What in the world is going on with Kevin Love? If you’ve been paying any attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers this season you can tell he is frustrated. The offense is not as fluid as it could be and the effort on defense is lacking. This has led to multiple incidents where Love has displayed some level of frustration while on the court. Things appeared to reach a whole new level Saturday against the Thunder.
Is this the fault of Collin Sexton or John Beilein? Probably a little bit or both. It would be nice to see Sexton get closer to the hoop. Either way it is unacceptable for Kevin Love to act in this manner during the game. This was not the first time that Kevin Love has acted out during a game.
Add in Love’s Instagram post from earlier in the day and things do not look better for him.
Love would later post on Instagram saying that he loves his teammates. This makes his earlier post as a shot at the Cavaliers organization and not necessarily his teammates.
There is also the story that appeared in The Athletic, detaining some issues between Love and Koby Altman. Highlighted is a fine for $1,000 for his actions in late-December. I don’t know many players who are happy with teams that fine them, even if it is technically the right course of action.
The Cavaliers are not without blame here. They didn’t realize that the being without LeBron James heading into the 2018-19 season would have this drastic of an impact on the team. They felt they could still complete and that was a selling point of sorts to Kevin Love when he signed his extension prior to that season.
There is no denying that the Cavaliers have massively underachieved since Kevin Love signed his extension. The team wasn’t great, but they were better than one of the worst teams in the league. This version of the team is extremely young and far from good, but there appears to be some building blocks. Love didn’t sign up for building blocks or foundation building. He signed up to remain competitive, something that has not happened in Cleveland post-LeBron.
Would things be different if Kevin Love didn’t get hurt four games into 2018? Possibly. His injury has a major impact on the team and eventually led to the trades of George Hill, Kyle Korver and Rodney Hood. Would that team make the playoffs if Love stayed healthy all year? Maybe, maybe not.
Did the Cavaliers sell Kevin Love on something that wasn’t really possible? It certainly seems like it. In the end he didn’t have to sign that contract, but when offered that much money it is hard to pass up. Love has every right to be frustrated. That doesn’t mean he gets a pass for his actions. Love needs to know better and not act in this manner on the court.
The Cleveland Cavaliers should look to resolve this matter as soon as possible and consider trading Kevin Love sooner rather than later.
