Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue announced that he would be making a lineup change earlier this week. Cavs big man Kevin Love will be sliding back to his natural position at power forward, Tristan Thompson will be starting at center, and Jae Crowder will now play with the team’s second unit.
Love, now 29 years of age, was asked to comment on coach Lue’s lineup change after Friday morning’s practice session at Cleveland Clinic Courts. The former UCLA stand-out seems to be in approval of the move.
“This is the lineup that took us to three straight finals,” Love told Cavs Nation’s Nikki Goel. “There will be times I play at the 5.”
The Cavs have struggled with defense and rebounding as of late. In fact, they’re currently the NBA’s worst defense, allowing 109.9 points per 100 possessions, according to Joe Vardon of cleveland.com. Needless to say, they’ll be hoping this lineup change makes a difference.
Love performed admirably against some of the best big men the NBA has to offer during his stint at the center position. In his 45 appearances with the Cavs this season, the 6-10 rebounding machine has turned in averages of 18.4 points on 45.9 percent shooting from the field (39.9 percent from beyond the arc), 9.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
Love and the Cavs, losers in 10 of their last 13 games, will be back in action on Friday night, as they’re scheduled to host the Indiana Pacers inside Quicken Loans Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Indiana having live broadcast coverage. Let’s see if this new look can get them back into the win column.