It was supposed to be a beautiful Big 3 in Cleveland. LeBron already knew how to work in a Big 3 set-up. Kyrie Irving was already there and all the Cavs needed was that one extra piece. That was the thinking, anyway. NBA wisdom says you need three stars to win: James, Wade, Bosh. Duncan, Ginobili, Parker. (Yes, Kawhi Leonard, but over the years.) The Cavs made the move that wisdom dictated, bringing in All-Star Kevin Love from Minnesota. But what if the Cavaliers had just played the hand they had?
That would mean that instead of a Kevin Love who’s not sure of his role on the Cavaliers you’d have the next NBA Rookie of the Year, Andrew Wiggins. Cleveland dealt Wiggins almost without a thought. A “must win now” attitude drove all Cleveland’s decisions after LeBron came back. But what if “win now” really meant keeping Andrew Wiggins, a player who is more athletic than Love, plays far better defense (a Cavaliers sore spot) and is already averaging 15 points a game? Hindsight likes the look of that move a whole bunch. Hindsight looks back on Andrew Wiggins as a Cavalier the way LeBron secretly looks back at Miami. Fondly, like why did we mess that up? What might have been…
