Poll-Evaluate the trade after 12 games

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Wiggs and AB, and not even close.

But I still think Cleveland did the right thing. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. They're starting slow but I'd be shocked if they aren't contending by the end. Lebron James is too good and they'll figure out how to maximize Love.

Meanwhile though, we got Wiggins. It's early, but this could be the defining moment of this downtrodden franchise. But only time will tell.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I have to admit I'm a little surprised at the lopsided results here, and I wonder if everyone understood the premise of my question. I think most of us liked the deal Flip made given the fact that Love was forcing his way out, but I'm asking if you would still make the trade even if Love wasn't demanding a trade. Who makes this team better, now and in the future...Love, or Wiggins/Bennett? If that clarification changes your vote, speak up and I'll keep track of the actual results, so we can compare them to polls I conduct later in the year.

I still say Wiggins/Bennett. They have essentially already replaced Love's production and added a defensive component too, And the Love-less Wolves seem to play with a lot more energy right from the opening tip, and have been decidedly more fun for me to watch and cheer for.

What doesn't surprise me is that 19 of the 21 votes are the extreme options, i.e. the option that this question is easily answered. We may disagree about things on this board, but we are generally overly confident as a group with our opinions...yours truly not excluded!

[bleedspeed]

LST, I think if you polled Cavs fans they would likely rather have Wiggins and Bennett. I think it is safe to say at this point we got the better end of the trade. The only way the Cavs win this trade is if the win a championship with Love. A lot will have to happen for that to happen.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I think you're correct, bleed. I check out the Cavs message boards at RealGM and cavsfanatic from time to time, and the thoughts about the trade are slowly changing. Prior to the trade, Cavs fans seemed to be relatively evenly divided about whether they should give up Wiggins and Bennett, but as the start if the season approached, the excitement of having a Big 3 tilted sentiment in favor of the trade. After the poor start for the Cavs, most of the blame seemed to be directed toward Irving, Blatt, Waiters and the bench. But as Cavs fans begin to realize that they have traded two # 1's for a one-way player who isn't producing like he did when he was "the man" on our club, they are becoming increasingly disgruntled. It's unfair to have a championship as the only acceptable result, but I think you are right...ultimately, that's how Cavs fans are going to evaluate this trade. And since defense generally wins championships, I'm afraid there are going to be a lot of unhappy Cavs fans at the end of this season.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

You realize Love's usage rate is like 100th in the league right? It's hard to produce like "the man" if you're not getting enough touches. Kyrie's continued to be ball dominant, as has Dion, and Blatt seems like the kind of coach who won't drastically change that. Love even knows he needs more touches, especially inside. So, sure, he's not producing like "the man", but for whatever reason, he hasn't been treated like "the man" either. Whenever Cleveland wakes up and realizes that Love is a fucking beast, and/or to use him more in P&R, then they'll flip the switch for the season. Love's talent hasn't diminished--it could be argued he's gotten better (dribble drive game improved)--and he needs the basketball to make his sizeable impact.

[bleedspeed]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/283923231.html?page=2&c=y

[Carlos Danger]

I hate to be the guy to have to defend K. Love...but come on! I think this poll just shows that people don't like him. If we are evaluating impact right now (not what we hope guys will do) I would like for people to point to what they are using for measurables to say it's a landslide for us. There are many ways to measure and I'm not going to say these are the best, but it's a start:

Win Shares (from Basketball Reference):

Kevin Love = 1.4
Young/Wiggins/Bennett = 0.6
Shved/Moute = 0.1

Player Rankings (per CBS Sports)

Kevin Love = #30
Thad Young = #84
Wiggins = #115
Moute = #168
Bennett = #219
Shved = #249

Again - I like the trade and am excited for what Wiggins/Bennett might become. But they are not there yet.