The star trinity of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the former Wolves mainstay Kevin Love was supposed to propel the Cleveland Cavaliers into position to win an NBA title sooner rather than later.
The vision may have frayed a bit when the Cavs didn't get off to a great start and some of the chatter during their Christmas Day loss to Miami was how the season-ending injury to center Anderson Varejao, suffered Tuesday night against Minnesota, could take Cleveland out of serous title contention if a quality replacement isn't found.
And now, a Cavaliers writer for the Fansided network of blogs is asking this question: "Is Kevin Love a problem for Cleveland Cavaliers?"
Blogger Josh Hill posted Friday morning on his King James Gospel blog: "There are more than a few things causing his slump that need to be corrected if the Cavaliers want to get on the level they should be when 2015 starts."
Love is averaging 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, down from 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds in his final season with the Wolves. Those numbers are somewhat deceptive on their own, however, because he's playing with James and Irving instead of the collection that surrounded Love with the Wolves.
Still, Hill points out these shortcomings:
*Love's three-point shooting skills, developed during his time in Minnesota, are on vacation. He's 1-for-10 on three-pointers over his last four games -- "a massive problem for a guy who prides himself on being the best power shooting forward in the NBA," Hill writes.
*His rebounding numbers have suffered against teams with a solid front court, making his double-digit average less impressive. Fine against Brooklyn and the Wolves recently; lacking in a few other games, including the five rebounds Love pulled down in 39 minutes against Miami.
