Cavs: Three players to watch in third 2019-20 game vs. Bucks

#1: Kevin Love

Kevin Love has been a name that has swirled around in trade rumors recently, which is nothing new and he’s seemingly used to it, as he detailed with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

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Love also reportedly, if he were to be dealt by the Cleveland Cavaliers, would prefer to end up with the Portland Trail Blazers, which would be a homecoming for him.

It was also reported on Thursday that teams looking to make a deal for Love, given him just being in the first year of his four-year, $120.4 million contract, are looking to have a first-rounder attached with them having to take on the financial burden Love would put on their books in coming years.

At any rate, given that report and with the Cavs doing this song and dance involving the Love trade talks before, I would think it’s anything but set-in-stone that Cleveland general manager Koby Altman and the front office will move Love in an urgent manner.

Altman and company need to take their time if that’s what they eventually intend to do.

In the mean time, though, it’s been very good to see Love rebound from a rough patch of games, and as our own Robbie DiPaola demonstrated, do pretty well against the Rockets, and that 30-point, 17-rebound performance in San Antonio had to feel really good for Love.

Will we see Love space the floor in this one against the Bucks and get the ball swinging to shooters such as Cedi Osman and Darius Garland, and keep seemingly being locked-in throughout?

I hope Love can follow up that stellar game against the Spurs on Thursday, and have a big effort against the Bucks.

Love, Osman and Garland were key cogs in getting the Cavs right back into the game with a fierce comeback effort the last time these two played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and Cleveland will need Love to get himself going to free up other pieces.

Love does need to limit his turnovers, though, and with the Bucks’ length, especially. I understand Love is always going to have the full attention of opposing defenses, but him leading the Cavaliers in turnovers per game is still a bit of a stretch.

Hopefully K-Love can be efficient against Milwaukee, and get good looks off while being a productive ball-mover and aid the Cavs in not allowing Giannis Antetokounmpo to have transition basket after transition basket on the road.

Containing last year’s MVP, who had 33 points on 14-of-26 shooting in the last meeting, according to ESPN, in the halfcourt will be hard enough. Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks’ game on Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans due to reported right quad soreness, but he was good to go against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

Again, though, the Cavaliers need a big effort out of Love in this one, and have high hands on contests, K-Love!

Now on to the second player to watch on Saturday in this one.