Experts have raised questions over Cavs defensive weaknesses ahead of new season…
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor believes that Kevin Love’s defensive liabilities will come to the fore after he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 25-year-old was officially unveiled by the Cavs on Tuesday with Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a 2015 first-round pick heading in the opposite direction to complete the deal.
Love spoke of his commitment to bringing a championship to Cleveland in the coming years, and they are strongly tipped to achieve their goal with a Big Three consisting of Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
However, in a point made by NBA experts ahead of the trade deal, while they have no questions over Cleveland’s ability to score, there are question marks over whether or not they will have the defensive capabilities to shut other teams out and win games.
While James’ intensity and commitment on the defensive end is rarely questioned, both Irving and Love have been exposed in the past and it remains a standout weakness for their chances next year.
Taylor believes that it will be their undoing next season and he predicts that Love will face the brunt of the criticism because of it.
“I think where maybe he got away with some stuff not playing defense on our team, I’m not sure that’s how it’s going to work in Cleveland,” Taylor said on ESPN Radio 1500 AM in the Twin Cities on Tuesday.
“I would guess they’re going to ask him to play more defense and he’s foul prone.”
“I question Kevin if this is going to be the best deal for him because I think he’s going to be the third player on the team,” Taylor said. “I don’t think he’s going to get a lot of credit if they do really well. I think he’ll get blame if they don’t do well. He’s around a couple guys that are awful good.”
Love’s trade demand ultimately forced the Timberwolves into talks in order to avoid losing him in free agency next summer, but Taylor also has reservations over his former star’s health and believes that the Cavaliers will need to take good care of a player that has been injury prone in recent years.
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