National Basketball Association

A Kevin Love-Russell Westbrook Pairing Is A Dream Scenario For All

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Apr 23, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) during the second half in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. The Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 103-95. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

A trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder would be a dream scenario for Kevin Love. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, trading for Victor Oladipo gives them an opportunity to right their mistakes from the 2013 NBA Draft.

After reading Kevin Love‘s article on The Players Tribune about his time at UCLA, it’s evident that Love is the loyal teammate that Russell Westbrook needs in Oklahoma City.

However, in any scenario that involves Love being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cleveland Cavaliers should receive Victor Oladipo in exchange.

While Love is constantly under a microscope in Cleveland, it’s because NBA fans hold him to a high standard. Every game Cavs fans want to see at least a 20-point, double-double from the power forward. Love is a generational player because he’s an above-average three-point shooter yet still a dominant rebounder.

His passing abilities also are notable. He throws Hail Mary passes to LeBron James down the court with Tom Brady-like precision. He has the same mentality in the halfcourt, making passes to cutters and shooters that put them in position to score.

Oladipo, the second overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, is the perfect complement to Kyrie Irving. As Cavaliers fans know, Oladipo could have been on the team as early as 2013. Instead, the Cavs opted to select Anthony Bennett.

Irving is an elite scorer with a silky smooth shot. Oladipo is an elite defender with the athleticism to assault the rim with a barrage of dunks.

Irving likes to score from all levels and does it with a unique ability to create his own shot. Oladipo likes to score from all levels, but doesn’t possess the ball-handling ability of a player like Irving. Irving’s handles allow him to get anywhere he wants on the court. Oladipo’s explosive first step is what allows him to get by defenders and kick it out to excellent shooters like Irving.

It’s a wonder why the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t draft Oladipo in the first place. It’s a dream scenario for the Cleveland Cavaliers to get Oladipo now. The Thunder and the Cavs should make a trade. The Thunder receive Love, the Cavs receive Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Morrow.

May 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots against Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) in the first quarter in game five of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder Upgrade With Star Power

Acquiring Love gives the Thunder a major upgrade over Ersan Ilyasova. Although both players had similar averages last year, Love is the bigger perimeter and rebounding threat by far.

While they both shot the ball respectably, Ilyasova takes half the amount of three-point shots. Last year, Love made 158-of-439 three-point attempts. By comparison, Ilyasova made 96-of-259 attempts. Ilyasova’s proficiency from three was better than Serge Ibaka‘s, though Ibaka does deplore being a “fake four“.

Last season with the Thunder, Ibaka made 60-of-184 three-point attempts. However, Love tops both of these forwards in the floor spacing department. Love’s ability to space the floor at an elite rate is going to have a very positive impact on the team’s ability to score efficiently.

That spacing is important for a team that plays two traditional post players, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, a ton. Ibaka, who used to operate as the team’s safety net in these instances, was ineffective when shooting the three this season.

In Billy Donovan’s offense, Ibaka was often so far out that Adams and Kanter could use their size to control the paint. The Thunder also have a backcourt that fails to pose a shooting threat from the perimeter.

In terms of rebounding, though he has the strength to fight for rebounds with the bigs, Ilyasova lacks the long arms and broad shoulders of Love. Love’s physical attributes are only enhanced by his dedication to box out opponents.

Westbrook will miss a fair amount of shots from the perimeter. Due to his lack of touch from that range and his Tazmanian Devil-like approach to playing the point guard position, Westbrook is inefficient when pulling up from anywhere but the elbow.

At the ends of close games last year, the Thunder had costly turnovers and poor shot selection. With Russell and Kevin Durant as their best players, and neither possessing post moves, the team isolated on the perimeter in crunch-time all the time. It ended up dooming them in last year’s playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

There are a couple of solutions to this conundrum, without having added efficient wing players to the roster. The first is to get offensive rebounds, and subsequently second-chance points. To this point, Love does that for the Thunder, gathering 3.2 offensive rebounds per game. In those situations, Love can put it back up himself. Using his hook shot, which he converted at a 57.1 percent rate last season, expect Love to be efficient.

Another solution is to allow Love to be a primary playmaker in transition and in the half-court. In transition, Love excels at making outlet passes downcourt. Because he doesn’t need to dribble down the court to make a play in transition, like Westbrook or Durant would have to, he doesn’t put himself and the team in situations where opponents can apply tight ball pressure.

Furthermore, as Love comes down the court as a trailer he must be accounted for. His ability to get open and knock down three-point shots will force the opposition’s big man into a quick decision. Allow Westbrook to blow past for the layup or allow Love to shoot an uncontested three.

In the half-court, it’s much more simple. Love can run the offense from the elbow and because of the slowed pace, there will be less turnovers. It’s a rudimentary and basic concept, but it’s as simple as that.

Love is a player who can solve multiple issues for the Thunder. First, he spaces the floor more for Westbrook to penetrate and make plays for himself or his teammates. Secondly, he has the tools to solve the Thunder’s woes in crunch time situations. Lastly, Love is a proven playoff performer. Ilyasova hasn’t brought his regular season shooting to any of his playoff trips. Love is a star player who enters playoff mode with the exuberance of a child on Christmas.

Love was inefficient last season and still one of the most dominant big men in the league. Playing on a team where he can be the focal point of an offense could be his return to glory.

Kevin Love Is The Teammate Russell Westbrook Needs And Vice Versa

On-the-court, but more importantly off-the-court, Love gives Westbrook a friend.

Friendship and trust are underrated commodities in the NBA. Think of the underlying reasons behind James’ decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010. Or more recently, Durant’s decision to team up with Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors.

Familial vibes are important in this league. It’s how the San Antonio Spurs have stayed strong for decades. It’s how the young Portland Trailblazers stayed loose enough to be a surprise team in the Western Conference.

In reading Love’s piece on The Player’s Tribune about his time at UCLA, it’s instantly evident that Love enjoys being around genuine people. It’s what mezmerized him when he was talking to John Wooden.

Wooden, who was a rockstar to others, stayed in a one-bedroom shack, read all of his fan mail, and his place was cluttered with memorabilia of his favorite times and players at UCLA. Furthermore, Wooden cared way more about Love’s character than his basketball abilities.

Westbrook has been called one of the most fiercely loyal people in the NBA. A microcosm of Westbrook’s loyalty can be seen in Love’s anecdote regarding Westbrook and Nina Earl. In college, Westbrook couldn’t stop talking about her. Eight years later, Nina Earl is Nina Westbrook.

There’s no way that the two college friends, Love and Westbrook, don’t have a deep bond eight years later. Fans know that because Love just penned a piece detailing it. In fact, there was a time when Westbrook, and not James, was Love’s MVP pick in 2015.

Furthermore, Westbrook is the type of person Love can rely on to have his back. While the Cavs may be a close-knit group, James has called out Love publicly.

Blake Griffin Can Still Come And If He Doesn’t “OK”

Next summer, the Thunder hope to land Blake Griffin.

Although Griffin may ultimately decide to re-sign in Los Angeles where he would make the most money and be the focal point of the team, he could also opt to sign with a team like the New York Knicks. New York has a big market to support Griffin’s rise to stardom. The Thunder, though the hometown team, might not have enough money or marketability to sign Griffin.

However, forming a Big Three with Westbrook and Love would be ideal. Though Love and Griffin are both power forwards nominally, they play little like traditional big men. Love wields a torch from behind the three point-line. Griffin can guard out on the perimeter. He also can operate as the team’s point guard.

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To this point, Westbrook, who receives a fair amount of criticism for his scorer’s mentality at the point guard position, will get the best of both worlds. While Westbrook remains the team’s starting point guard nominally. Griffin will be there to set both himself and their teammates up for easy points.

Furthermore, unlike Durant, Griffin doesn’t need isolate players on the perimeter to score. That means while the ball will come out of Westbrook’s hands more, it won’t be during the points of the game Westbrook wants the ball the most. Griffin’s main scoring plays come in post-ups, transition opportunities, in the pick-and-roll, and as an off-ball cutter.

Defensively, Griffin is able to guard small forwards because of his athleticism. However, those same small forwards won’t be able to guard him in the post because of his size. Should the opposing team opt to cover Griffin or Love with a center, the spacing opens up for Westbrook to attack and the opportunity for Love to beat his man off-the-dribble. Ultimately, the opponent has few options to defend the frontcourt.

The Thunder’s offense will become even more potent if the Thunder can acquire a three-point specialist. To Oklahoma City’s delight, sharpshooters such as Kyle Korver and J.J. Redick become free agents next summer.

Jun 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; The Orlando Magic draft board displays their first round draft pick of Victor Oladipo during a press conference at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Correcting The 2013 NBA Draft Will Transform The Cleveland Cavaliers

As the Thunder receive Love, it’s only right that the Cavs receive Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo was drafted second overall in the 2013 NBA Draft behind the Cleveland Cavaliers selection of Anthony Bennett. Bennett, who has bounced in and out of the league, never was able to bring the magic he had at UNLV to The Land. In his season single season with the Cavs, Bennett was out-of-shape on top of not being as good as advertised. He averaged 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds with the Cavs in 52 games.

Oladipo was instead picked second overall by the Orlando Magic. In three seasons with the Magic, Oladipo averaged 15.9 points, 4.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. These stats that reflect the part of his game that’s not even where excels.

Oladipo is an athletic and defensive-minded guard who can excel playing off-the-ball on offense. It’s obvious just looking at Oladipo that he could cover for Irving defensively and allow Irving to both rest and attack more off-the-ball offensively because of his ability to play both guard positions. Yet, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Defensively, Oladipo looks like a young Dwyane Wade. Using quick hands and feet, and remarkable ability to predict the ballhandler’s next move, Oladipo racks up steals at an impressive rate. Through his first three years in the league, Oladipo has 365 steals. Compare that with Wade’s 355 steals through his first three years in the league and Oladipo looks like he has the makings of a All-Defensive player for years to come.

At 6-foot-4, his height isn’t ideal for a shooting guard, but his 6-foot-9 wingspan is. Using his wingspan, athleticism, and defensive instinct Oladipo has also managed to collect 110 blocks over the course of his career. For comparison, Wade totaled 174 blocks in his first three years in the league. The difference in the numbers can be accounted for by the fact that Wade excels at blocking players shots on the perimeter. Oladipo’s blocking experience, meanwhile, largely comes in the form of rim-protection.

Here, Oladipo’s defensive awareness is put on display as he reads the cutting Will Barton perfectly. Wasting no time in rotating, Oladipo is in perfect position to make a play on the ball. Because of his athleticism, timing, and strength, Oladipo is able to turn away Barton at the rim. Oladipo’s ability to protect the rim as a help defender is major improvement of current free agent J.R. Smith‘s ability to protect the rim in help defense.

Often times, Smith decides not to make contact with the defender at all. He gives them a free run to the hoop either because he was too late rotating or beat off-the-dribble. Not possessing the defensive acumen of a player like Wade or Oladipo, he’s unable to block his matchup’s dunk or layup attempt.

These types of plays frustrating plays happen too often to Smith. Though he is a better defender now than he was even in his first season as a Cavalier, Smith isn’t athletic as he used to be and can be beat by quicker guards and forwards.

Mar 18, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) drives to the basket as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) defends during the second half at Amway Center. Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Unlocking The Cleveland Cavalier’s Offense

Oladipo’s defense will unlock the Cleveland Cavaliers potential. In an uptempo offense such as the Cavaliers, Oladipo will thrive.

With the on-ball pressure that he and James in particular will provide, Oladipo will be able to get out and run in the fullcourt. Whether he’s pushing the ball up the court or filling in the lanes for a lob, Oladipo is dangerous because of his speed, strength and explosiveness. Because of his explosiveness and ability to finish with physicality or finesse around the rim, Oladipo is an outlet option that will be efficient as the Cavs get out and run.

In the halfcourt, Oladipo is able to be an all-around scorer who will slash to the rim, knock down a catch-and-shoot jumper and pull-up off-the-dribble.

This all-around mindset may make Irving feel less of a need to drive-in, as Oladipo will drive to the rim far more than Smith would. Oladipo will be able to read and react to James and Irving’s lane penetration and make smart cuts towards the rim. Oladipo’s own ability to penetrate into the lane will open up off-ball opportunities for his teammates.

Shooters like Irving, Smith, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye will be left alone and make defenses pay for the space. Dump-off passes to players like James, Jordan McRae, and Tristan Thompson are sure to pay off as well.

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) warms up before game six of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

A New Cavs Team

Love is currently a part of the team’s future plans. Still, the opportunity for the franchise to right its past could be too enticing for the team to pass up.

Trading for Oladipo gives the Cleveland Cavaliers an instant defensive upgrade. For a team and personnel that thrive in transition, that’s perfect.

The trade could give the team the breathing room they could need to re-sign Smith. In addition, Love’s absence allows James to play more power forward. As James gets older, the transition will be necessary.