Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love, who helped Team USA to a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, wants to do it again this year. From Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com:
Power forward Kevin Love has informed cleveland.com that if selected, he’ll accept the invitation to play for USA Basketball and compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer.
“If they pick me, I’ll play,” he said.
In 2012, Love was a lock for the Olympic team, coming off a sensational season in which he had averaged 26 points and 13.3 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves. Since coming to Cleveland though, Love hasn’t been the focal point of the offense, and his stats have suffered in just about every category. This season for the Cavs, Love has averaged 16.1 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 42% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. Shooting numbers aside, those are good stats, just nowhere near the gaudy numbers he regularly put up in Minnesota.
Love is a talented player, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get an Olympic invite. However, there are many talented players in today’s league, and it wouldn’t be all that huge of a shock to see Love left off the roster either, given his declining numbers.
To the surprise of Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue, Love didn’t make the All-Star game this season, for the second year in a row.
