King James Gospel
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love’s extension destines franchise to enter basketball purgatory

By Doug Patrick

BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the first half against the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the first half against the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 1: Larry Nance Jr. #22 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high fives fans before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 1, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 1: Larry Nance Jr. #22 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high fives fans before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 1, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Tanking doesn’t always work

The opposite of “remaining competitive” is to tank. There’s a philosophy around the league that teams should only shoot to be the very best or the very worst.

If your team’s the best, then they can win championships—the whole point of the darn thing. Yet, if you can’t be the best — which the Cavs certainly cannot — then you should shoot for the bottom of the standings to win the best draft picks.

Either way, there is an award for committing to either side of the spectrum.

To be in the middle is to only be awarded with more of the same but, in the same vein, bottoming-out doesn’t always work.

People point to The Process and its recent success in Philadelphia: former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie committed to playing out several awful seasons in a row to have opportunities at the best talent in the following year’s draft.

This strategy landed the team players like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz and into the conversation of a contender.

While the plan has seemingly worked out, remember that “The Process” took an immense amount of luck and four miserable years which included a 10-win season and Jahlil Okafor.

There’s a chance that if the Cavs bottomed out, they would get none of the luck and all of the misery. Their situation could look more similar to Orlando’s or Sacramento’s—extended rebuilds with no real end in sight.