Much of the basketball world revolves around Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and free agency was no different according to Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love. The Cavs big man knew that James dictated much of what happened in free agency this past summer.
“I think everybody was uncertain because LeBron kind of dictated what free agency looked like for a lot of guys,” Love said to Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com. “He wanted to know what long-term looked like for me, and then I signed my extension and [Channing Frye] decided to come back.”
There was definitely some uncertainty surrounding the Cavs before LeBron James made his decision to sign with the Lakers. But as soon as James and the Lakers came to an agreement, the rest of the dominoes started to fall.
Of course, Channing Frye is a significant downgrade from LeBron, but the Cavs weren’t signing Frye to be LeBron’s replacement. The Cavs signed Frye so he could be a veteran presence in the locker room and help mentor a team with a lot of young players.
The Cavs were hoping they would have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot, but that was not the case. The dropoff following the loss of LeBron James was more dramatic than most expected.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, the year quickly devolved into a complete rebuild. That being said, Frye is an excellent guy to have in the locker room during this rebuild. He’s no LeBron James, but he brings value to the young Cleveland roster.