Ed Szczepanski / USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to get on the board in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, but they'll have to do so without their starting power forward.
Kevin Love has been ruled out of Game 3 with a concussion, which will give the Cavs a different look on both ends of the floor. There's evidence to suggest Love's absence won't hurt the Cavs all that much, or that it may even prove to be addition by subtraction. Love has looked lost and overmatched against the Warriors, shooting 9-of-24, averaging 11 points, and shooting just one free throw through the first two games.
The Cavs simply haven't been able to leverage his offensive gifts in a way that makes up for his defensive shortcomings. They came into the series with the clear mandate of taking Steph Curry and Klay Thompson out of the game in any way they could: blitzing pick-and-rolls, trapping, and loading up the strong side. But Love's slow feet and lack of length has made that strategy untenable, and it's opened up other opportunities for the Warriors all over the floor.
At the other end, Love's been unable to make the Warriors pay for switching smaller guys onto him. He's missed his threes, hasn't been able to do much damage in the post, and has generally disappeared for long stretches.
Still, eliminating him from the equation won't magically cure what ails the Cavs. Their hopes of turning things around rested in part on Love finding a way to positively impact the game. Even as he's struggled, he represents one of the Cavs' few means of creating matchup problems, putting pressure on the Warriors' defense, and opening up the floor for LeBron James. Without him, they'll have to get creative, and any other potential solution presents its own set of problems.
Tristan Thompson is far better equipped to show-and-recover or handle switches on defense. But the Cavs haven't figured out what to do with him offensively, and his being on the floor means the Warriors are free to leave a roving big man near the rim to challenge James and Kyrie Irving on drives. Channing Frye can remedy that particular problem, but he's a far less versatile offensive player than Love, and though he's slightly more viable as a rim protector, he isn't any better at hedging and scrambling when he gets dragged out to the perimeter.
All signs point to James starting at power forward, and playing the majority of the game there, or even at center. It makes sense to use him as much as possible in the post, given how badly he's struggling with his shot. The Warriors have shown no qualms about sagging off him, or ducking under screens, making it difficult to create switches or space the floor. Their best option, then, may be to invert it. The Cavs haven't been able to get much traction in the series with small-ball lineups, because the Warriors' small-ball lineups are simply better. But sticking James in the post and surrounding him with four shooters, whether it's with him or Frye slotting in at center, will always be a dangerous offensive formula.
Another option - albeit a more desperate one - is to dust off center Timofey Mozgov, and try to beat the Warriors by going big and mucking up the pace - as they did so effectively in the first three games of last year's final. The Warriors would almost certainly counter by downsizing, and repeatedly putting Mozgov in the pick-and-roll. But if the Cavs can do enough damage in the paint or on the offensive glass, they may be willing to live with what they give back the other way.
In short, Love's absence won't necessarily hurt the Cavs, but they'll be hard-pressed to turn it into an advantage. Cleveland has options, but no easy fixes. Time will tell which of those options, if any, bear fruit.
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