The Miami Heat finally add power inside.
According to ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnalowski, Miami said they would sign Kevin Love (forward-center, 203cm, 114kg).
Love recently decided to terminate his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After deciding where to go, he decided to finish this season in Miami.안전놀이터
Miami added love in the middle and latter half of the season and prepared the momentum to advance to the playoffs. He was not free from height problems throughout the season, but he made up for the shortfall at once by adding him. Miami, which lacked a starting power forward and backup center, showed interest in recruiting other forwards from the beginning of the season. However, he failed to follow through on the recruitment. This time, his weaknesses were partially covered.
Inadequate reinforcement and lack of performance
Even last season, Dwayne Dedman (Philadelphia) played a role as a backup center. As he looked solid, he braced himself on the back of the snake Adebayo. Prior to the season, Jay Crowder (Brooklyn) had an opportunity to fill the forward position when he appeared on the trade market. Crowder played for Miami and helped them win the 2020 Eastern Conference and advance to the Finals.
However, Miami’s season has not been great. Deadman showed limitations as he did not perform as well as last season. Promotion of crowd trade was also sluggish. He was interested throughout the season, but couldn’t bring himself to the table. Not only was it difficult to sign Duncan Robinson without clearing his contract, but also because Tyler Girona’s first-round pick was inevitably exhausted in order to relieve his contract.
Not to mention, Miami couldn’t even push for a deal ahead of the trade deadline. Several clubs have filled the necessary parts ahead of this deadline or have moved forward. However, Miami was not able to trade Kyle Lowry, let alone Robinson, and left a regret by not bringing any meaningful power.
A meaningful height reinforcement and a chance to get it again
This time, I soothed the regret by adding love. Lowry is scheduled to return at the end of this month, and if Love is normally integrated into the team, it is worth aiming for a playoff spot. Right now, the frontcourt rotation is filled up a bit more, so it may be a solid minimum number, but we have finally established a stable rotation. It remains to be seen how active Love will be, but he is expected to take on more roles.
This season, he appeared in 41 games for Cleveland. He recorded 8.5 points (.389 .354 .889), 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20 minutes per game. His playing time slightly decreased from last season when he started off the bench in earnest, but it was similar. However, his overall record, including his scoring average, was greatly reduced. It was because his role was greatly reduced. Eventually, he asked for his contract to be terminated after his deadline had passed.
He is expected to step behind Adebayo in Miami. Now that you have entered the ranks of the veterans, it can be difficult to perform many tasks. However, if he plays a role of around 23 minutes, he can boast of sufficient contributions across positions. He can also play with Adebayo intermittently. Also, the aspect of being able to pass on his experience to the team cannot be overlooked.
Meanwhile, Miami is 7th in the Eastern Conference with 32 wins and 27 losses so far this season. They are half a game behind New York, sixth in the conference. It is worth aiming for the playoffs at any position while adding love. As the deadline passed, the Brooklyn Nets, fifth in the conference, weakened, and New York added their strength, so there is plenty of room for them to advance on their own.