Yahoo! Sports Senior NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported Monday that Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love revealed that it would be “special” if he had the chance to play for his hometown team, the Portland Trail Blazers.
"“Who wouldn’t want to play with Dame Lillard, first of all,” Love told Haynes on Haynes’ Posted Up podcast. “Dame, he’s special. He’s amazing. I claim Portland when they ask me where I’m from. It’s where I spent all of my formative years. I grew up in Portland. When people ask where I was born, obviously I say L.A. But Portland is always going to be a special place in my heart. Whether it be at the end of my career, or whether it be in six months, or whatever it may be, if I was wearing a Portland jersey that’s special.”"
Should the Blazers attempt to bring Love home? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of that.
Pros:
The 32-year-old Love is a power forward/center, a position Portland always seems to have a need at. The 6’8 Love is an NBA champion (Cleveland 2016), 5-time All-Star, 2 time All-NBA Second Team, NBA Most Improved Player (2011), NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2009), NBA Three-Point Contest champion (2012), led the NBA in rebounding (15.2, 2011) and has career averages of, 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and a .370 three-point shooting percentage in 13 seasons.
Cons:
Love has been injured more than 50% of his games (112 of 208) over the last three seasons, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer reported. The Blazers currently have Carmelo Anthony, Robert Covington, Harry Giles III, Jusuf Nurkic, Enes Kanter, and Zach Collins at those positions, although he obviously can’t play for Portland this season. Anthony, Giles, Kanter, and Collins are free agents next year. The Blazers could trade for Love in the off-season if they felt so inclined.
He currently has two years on a four-year, $120 million contract. Some Cleveland fans wouldn’t mind seeing him waived. Haynes also reported, “it is highly unlikely he finishes the deal in Cleveland, as Cleveland is investing in, establishing a young core of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen.”
“I think it would be wonderful to have a native Oregonian to play for the Blazers,” said Coral Cook, a long-time Trail Blazers fan and fan of Love’s. “And I think he’s a person our kids look up to. And he is really good with kids and would be a really good role model for them.”
Should the Blazers attempt to acquire Love? Let us know your thought(s) in the comment section.