The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Thompson should be Cavs’ first trade asset
Two weeks have passed since the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Already, it’s clear the league’s offseason will be guided by binary ideologies.
Does a potential acquisition increase, or decrease, the chance of beating Golden State in a sevengame series?
Does the path to championships in coming seasons, seemingly blocked by the Warriors for the near future and maybe beyond, suggest a team should maneuver to help its chances of playing into June? Or begin hoarding future assets and tank in hopes of assembling a contender by the time Kevin Durant and Steph Curry move out of their prime?
For at least this summer, the Cavaliers’ focus is on the first premise. If there’s a trade to be made under it, the deal should not involve Kevin Love.
The Finals showcased a pair of teams with fundamentally distinct offensive philosophies.
In the Finals, the Warriors passed the ball 1,491 times. The Cavaliers made 1,315 passes.
The Warriors move the ball. If they don’t have the chance to shoot it, they move it again and move themselves.
The Cavaliers pass the ball to James or Irving, and four other players move out of the way. In the half court, 10 defensive eyes are able to focus on the player with the ball with little worry about it going somewhere else.
Cleveland probably won’t institute a more democratic offense this summer. And with generational talents like James and Irving, it’s obviously wise to keep the ball in their hands as much as possible.
In turn, that’s also the reason additions of players like Paul George, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony or Blake Griffin wouldn’t make more than a marginal difference in the Cavaliers’ fortunes. That has nothing to do with the talent of the players, but the dynamic of the Cavaliers’ system.
Kyrie Irving used 30.2 percent of the Cavaliers’ possessions last season, the 13th-highest rate in the league. LeBron James was right behind him at 29.7 percent.
Factor in that another 25.5 percent of Cleveland’s trips down the floor ended with a shot, free throws or turnover by Love, and there simply aren’t many more plays available for another ball-dominant player like Wade or Anthony.
Love is the type of player who fits well with Irving and James — and can help beat the Warriors between. Love is the team’s second-best passer behind James, as well as an excellent rebounder and 3-point shooter.
He is valuable alongside James and Irving because he plays an effective offensive game despite not needing the ball in his hands to create scoring opportunities.
In review of the rest of roster, the Cavs already have a fair amount of players who would be useful in a series against Golden State.
James, Irving and Love are obvious. J.R. Smith’s offense is lethal and he’s shown the ability to play beneficial defense. Iman Shumpert’s ability to guard multiple perimeter spots compensates for subpar offense.
However, Channing Frye’s defensive shortcomings mitigate his offensive value and Richard Jefferson is below average on both sides of the floor. The entertainment value of their podcast is inversely proportional to what they provided on the court during the Finals.
And then there’s Tristan Thompson, who is set to make $16.4 million and has three years remaining on a contract which increasingly looks like a mistake. For a team looking to win titles, that amount of money needs to be allocated toward more than 5.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in a Finals series. Not to mention, the only Warriors player Thompson was capable of guarding was Zaza Pachulia.
Before there’s any exploration of a deal involving Love, finding a way to turn Thompson into an asset that can space the floor and serviceably guard one of Golden State’s perimeter weapons should be the first consideration.
Of course, nothing can really happen until the Cavaliers sort out their front office. Although David Griffin helped mold the Cavaliers into a team that ushered in a golden age for the franchise, he was unable to become the first general manager to earn the distinction of a contract extension from Dan Gilbert.
Regardless of how or where James’ career finishes, perhaps the most significant achievement among his many won’t be bringing a title to Cleveland, but winning a championship on a Gilbertowned team.