Cavaliers Notes: Love, Nance, Frye, Playoff Race

Kevin Love, the only remaining member of the Cavaliers’ former Big Three, met with GM Koby Altman in June after the team was swept in the NBA Finals, writes Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports. Love said he made it clear that he wanted to stay in Cleveland no matter what else happened to the organization.

“We went over every scenario,” he said. “The first was if  [LeBron James] came back and we compete for a championship. Then it was trying to build with the young guys that we have.”

Love also wanted assurances that the Cavs wouldn’t tank and he wouldn’t be traded. The meeting helped convince him to accept a four-year, $120MM extension and a new role as the number one star on a team that has made four straight Finals appearances.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge,” Love said. “It’s definitely going to be a growth year for us. We feel like if we’re in shape, if we play physical, if we shoot the ball well, we’re going to give ourselves a chance.”

There’s more today from Cleveland:

• Coach Tyronn Lue‘s plan to pick a starting center based on each night’s matchup is a hit with Larry Nance Jr., relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Lue plans to start Nance against smaller, quicker opponents and use Tristan Thompson against larger, more physical centers. “Having him start one night and I start the next, not having a definitive, ‘You’re a bench guy and you’re a starter,’ I think is going to be great for our team chemistry,” Nance said, “and I think we’re both deserving of the position. I think it’s a great idea.”
• Lue has responded to the loss of James by installing an up-tempo offense, and so far the players are enjoying it, Fedor adds in a separate story. Veteran forward Channing Frye explained that the whole team is now approaching the game the way the reserves always did. “True basketball people are going to like the fact that we’re using the corner, we’re using the elbow, we’re using the top of the key,” he said. “It’s not just a lot of one-on-one stuff, it’s a lot of good actions, it’s reads and it’s going to be fun.”
• Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer believes James’ departure has changed the focus of the Eastern Conference playoff race, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. “I think Boston, Philly, Toronto, Indiana, Miami, Washington — you just keep on going down, Detroit — everybody feels like they have a chance,” he said. “Maybe more so because LeBron is in the West now.”