against a team like GS who can successfully go small with draymond at the 5, love is a liability on defense if you put TT at the 5. he can't chase a perimeter player around screens, GS would light the cavs up with him on the court as the 2nd big man. offensively they'd just put draymond on him and love's post game is fucking awkward, he can get it done but he's not great with his back to the basket against someone who is stronger and draymond is definitely stronger. if he stayed outside then so what, that's all he was doing anyway, no benefit at all really, just a liability on the defensive end and that lineup gives the cavs problems.

compare that to now, if GS goes small, they'll see TT who will straight up dominate the boards on both ends with lebron/kyrie/jr/shump. that lineup CAN stay on shooters around screens and at least force tough shots instead of wide open ones that love couldn't be there to contest.

all the great things love can do just seem redundant the way the cavs are now. there is 1 ball, the cavs efficiency on the offensive boards is off the charts and love is the 4th best 3pt shooter on the team. i'd rather see shump get an open look that makes it worth all the hard work he puts in on the defensive end than see love get it while cruising on the defensive end

that's why i think the chemistry is better. they're having more fun than they have all year, even when they were dominating after the mid-january moves.

if i found out that statistically they were 1% better with love, i think i'd rather see TT out there going rodman on the boards with teams scrambling to close out on delly/shump/jr nailing a 3

without kevin love, there seems to be just enough for everyone involved.