ICYMI: the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team over the second apron in the entire NBA. Not sure if that has ever been talked about before. Definitely could not have come up at any point during the offseason. That can't possibly still be an endless topic of conversation now.
In all seriousness, this may be one of the few times Clevelanders will actually enjoy the subject.
Kevin Love made an appearance on The Old Man and The Three. It turns out the former Cavaliers champion hates that part of the current NBA CBA as much as everyone in Northeast Ohio does.
Love said, "I’ll tell you selfishly what’s really f***ing stupid, ... these Aprons are f***ing with the game. ... And that's on our side. They know exactly who they are that did it."
The former Cav referenced the Oklahoma City Thunder, in particular, as a case example of why the apron rules don't make sense. However, a lot of what was said could easily apply to Cleveland's team as well.
Kevin Love made his case for why the NBA's second apron punishes teams unfairly
The Thunder are eventually going to be forced into changing up their championship DNA, in some capacity, due to the second apron. Their core is largely homegrown, bolstered by timely trades and calculated moves. Sound familiar?
Cleveland has built their identity on continuity. Sure, players like Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, both key members of the franchise, were acquired via trade once upon a time. As was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the Thunder. The same can be said of Isaiah Hartenstein or Alex Caruso.
It has largely been an in-house project for both. The second apron is readying both franchises to be punished for it.
The Thunder have the luxury of having a ridiculous amount of draft capital to help minimize their problems with relation to the NBA CBA. The Cavaliers cannot say the same of their current situation. The core idea here is they should not have to.
Sam Presti and company have done well to hoard draft picks. That gives them access to talented and cost-controlled players at a moment's notice. Unfortunately for 29 other teams, they do not have a Presti running their front office.
Punishing a group like the Cavs, who wants to keep trying with their core even if the ventures are unsuccessful, feels wrong. If Dan Gilbert and company want to keep picking up the bill, they should have that option without fearing the immense drawbacks.
If the Cavaliers want to break up their core four, that's fair game. There are certainly argument for doing so. The catalyst for making that move should not be the second apron.