Cavs: Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio look to recapture chemistry with CLE

The year is 2013 and the NBA Season is 15 games in. You check Bleacher Report and one of the lead NBA articles is titled “Is Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio the NBA’s Next Great Duo?”.

Thomas Duffy outlined a combo with John Stockton and Karl Malone comparisons, MVP hopes, playoff aspirations, injury concerns and more. Fast forward just under eight years and the two find themselves together again with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Rubio found his way to the 216 on draft night. Cleveland sent Taurean Prince, cash and a second-round pick via the Washington Wizards for Rubio.

As NBA free agency closes, many Cleveland fans feel as though the Cavaliers stayed quiet. Technically the Cavaliers didn’t do much, but the acquisition of the nine-year veteran has a free agent feel to it. The Cavs don’t lose much in Taurean Prince, begin spending $4 million more for this season, and get an establised veteran contributor on their roster.

While it was a draft night trade, Cleveland can hold up Rubio as their free agent need that was addressed.

The second part of this Minnesota reunion came this past week when a report surfaced that Kevin Love could potentially come off the bench this year for Cleveland, per The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd (subscription required). When the Cavaliers selected big man Evan Mobley with the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Love’s role immediately came into question.

Jarrett Allen ended the season as the Cavs starting five, Mobley’s potential is already popping, and Love has had a toxic post championship run with the Cavs. Everything factored in, Rubio and Love could very well headline Cleveland’s second unit.

While Rubio and Love aren’t in 2013 form, their presence should bring some reassurance to Cavs fans. Past bench units saw Matthew Dellavedova and Lamar Stevens, Quinn Cook and Mfiondu Kabengele, or Dante Exum and Dean Wade. Now fans will get a duo with three years experience together, almost 100 hundred wins, veteran leadership, and a past friendship.

In 2013 Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio had hopes as a duo. Love needed a sidekick to make his first playoff appearance and guide him to a MVP run. Rubio was fighting through injuries to live up to lottery pick potential. Eight years later the two have new hopes.

Rubio wants to play well enough to stay with a team for more than one year, for example. And Love hopes to erase the narrative for being one of the worst contracts in the NBA.

The hope is they’ll come together to recapture a relationship that had high potential in 2013.