Cavaliers forward Kevin Love had no malicious intent behind his inbounds play that resulted in an easy Raptors basket in the team’s 112-92 loss to Toronto on Monday, he told USA TODAY’s Mark Medina.
The incident occurred toward the end of the third quarter after Raptors big man Freddie Gillespie bumped into Love, who subsequently traveled into the basket stanchion. Love, upset about a non-call, angrily swatted at the ball when a referee threw it to him to inbound. Raptors forward Stanley Johnson stole Love’s spiked pass on the play, dishing to a trailing Malachi Flynn for three.
The Cavaliers handled the matter internally and Love apologized for his poor attitude, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
“Not to say too much that could get me fined, but it was the officiating,” Love told Medina. “When I snagged that ball, I didn’t realize it wasn’t even inbounds. I was a little thrown off. I was going to go grab it and throw back into passing the ball to DG (Darius Garland) and move on. I get the optics. That’s something I have to take on the chin and understand that was a very bad look.”
Love, a 13-year veteran, has two years and $60.2MM remaining in his deal after the season. He was a valuable floor-spacer and locker room voice in the team’s championship run just five years ago. However, he has expressed his frustration on the court multiple times in recent years,
“I never want that to be who I am,” Love told reporters on Wednesday, as relayed by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I don’t want to be here and defend my character. Everything I do comes from a good place. This isn’t woe is me. These guys ride with me. I apologized. We’ve moved on. We even talked about it today, but I mean I know the perception and the way people want to make this. Me being a leader for the team and I know I’m going to take that on the chin. I’m going to be a man and take it on the chin.”
The Cavaliers are just 21-40 with 11 games left on the schedule. The team ranks six games behind the Wizards for the No. 10 seed and has only seen Love play in 18 games this season due to injury.
Sounds like a reasonable and good apology/commentary. At least he’s frustrated with the losing and not content with it.
makes me question his character as a player if things do not go right. He should negotiate a buy out of his contract and move on but of course he doesn’t want to lose any of the big money.
The league needs to take this type of behavior seriously, kids are watching for goodness sake.
This is not the kind of role model I expect. I hope Kevin thinks long and hard about the kind of man he wants to be.
If I’m Cavs I shut him down for the year as a lesson and dump the contract asap. Let Kelvin pick up the pieces, clean up his own mess.
Disgraceful…
Somebody save Love. He can help a contender. He’s a high IQ player. Who can still be a 20 n 10 starter. Great shooter too. Wilkins for Love. At long last Cavs get Wilkins. Wilkins at the 2 can avg 22 easy in Cleveland.
He’s washed up. And $30M per. Hard pass for anyone.
Nobody wants him for that much.
Hes a fool
Stupid is as stupid does. He does seem to have a petulant streak that comes out under adverse conditions.
As most people’s do…
Looking at the video, it did not look like a big deal at any point until the 3 that followed. But maybe this gets Altman to get creative in the offseason.
Posters, he apologized, so yes a sort of role model. A lot of players strike the ball when frustrated. More overreaction in the comments. He’s just overpaid.
Players of any salary can be traded… they just draw other players of the same salary. The problem is that the GM does not think a similar overpaid player would do any good. He did draft fairly immature players for development. Also for vanity’s sake, Altman does not want to have to send out additional value just to get rid of him. That’s a problem. Love will need to be packaged, where the lesser salary is the greatest draw:
KLove AND Sexton/Garland/Okoro (about $38mil salary, needing about $30mil for matching) OR Love+ Nance for possible targets:
Kemba Walker (stats down; 17per, -1 net; 31yo; $36+38mil left)
Kristaps Porzingus (good stats but misses games)
Andrew Wiggins (ironic, $32+34mil left, durablity best stat)
Kris Middleton ($36,38,40mil left, 18per, -4 on/off, not a max guy)
Myles Turner+ Jer.Lamb+ Sumner/Holiday/Bitadze
Buddy Hield+ DelonWright/MarvinBagley
ORL has a few options but no favor to Love
Middleton may fall out of favor in MIL… has been looking overpaid… maybe not keeping up with improved team pace.
Walker has also benefitted from local politesse, but he is overpaid for production, and BOS plays like they lack leadership.
Hield, Turner, Wiggins, Zinger have already been on the block.
These are on contending teams… SAC iffy.
Or Love could work more focussed to assist Jarrett Allen, if Cavs sign him… probably to around $4/90.
The players you listed are better players than Love is right now. Love is at the end of his career with all those injuries. Cavs would need to throw in some 1st round draft picks to get rid of that contract for any of those players.
Yeah, those slashes between Garland, Sexton, and Okoro would have to be “and”s to get at some of those trade targets.
Good luck trading for not Al Horford on this one.
Al Horford for Love? Sure, but OKC says no. No favor to Love though, unless he wants to stay home.
That is a brush-off as you did not say anything I said or indicated already. “Love will need to be packaged, where the lesser salary is the greatest draw”.
If your thought is “those players are better than Love” which is a given, then you probably didn’t read the post, which was quite long after all so okay. Garland/Sexton/Okoro, who are first round picks, are better than Love too.
The players I listed are also overpaid. Overpaid gets overpaid. Would a team like to get a good young player or a first for their overpaid? I think so.
I am aware Love is oft injured and his contract has negative value. Not sure fans are aware that some of those names also have a negative value.
Trade Darius Garland and KLove for Kemba Walker?— in a second if I’m Ainge. Compare stats; ages. Walker is out now, often hobbled. The money is about the same; the CBA rules require it. But CLE would say no.
Think people. Maybe a shorter post scheme.
The cavs who are afraid to trade Love. You get what you pay for!
Garland and Love for Walker. Who says no?— CLE/Altman.
Sexton and Love for Walker. Who says no?— Tatum.
Ainge yes