CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue isn't ready to name Kevin Love the team's starting center instead of Tristan Thompson just yet.
In an interview with cleveland.com ahead of LeBron James' minicamp this week in Santa Barbara, Calif., Lue said he planned to feature Love more in the offense this season with Kyrie Irving gone to the Celtics.
But he stopped short of declaring he would slide Love to center in the starting lineup -- an idea hinted in an ESPN.com piece last week that was based on an interview with Lue -- so he could play Jae Crowder alongside James.
"Right now we're just trying to get all of our pieces together and right now Tristan's our starter," Lue told cleveland.com. "I'm just thinking we're going to run a lot more stuff through Kevin, more at the elbows, like we've done the last year and a half. Just trying to figure out with our new pieces and our new players and just see what works best for us."
Love, who turned 29 last week, enjoyed what was easily his best season statistically since joining the Cavs in 2014 last season, averaging 19 points and 11.1 rebounds and shooting .373 from 3-point range. Love was an All-Star and one of only five NBA players to average at least 19 points and 10 boards, but had to miss the game because of a knee injury that forced him out for about a month.
Looking to Love as the Cavs' No. 2 scoring option behind James is obvious, of course, because Irving (who averaged 25.2 points last year) is gone to the Celtics and his replacement, Isaiah Thomas (28.9 ppg, third-highest in the NBA a year ago) is out with a hip injury.
Last season, the Cavs outscored opponents by 14.5 points per 100 possessions with James and Love on the court and Irving out.
Playing Love, who is 6-10 and the Cavs' best rebounder, at center when the game starts may make sense if Lue believes in Crowder's abilities enough to play him starters' minutes.
Crowder, 27, averaged about 14 points his last two seasons with Boston and posted 5.8 rebounds each night. He's a 6-6 wing whom the Cavs say can guard positions two through four on the floor, he moves without the ball offensively and shot .398 from 3-point range last season.
Thompson, 26, played his first full season as a starting center last year since James returned in 2014, and his numbers (8.1 points, 9.2 boards, career-high .600 field-goal percentage) were solid on a team of offensive stars. But he was Cleveland's only traditional big man for much of the year and wore down in March, before he was forced to miss games with an injury for the first time since his rookie year.
The Cavs aren't looking to replace Thompson, but, rather, to find ways to keep James and Crowder on the floor together.
In another scenario, Lue could play Crowder, Love, and Thompson in the front court with J.R. Smith off the ball and James running point. Lue did not discuss that particular lineup with cleveland.com Monday but it's a distinct possibility with Thomas potentially out for months and the Cavs preferring Derrick Rose as a backup point guard.
Lue has suggested that Rose would start in Thomas' absence.
"Got a lot of different combinations we can throw out on the floor," Lue said. "So with Bron and Crowder playing the three and the four, that doesn't necessarily mean that Kevin will be at the five. It can be Tristan, it can be Channing (Frye)."
Love was very nearly traded over the summer as part of a deal that would have brought Paul George to Cleveland, but the Pacers nixed it after all sides had agreed in principle. Constantly the subject of trade rumors, this was by far the closest the Cavs had come to moving Love.
At the start of training camp last season, Love discussed how he had learned to ignore the rumors and embrace his role in Cleveland, which came with the understanding that the organization wanted him here.
Love had all but his left heel out the door in the thwarted George trade, and now he's coming back with likely an even bigger role waiting for him.
Lue told ESPN that Love "is going to have the best year that he's had here." Reminded of that quote by cleveland.com Monday, Lue said: "I don't remember saying that, but I hope it's true.
"Every year I've been here Kevin's name comes up in trade talks, which isn't fair to him," Lue said. "It always comes up, which is what people want to throw out there every single time. But I think Kevin just being mature and being elite for so long he understands the business. He's definitely progressing and has gotten better and better and better each year here. That's what we love to see."