Kevin Love is out for the playoffs as the Cleveland Cavaliers try their first run at a championship in the LeBron James 2.0 era. When Love left Minnesota for the Cavs this summer, it was as one of the most sought-after players in the NBA — an All-Star who could shoot deep and rebound the ball. Love wasn’t as impressive as part of the Big Three in Cleveland as he’d been as the Big One in Minnesota. His stock certainly didn’t rise this year, but it didn’t go down much either.
There’s a ton of speculation about what Love will do this summer because he can opt out of his contract when the season ends. Fairy tales –which sometimes come true, you’ll remember — put the UCLA kid back in LA wearing a Lakers uniform for Kobe’s swan song year. Will Love or won’t Love opt out? But the question really doesn’t have big consequences–because opting in, in Love’s case, only means one more season. Love could hate the Cavaliers and still stay on one more year, maybe win a championship. And, lucky for him, the free agent market next year won’t be as saturated–and there should be even more money available. It’s not like if Love stays in Cleveland he’s stuck there. He’s obliged for one more year, tops.
