NBA Rumors: Cavs New Direction Raises Questions On Fate Of Love, Thompson

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a huge mountain to tackle as they try to pick up the pieces. Things have expectedly not been easy for team owner Dan Gilbert and his charges and it appears that Cleveland is ready to grind its way back to the top. This means that the Cavs are willing to work their way back to contention, meaning it may take a while.

Hence, this somehow explains why the Cavs went with John Beilein as their new head coach. They want to develop their young players, something they could not do with LeBron James was around. Gilbert explained that when James was around, it was a win now at all costs" mentality for the franchise. However, it also meant little to no chance of developing players. Moving forward, they are now following a different approach, USA Today reported.

“With LeBron (James), there was a limited shelf life in terms of his age and his contract commitment,’’ Gilbert told The Plain Dealer. “It’s a win now at all costs. . . It all revolves around the sun, which is him.”

Looking at the Cavs right now, Collin Sexton is seen as one of the players of the future for Cleveland. As mentioned in a previous report, the incoming sophomore is looking forward to working with the new Cavs head coach and revealed plans that they could hopefully make the NBA playoffs next season. From the way Gilbert sounded, it seems like he is keeping an open mind on that target.

Should this be the new direction of the Cavs, equally interesting would be the fate of Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and other veterans on the team. Will they still be around? If so, what would stop the Cavs for trading them off for younger NBA players or future picks?

While there is nothing wrong with player development, it remains that the Cavs need to put their established stars to good use. Love and Thompson may not be aligned with the idea of the team's new philosophy - meaning there is a possibility that they could be dealt off at some point moving forward.

For now, the only player expected to be moved is J.R. Smith. After being taken out of the rotation back in November, it was clear that the Cavs were already starting to move in a different direction, according to the Bleacher Report. So far, he has been inactive although the summer could finally see him join a new team. The only question now is which team would be willing to take him in.