Kevin Love has never really fit in during his seven-season spent as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The First three spent with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving where love was often seen as the odd man out so much so that LeBron once went to social media to send a cryptic message directed at Love needing to fit in. It’s clear that the transition to being a third option in Cleveland was hard on Kevin Love as he missed the All-Star game in his first two seasons as a member of the Cavs. But in the next two with the departure of Kyrie Irving in 2017, Love began to assume a larger role in the offense, and then in 2019, the departure of LeBron James opened a door for Love to once again lead his own team.
Love once gave a quote on what it was like playing with LeBron James to ESPN stating “It was hard to, that place was a revolving door. We didn’t have veterans, and there was no continuity,”. However, now that he was the remaining player from the original big three formed in Clevland in 2015, love had the chance to be the veteran and provide the continuity that he felt the organization was missing. But since signing a max extension to remain with the Cavaliers and be the veteran leader for their rebuild. Love has done nothing but shown he did not deserve that deal, making it one of the worst contracts in the NBA and after his latest on-court antic it’s clear he is cancer.
We Get It Kevin, You Hate It In Cleveland.
The recent game versus Toronto where Kevin Love decided to basically quit on his team when he inbounded the ball is just another instance in a long list of times where Kevin made it clear he obviously wishes he was anywhere else besides Cleveland. Sure, he issued an apology to his teammates but it’s only a matter of time before he does something else to the detriment of the team. I’m not sure why love even agreed to a contract extension with the Cavs when he has never shown any desire of wanting to be a part of what they are trying to build. There have been many times where love has thrown a temper tantrum when he doesn’t get his way in the game. Tossing his arms up in frustration and throwing a fastball to his teammates because he didn’t get the ball on his command.
While of course giving another fake apology afterward like he always does. You would think after Kevin love complained that there was no veteran presence in Cleveland, he would step up and provide it for the younger players on the roster like Collin Sexton & Darius Garland. Instead, he has turned into a toxic locker room presence who even lead the charge against having John Beilein fired in his first season with the team. Love is doing everything in his power to make sure everyone around him in the Cavaliers organization is a miserable as him while GM Koby Altman sits by and allows it to happen. Although you can’t fully blame Altman as his hands are pretty much tied since Love hasn’t really done much on the court to improve his trade value and he is still owed a massive amount of money.
Love Offers Absolutely Zero Value On His Massive Contract
So It’s been established that Love has no interest in helping the young players develop in Cleveland and he has made it known he would prefer to be moved to a team that has a chance at winning a championship. But absolutely none of the 29 other teams want anything to do with Love on his current contract as he is owed a staggering $59 million over the next two years. He is only getting older and his body has already shown signs of breaking down. The Last time love played over 60 games was in the 2015-2016 season and each season since his on-court availability is getting worse. Between the 2018 & 2019 seasons love combined to play 78 games and so far this season he has only played in 19 of the Cavaliers 62 games.
It just keeps getting worse for Kevin not only is he a locker room cancer but he also has bones made of glass and can never stay healthy. Even when he is healthy he is one of the worst defenders in the league and the rebounding prowess he once showed is long gone as he is averaging a career-low in rebounds at 6.6 per game. Love is also averaging the lowest amount of points since his rookie season at 11.4 and shooting a horrific 38% from the field and 31% from three.
Kevin Is Stuck In Cleveland Whether he Likes it or Not
If he wasn’t owed such a large sum of money over the next two seasons I’m sure he would have either been traded the first chance the Cavaliers got or bought out of his contract. Instead, he is left to sulk as a washed-up power forward who can’t go a month without whining when things don’t go his way. I don’t blame Love for taking the huge contract offered by the Cavaliers but he knew what he was getting himself into so his actions up to this point have just been unacceptable.
The Cavaliers may be building something special with intriguing young players like Darius Garland who has rapidly improved this season, Collin Sexton, Issac Okoro, and Jarret Allen. So maybe it’s time Love takes LeBron’s Advice from years ago and learns how to fit in because for the foreseeable future he is stuck in Cleavland whether he likes it or not. He might as well try and make use out of the little time he has left as an NBA player instead of trying to sabotage the rest of the team.
