Cavs Botch Kevin Love Situation

Cavaliers Management Mishandled Kevin Love Situation

Kevin Love spoke to the media today about his recent outbursts. It’s been reported that Love had a verbal altercation with GM Koby Altman. That’s on top of two on-the-court incidents.  “I wasn’t acting like a 31-year-old, I was acting like a 13-year-old,” said Love.

Some are applauding Love for his admission that he was acting like a culture-killing dope. I’m not one.

One of the on the court incidents was Love getting frustrated over a teammate dribbling the ball too long. Love received the ball and then rocketed it at another teammate and then stomped off like a child being told he had to stop playing his video game.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Love couldn’t resist showing up his coach by throwing a temper-tantrum during a timeout.

 

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Kevin Love doesn’t look too happy. ?(@karol__sliwa)

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With LeBron James heading to Los Angeles, the Cavaliers wanted to keep together some semblance of a credible roster in hopes of having a veteran’s presence. Tristan Thompson was already under contract but Love had an option. His contract was set to expire in 2019-20 and he could’ve become a free agent. Instead, Love decided to sign a four-year, $120 million extension. The new deal takes him through 2022-23.

With James and Kyrie Irving gone, allegedly GM Koby Altman told Love he was going to try to build a playoff team. I’m sure Altman tried to do so but here’s the thing about the NBA, superstars value the opportunity to win over money. It’s hard to believe that Love was naive enough to think free agents would come to Cleveland post-LeBron. It’s hard to believe that Love couldn’t look at the roster and deduce that the Cavs didn’t have the assets to swing for the fences via trade.

Furthermore, why would anyone with common sense trust Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Are you kidding me?

Love took the money. Own up to it. Maybe he dreamed of being a trade deadline piece for a contending team. The Cavs have very few assets that will bring back a package to help the team in the future. Love might be the only one they have. He could be worth a heavily protected first round pick and a few warm bodies that make the salary requirements surrounding NBA trades, work. Who knows? But what we do know if Cleveland wasn’t going to win over the next two years playing two 19 year-olds (Kevin Porter Jr and Darius Garland) and a 21-year old (Collin Sexton).

With such a young roster, the Cavs are trying to do one of the most difficult tasks in professional sports, establish a culture. No organization puts an emphasis on culture more than the Miami Heat. When Dion Waiters decided to go off the reservation, Pat Riley was right there to protect what had been established in Miami. Whether it’s the big three with James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh or the young roster they have now, there’s a long-lasting culture. It’s why the acquisition of Jimmy Butler is bound to work in Miami.

This is why Altman and the Cavs needed to suspend Love. The Cavaliers have never established a culture without James. When James left the first time they tried to build one around Irving. The only thing that saved the Cavs was James’ return. Once again, without James, the Cavs continue to struggle with how to establish a winning organization.

Love was supposed to help with showing the young players how to be professionals but, yet again, he has chosen to fit-out rather than fit-in.

 

 

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