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Just because the recent open letter of Cleveland Cavaliers owner of Dan Gilbert to LeBron James on his departure for Los Angeles was much more conciliatory than the spitting missive that he wrote eight years ago in Comic Sans, when James left the Cavs the first time, that does not mean that the aspirations of the team have softened. The Cavaliers want to be competitive now, not in five years.
There is something else that is the best way to act. But this fact is certainly a major reason why the Cavaliers announced that they had signed star striker Kevin Love to a $ 120 million contract extension for four years Tuesday morning – a contract that theoretically maintains Love in Cleveland for the rest of its capital. a base to build around in the post-LeBron era, something that was missing to the Cavaliers in 2010.
It was a fascinating decision on both sides. For starters, love has brought back a significant amount of money in this case. If he had been waiting for the free agency next summer, he could have signed a four – year contract worth about $ 164 million elsewhere, or a contract of approval. five years worth about $ 221 million to stay in Cleveland
. This will have a lot of salary cap space and that Love will be the main scoring option of the Cavs this season in the absence of James, he would probably have been able to get that maximum next summer. But after playing only 59 games last season and facing a variety of injuries over the course of his career, Love made it clear that blocking $ 120 million guaranteed was the best game.
Cleveland's point of view , variety of fronts – the first being that the Cavaliers want to continue to win in the short term. That might sound laughable, given that the lineup around James was ridiculed as he trailed Cleveland through the playoffs and back to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive season. But with Love, George Hill, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver and Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have enough veteran talent to compete with the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets for last place in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It does not seem to go far, but Gilbert would be delighted to play in the playoffs in the first year without James, even if the Cavaliers are successful in a series of four or five games in the first round and nothing more.
On top of that, there is a realistic chance that the Cavaliers might creak in the playoffs in the East while James and his Los Angeles Lakers are left out of the playoffs in the West. . The only thing Gilbert would like more than doing the playoffs without James would be to make the playoffs as James misses them. The only happier part with this scenario would be the Atlanta Hawks, who will get Cleveland's first-round pick if she lands outside the top 10 in the draft next year. Keeping the love, Cleveland increases his chances of sending this choice to Atlanta
But beyond trying to stay relevant and competitive without James, keep the love – and sign it to this extension – also increases its commercial value if the Cavaliers decide to go ahead in the coming months. It may seem crazy, since Gilbert and the Cavaliers trumpet Love's loyalty and dedication to the franchise, and publicly commit to building around him.
It was about a year ago, however, another all-star striker Blake Griffin heard the same from the Los Angeles Clippers, who stated that he would be a Clipper for life after having hired for a contract of up to five years to stay with the franchise that had written it. Seven months later, Griffin had been sent to the Detroit Pistons for a first-round pick and contracts that would soon expire, and this whole discussion about his career in Los Angeles was soon forgotten. Who can say that this will not happen again with Love in Cleveland?
By signing this deal on Tuesday, Love will be eligible to be distributed on Jan. 24, which happens just weeks before the transaction deadline. Cleveland now has the ability to return it elsewhere for much more value than it would have had as an expiring contract. Teams are generally more willing to give up assets when they know that they have the ability to get a player for the long run, as Detroit and Griffin show.
Of course, this deal could go badly old. The love could continue to be hurt or simply prove that it's not in the same stratosphere that it once was – and the Cavaliers could be harassed with it in the same way, let's say Houston is saddled with Ryan Anderson. But love was a star in the last two seasons with James, and he should stay one for at least the next two years as the team is built around him.
That Cavaliers should do this is another matter. But Cleveland, still unlucky since the loss of the greatest player possible, was lucky Tuesday to focus on Life After LeBron. Whether it means that they spend the next half decade building around Love or just accumulating its commercial value, Cleveland can now take it one way or the other.
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