Kevin Love excited to see what Cavaliers can accomplish this year

INDEPENDENCE — Kevin Love fell short of his goal to win the Sixth Man of the Year award last year. Miami's Tyler Herro won the award, and deservedly so. But the 6-foot-8, 247-pound Love is expected to be a major contributor off the bench once again for the Cavaliers this season. He's not only a deadly 3-point shooter but is perhaps the team's best defensive rebounder. Love, 34, said he's "super excited" to start the new season and can't wait to see newly acquired star Donovan Mitchell play. "He's a star in this league," Love said. "He provides us an opportunity to take even a bigger step this year. I know what he's about. He's about winning. A fresh start is going to be good for him as well. I'm excited to see what he's going to do with this team. "He will fit in really well with us, just who he is, too, as a person. He fits with everything we're about." Love, a five-time All-Star, will earn $31.3 million this season, the final year of his contract. He'll be an unrestricted free agent after this year. "Overall for myself, I'm coming in with confidence, knowing who I am," he said. "(I can help) to build the culture of this team in the locker room and on the floor as well. Again, (I'll) provide whatever J.B. (Bickerstaff) and the coaching staff needs from me. "I'll jump into that sixth-man role and understand where my minutes will be and who I will be playing with. I think from the start I'll be a lot more comfortable. I hadn't really come off the bench since my second year in the league (in Minnesota). Again, it's a different level of comfort being my ninth year here (in Cleveland)." Love could help lead Bickerstaff's second unit, along with Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade and Robin Lopez, among others. There is still an opening in the starting lineup at small forward that has yet to be filled. Avoiding serious injuries will be crucial for the Cavs. "Health is the biggest thing," Love said. "We very well could have been a 50-win team (last year) if everyone stayed healthy." Love puts in an inordinate amount of time conditioning. "(I try to) take care of my body in the offseason," he said. "Understand what my body needs every day. Minor injuries are going to happen. "I still have that raw, youthful hunger to get out there on the floor." Love thinks the Cavs will maintain the underdog mentality from last year. "We have to keep that chip on our shoulder," he said. "We haven't proven anything yet. We have to have that underdog mentality. We have some young stars that will make some noise. "I think we have the makings of a team that could have four All-Stars. People know what we're capable of now. If we put it together, we aren't a team that's going to surprise anybody anymore. People from around the league know what we're about." Love said it's important that the Cavs continue to grow. "I think now it's taking that next level of maturity," he said. "We let some teams off the hook last year. We were right there in playoff contention. We could have played basketball into May or even June. With Donovan stepping into his role and guys getting another year under their belts and having continuity with our lineup, it's going to be huge for us." Love said it took him a while to settle into the sixth-man role last year. "Also, the guys allowed me to be myself, play my game, get my shots, rebound on both ends of the floor and be effective," he said. Love averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 74 games. He shot 43 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from the 3-point line and 83.8 percent from the foul line. He said he's almost shocked this is his ninth year with the Cavs and 15th in the NBA. "It's amazing to see this thing come full circle," Love said. "We have a chance to win and win big. Everything is up for grabs. "I haven't been on a team with so much young depth. (We are) young and talented. You don't always get something like this. There is so much (enthusiasm), you want to bottle it up. I've never had so much fun going into work. We're going to have more (national) TV games and we'll see who we are." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com.