the 4th option.
-
- jeffkx - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:11 AM
-
I should have said his ego won’t allow him to be the 4th option.
-
- fanofthegame79 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:51 PM
-
This article took the full Kevin Love quote out of context. He didn’t say “he needed more touches.” and that’s it, what he really said was he needed more touches in the paint (on the inside) before taking 3-point shots.
-
- jeffkx - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:39 AM
-
Yea the author of the article went on local radio to explain that..kind of funny how the media took the quote and turned it into a big issue..
-
- mywill02100 - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:11 AM
-
Kevin Love is gonna have to realize that he isnt THE man anymore. You gave that up when you wanted to be traded so now you have to adjust your game to fit the game and the personnel that surrounds him. Love will have to play the pick and pop game with Irving and Bron driving
-
- fanofthegame79 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:51 PM
-
This article took the full Kevin Love quote out of context. He didn’t say “he needed more touches.” and that’s it, what he really said was he needed more touches in the paint (on the inside) before taking 3-point shots.
-
- edon8334 - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:20 AM
-
Kevin Love will definitely get touches and he’s going to be very important for the Cavs to succeed, just like Bosh was for the Heat
-
- andrewwiggins22 - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:29 AM
-
It’s the price Kevin Love has to pay in joining the Cavs, he should know that. Get in touch with Chris Bosh for some tips(?).
-
- fanofthegame79 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:50 PM
-
This article took the full Kevin Love quote out of context. He didn’t say “he needed more touches.” and that’s it, what he really said was he needed more touches in the paint (on the inside) before taking 3-point shots.
-
- ProBasketballPundit - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:30 AM
-
I have zero rationale for saying this but I almost wish Cleveland hadn’t traded for Kevin Love. I was really excited to see LeBron, Kyrie, and Wiggins grow together. Of course with the miles on LeBron’s body you have to take your shot while you can.
But it’s not even unrealistic that Cleveland could have landed Love next year with the soon-to-be-skyrocketing salary cap.
-
- toycannoni - Oct 28, 2014 at 10:42 AM
-
you’d be back to zero next year and you’d have 4 mouths to feed….no thanks
lebron has 5-6 years of great play left, and then he will play a dirk/kobe role at 35-40…. why not just do the 40 game adjustment and then let the rings pile up
there’s so much talent on the cleveland team now, and we’re not just talking bench talent, these guys are all starters on someones team (lakers hollah)
love’s “touches” were taken out of context and the he and the king have already said as much
this teams only question mark is the coach and his in game decisions and adjustments
with lebron’s on court leadership and one of the highest bb iq’s in nba history, i really don’t think it will be a problem
-
- jeffkx - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:26 AM
-
When you have a chance to get a 26 year top ten player (ESPN said 7th I think) for an unproven rookie and a player who had an awful rookie year and an early 20s pick I think you have to do it. Especially when you have LeBron turning 30. But I have to admit I thought the same as you did when the Love to Cavs rumors started no doubt.
-
- golfrangeman - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:43 AM
-
Love will get his touches especially in year one, LeBron will make sure of that. It’s year 2-3 and so on if they stay together that thing will change just like in Miami. Bosh moved outside but I don’t think love will stay outside as much as bosh did at the end he’s too good a rebounder.
-
- fanofthegame79 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:50 PM
-
This article took the full Kevin Love quote out of context. He didn’t say “he needed more touches.” and that’s it, what he really said was he needed more touches in the paint (on the inside) before taking 3-point shots.
-
- rafy7551 - Oct 28, 2014 at 9:50 AM
-
It seems that they won’t have good chemistry as the Heat did…
-
- toycannoni - Oct 28, 2014 at 10:48 AM
-
the big 3 have only played 2 games together, how do you come up with that?
it will take some games to gel, but even in learning to play together, i still see them winning close to 60 games in the regular season
-
- rafy7551 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:37 AM
-
How can you call them Big 3 when 2 of the 3 haven’t even won a playoff game or any significant games?? Love & Kyrie have suspect defense, Love is known to be a bad teammate… The season haven’t start it and he is already asking for more touches… Lebron is trying to recreate what was accomplished in Miami and that’s a hard thing to do because of the difference in players personalities, the Cavs do not have anyone in the Organization like Pat Riley that can glue things between players and egos…
-
- toycannoni - Oct 28, 2014 at 12:14 PM
-
@rafy…no disrespect, but you need to be a little more informed on the things that have already been said by love and lebron on the matter
as far the big 3 goes….you’ve got the greatest player in the world, along with the best pf in the nba, teamed up with a top 5 pg who’s just coming off a world championship mvp…..actually there is no bigger 3 in todays game
as far as winning a playoff, you’ve got to have some decent help…
bb is still a team game and no one person is going to win by himself, with the exception of lebron who took the cavs to the finals with no name players at all
lebron did it with the cavs, but he had to score the last 25 points of the game just to get to the finals
look at kobe after shaq left…he was in his prime and couldn’t even lead a championship team to the playoffs
as far as old school pat riley goes, i am a huge fan
however, rumor has it that he was one of the main reasons lebron went back home after going to the finals 4 years in a row….he sure didn’t glue anything together in that case
-
- rafy7551 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:05 AM
-
Because the Heat were not complaining or making the kind of statements that Love made regarding more touches…
-
- dj3garrett - Oct 28, 2014 at 12:24 PM
-
Bosh complained about touches all of the time… Wade also said that he’d like more touches to get going a other of times.. Quit trying to make it sound like it was all flowers and sunshine I’m Miami…
-
- toycannoni - Oct 28, 2014 at 12:26 PM
-
here you go dude….read this and maybe you’ll understand a little better where love is coming from
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/kevin-love-how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation/
if you don’t want to read the story here’s the last question…..
Are you the second wheel? Are you the third wheel? What about your stats?
To them I say: I don’t care. I’ve never played in a playoff game. I came to Cleveland because I want to win. I’ll grab a broom and sweep the floors if it gets me an NBA title.
-
- feb16oh - Oct 28, 2014 at 2:17 PM
-
Hey, Kurt!
Read and watch the original interview with Love where he mentions the “touches” you and this site have become so corruptibly obsessed with. He didn’t say he NEEDED more touches as if he thinks he needs to be used more. He’s saying he needs more touches (aka experience) before he can be most comfortable posting up and adjusting to the new scheme, ya obtuse bag of shady. Stop manufacturing your own locker room drama.
Then again, I can’t believe I’d expect better from the same guy who wrote this at the end of June:
“While some teams around the league are planning just in case, nobody I’ve spoken to really expects LeBron James is going to leave Miami. Certainly not for Cleveland.”
-
- fanofthegame79 - Oct 28, 2014 at 11:48 PM
-
This article took the full Kevin Love quote out of context. He didn’t say “he needed more touches.” and that’s it, what he really said was he needed more touches in the paint (on the inside) before taking 3-point shots. He went on to explain that this current Blatt offense has Love starting out at the 3-point line and moving in as the game goes on. Love said he would and could adjust, but that he’s used to starting his offense by making a couple of easy/inside shots before he steps out and hits 3’s.
