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Cavs: 3 reasons Kevin Love has very quietly become a franchise great

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 04: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after a teammate scored during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 04, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 112-106. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 04: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after a teammate scored during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 04, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 112-106. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 08: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers warms up before Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 08: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers warms up before Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

He’s achieved personal and team success

While he’s not met his personal achievements from his time in Minnesota, Kevin Love has still continued a very storied career, earning two of his five All-Star nominations in Cleveland. Truthfully, had he been on a better team, he likely would’ve made it again in 2019, but the Cavs were awful and Love did miss some time.

While his numbers are down, he’s also slowly coming back from a pretty major foot injury and has been producing more and more as the 2021 season continues. While he’s dealing more and more with injuries, he’s also only 32-years-old and isn’t a player that relies upon supreme athleticism for him to make plays. He can play this style of basketball for years to come, all he needs to do is stay healthy. With that in mind, it’s possible that he returns to full form in 2021-2022. So a sixth All-Star nod (third in Cleveland) isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

He’s also one of the few players in not just franchise history but NBA history to not only win an NBA Championship but win four consecutive Eastern Finals as well. The team’s success isn’t just on him, obviously, but he did contribute to his fair share over the years and was even the guy who ended up guarding Steph Curry on Curry’s last-second chance to take the 2016 NBA Finals away from the Cavs.

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