LeBron, Love power Cavaliers to 106-95 win over Bulls

While at 38-14, the Cavaliers hold a three-game lead over the Toronto Raptors for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and a 10.5-game advantage over the Indiana Pacers in the Central Division standings, the players and coach feel things can be improved now that they are back from the break. With Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic already hampered with injuries of their own, losing another starter and a player like Butler was nearly like a death sentence for the Bulls.

The “Big 3” team approach doesn’t allow for many moves mid-season without moving one of these players.

However, the news outlet says that if the Cavs push through with a Shumpert trade, they need to consider consequences. However, seeing how Love is yet again being criticized for his subpar showing despite a good start in Cleveland, the only way that this trade rumor would be dispelled is the trade deadline lapsing. Bulls ownership should be very interested in what his leaders decide in this crucial moment, and it might be time to change up the power structure in the offseason.

“I shouldn’t have to remind (teammates) that we was down 2-1 to Chicago, that we was up 2-1 in the Finals”, James said.

This is a fantastic deal for Chicago as they clear cap space and get a fantastic return for Gasol and Snell, who was on the trading block but didn’t gain much interest initially.

“We have great fans here, first of all, and I think we just play so good at home”, Lue said.

Still, the seventh-year pro would seem to fit well with the Cavs, given the amount of defensive attention drawn by small forward James and point guard Kyrie Irving.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love, right, drives past Chicago Bulls’ Mike Dunleavy in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Cleveland. This may be a bit optimistic for the Cavs, but they are not really actively shopping the forward thus it is a wise position to simply wait and see the best package available from other teams. “I assume that’s their mindset”.

A portion of the team’s tepid pre-all-star performance can be traced to the loss of Jimmy Butler, perhaps the team’s most critical cog on both ends of the court.

Bulls: F Taj Gibson is the only Chicago player to appear in all 53 games this season…. Despite this, he ranks 24th among point guards in assists per game, dishing out a career-low 4.8 each night. He’s a better wing defender than some give him credit for, and in the guts of a heated finals series against either the Warriors or Spurs, he is the kind of veteran who can swing a series by making a big shot… or five. We called some sets six or seven times. “And it’s a hard guy to lose”.