Kevin Love Returns Tonight; Rest Not Back Related
The Cleveland Cavaliers went 1 – 1 without Kevin Love in their Florida trip. They defeated the Orlando Magic handily but were taken to task by the Miami Heat. The Heat took advantage of the Cavs legs after a tough schedule of games and the Cavs lack of shooting to stretch the floor, likely also do to their legs.
Tonight, against the Brooklyn Nets, Love is set to return:
Kevin Love will play tonight vs Nets after missing past two games. He said the rest "had nothing to do with my back."
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) March 18, 2015
Not shocking that he would return after two games of rest, if he isn’t injured he is young enough that he doesn’t need a ton of rest. What is shocking is that Love is stating that the rest had nothing to do with his back. At his age, 26, and having zero playoff mileage on his body, it is surprising that he needed two games off to rest but not because of his bothersome back.
Most that watch Love, who is actually having a good season no matter what the narrative says, can see an issue with his back. He is barely jumping on his shots, drives or even to get rebounds. Because he is so talented he is still averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds a game.
If he can get back to the Kevin Love of last year, his 3 point shot will have more air, his drive to the hole will end with dunks and his speed up and down the floor will increase. His defense, since Timofey Mozgov came over, has improved but he is still often a step slow.
If Love’s rest was not due to his back injury and just purely rest, you have to wonder if/when coach David Blatt starts to sit other players. Will Kyrie Irving, while still young, get some time off from the pounding he often takes in the paint? Will J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson get a game or two of rest? Is LeBron James in line for another couple of nights off to get him fully ready for the playoffs?
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This is the new NBA. Stars are rested, seeding in the Playoffs is less important and teams value healthy. Golden State rested most of their players even though most were young. The San Antonio Spurs model is running wild. It has worked for them, we can hope it works for us.
Kevin Love is back from rest, not related to his back, but could we see other players resting soon?
What do you think of Love returning but stating the rest had nothing to do with his back?