Cavs: Team will find out how good they are without Kevin Love

Kevin Love has been ruled out for 3-4 weeks due to his recurring calf-injury and the team will see just how good they are without him.

The Cavs are a shocking 3-0 to start the season. Powered mostly behind the stellar play of Collin Sexton and Andre Drummond, the Cavs are giving fans a lot of hope. The biggest difference, besides the play of Darius Garland, has been the size advantage down low. No longer undersized against opposing teams, the late-year addition of Drummond to close out the 2019-2020 season and the addition of Javale McGee has really been huge factors. Those two players, plus Larry Nance Jr. and Kevin Love were going to be huge factors going forward. Love, despite his pedestrian numbers through two games (19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, in just 47 minutes), was expected to be a huge cog in this team.

Now he’s out until the end of January at least, and that means the Cavs will have to find a way to succeed without their biggest star. The only thing that may encourage fans is that the Cavs have played well without him in several games to start the preseason, while winning the game he missed against the Hornets, and the game he left early in against the 76ers.

The team is succeeding because of its ability to move the ball, which was a huge issue last year. This ball movement has made guys like Nance and Cedi Osman so much more valuable for the team, and if this type of play persists the team may be able to ride through the rough patch without Love.

Though, don’t get it twisted, if the Cavs are for real and it’s too early to say yes or no, the team will need Love. Love has guidance, experience, the ability to stretch the court and rebound with the best of them. Nance and McGee aren’t known for their super rebounding abilities, and the team will need Love to help take the pressure off of Drummond down low.

If the team has a near .500 upon his return, the team will be in a fantastic position to move forward with Love as a low post anchor. This team will need to rely on Dean Wade to help fill Love’s spot but if the play we’ve seen is a sign of things to come and not an aberration, then this team is going to be just fine.