Why would the Cavs want to get older at PG and on the wing though?Kyrie played his ass off on the biggest stage at 24, no way do they even consider moving him.
Because Lebron is 31 years old and this:
The Cavs would be upgrading THIS YEAR. And in an NBA where championships are all that really matters, this year is what matters.
Irving played his ass off on the biggest stage. Does that mean that he's a better fit at the point guard than Chris Paul? Or that giving him up isn't worth the upgrade from Love/Shump to Blake/Redikk that would come along with it?
If you're Cleveland, do you really want to bet on what Irving/Love/Shump/TT are going to do 5 years from now versus what Lebron/CP3/Blake/Redikk might be able to do right now?
Saying Love did "fine" against the rest of the league is both untrue, and pointless. He was a defensively liability all season long. He had trouble meshing on offense all season long.
And, of course, none of that matters if an improved Warriors are the team they face again next year.
And you're talking about chemistry shakeups? Love didn't play in game 3 (win), only scored 3 points in Game 5 (win), only played 12 minutes in Game 6 (win). Their chemistry without him is very good. I don't think they'll miss Shump from the chemistry standpoint. And Kyrie/Lebron still are having trouble meshing their games together. Especially on defense, the chemistry between Lebron, Irving, and Love is STILL not good, which is why two of the four Cav wins were in games where Love hardly played.
You really think that CP3 will have problems making it all fit together when he steps in? CP3/Blake/Redikk already have chemistry together. So do Lebron/JR/TT. It would just be voltroning those two units together, and no one in the league can make that happen as quickly as Lebron and CP3 could.
Now, of course I'm not silly enough to think this trade will happen. NBA teams are too risk adverse - the Cavs will be afraid to make a big move after a title, and the Clippers will be afraid to make a big move that won't pay off fully until 3-4 years down the road. But I think it could actually be the smartest move for both teams if maximising the likelihood of championships were all that mattered.
