The Cleveland Cavaliers are not good. There was really never any belief that they would make the playoffs within even the first three years of LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles. Still, the organization after 18 months could show some direction and understanding of what needs to be done to get back to winning ways. Kevin Love strongly disagrees with where the franchise is headed, and reportedly let it be known to his teammates, coaches, and front office folk.
According to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Atheltic, Love had an emotional outburst aimed toward general manager Koby Altman expressing his displeasure with the organization. Love was reportedly screaming in front of teammates, coaches, and front office people that there is “no feel” in the organization.
The Athletic reports that, following an outburst on the bench against the Toronto Raptors, Love was fined $1,000. He was caught by cameras slapping chairs while away from the huddle during a timeout. Love reportedly asked to be taken out of the game and, when asked what was wrong by a coach, said he did not like how selfish the first unit was playing. Knowledge of the fine gives some reasoning as to why the 31-year-old posted fake happiness on his Instagram page.
Altman signed Kevin Love to a lucrative extension just weeks after James left the organization. The Athletic reports the Cavs front office told Love that the team would try and compete for the playoffs as opposed to rebuild. Five games into that plan, with no wins, head coach Tyronn Lue was fired and the team stayed in the cellar. To say the organization mislead their star player is difficult to say, as even the most optimistic people did not see the Cavs staying mildly competitive immediately after James’ departure.
In a 121-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Love showed his frustration on the court at the end of the first half:
Kevin Love may have had enough of Cleveland ?pic.twitter.com/qdfEIyXzl9
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) January 5, 2020
Following the report from The Atheltic and endless speculation regarding what exactly made Love have the emotional outburst, he went to Instagram again to clear the air:
Love would prefer to be traded to a contender, according to The Atheltic. That request has not been made public, as a fine would be issued like it was for Dewyane Dedmon. Trading Kevin Love could be more difficult than Cleveland anticipated, but there should be several playoff teams looking to push themselves over the edge by acquiring him.
