Kevin Love

Kevin Love Undergoes Surgery, Out At Least Six Weeks

November 2nd, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Love, who has missed the last four games with a toe injury, underwent surgery on Friday to address “continued left foot symptoms,” the Cavaliers announced today in a press release.

According to the team, Love will now enter an extended period of treatment and rehabilitation for the injury. The Cavaliers says they’ll provide an update on Love’s return to basketball activity in about six weeks.

Word first broke earlier in the week that Love might miss over a month due to his nagging foot issues. The veteran forward confirmed on Tuesday that he’d be sidelined for a little while, but expressed hope that he’d be back on the court within two or three weeks. Based on the wording of the Cavs’ update today, it sounds like Love will miss a minimum of six weeks and may not be ready to return at that point.

Love, 30, was expected to take on the lead role in Cleveland this season with LeBron James no longer on the club. In his first four games, he struggled with his shot (323/.292/.818), but his 19.0 PPG and 13.5 RPG would have been his best marks since he joined the Cavs. With Love on the shelf, Sam Dekker has entered the starting lineup and seen a significant increase in his playing time.

If Love gets healthy sometime in the new year, he could emerge as a trade candidate before February’s deadline, despite signing a long-term extension with the Cavs earlier this year. He’ll become trade-eligible on January 24, with the deadline falling on February 7. Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith are among the other Cleveland veterans viewed as trade candidates.

Cavs Rumors: Korver, Drew, J.R. Smith, Love

October 31st, 2018 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

There was good news and bad news in Cleveland on Tuesday. The home crowd finally got to see the Cavaliers pick up their first victory of the season, as they blew out the Hawks by a 22-point margin. Plus, reports earlier in the day indicated that the city would host the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

However, the team’s coaching situation remains extremely unsettled, with Larry Drew telling reporters before the game that there’s still no deal in place to make him the team’s interim head coach, let alone the permanent coach. Drew, who is seeking a raise and possibly a longer-term commitment, said that he’s “very disappointed” with the lack of progress in negotiations.

As we wait to see what happens with Drew and the Cavs, here are a few more items out of interest from out of Cleveland:

The Cavaliers have begun testing the trade market for Kyle Korver, according to Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. Korver was mentioned in trade rumors over the summer, with reports suggesting that the Sixers discussed a potential deal for the veteran sharpshooter in July. It’s not clear if Philadelphia is still interested in Korver, but the Cavs are exploring their options.
The Cavs may become more active in looking to trade other veterans in the coming weeks, sources tell Windhorst and Wojnarowksi. Channing Frye, Rodney Hood, and David Nwaba aren’t trade-eligible until December 15 and Kevin Love can’t be traded until January 24, but anyone else on the roster could theoretically be dealt immediately.
J.R. Smith has been informed that he’ll be removed from the rotation and won’t receive guaranteed minutes, according to Windhorst and Wojnarowski. The ESPN duo reports that the veteran guard was “upset” by the news and considered taking some time away from the club, but has decided to stay with the Cavs for the time being. A Cavs front office official denied that report on Smith’s apparent discontent, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
- Update: Smith has since tweeted that the Cavs gave him the option of taking time away, but he chose to stay.
Although Larry Drew suggested on Tuesday that the Cavs may decide to bring in an outside coach to replace him, GM Koby Altman has no interest in going that route, writes Vardon.
Kevin Love confirmed on Tuesday that his toe injury will keep him sidelined for at least the next couple weeks, as Tom Withers of The Associated Press relays. “I would like to get back obviously as soon as possible,” Love said. “I had high hopes for the season, I know it’s been off to a really rocky start, but the more I can be out there and help this team, the better. So I’m hoping to get out there as quickly as possible and hoping that it’s only two or three weeks.”

Cavaliers Notes: Drew, Lue, Love

October 29th, 2018 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Cavaliers announced on Sunday that Larry Drew had taken over as the team’s interim head coach in the wake of Tyronn Lue‘s dismissal, Drew insists that title isn’t quite accurate. Speaking today to reporters, Drew attempted to clarify his role.

“I’m not the interim coach. I’m the voice right now,” Drew said, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. “As I’m sure you know, there is no agreement right now. Me and my agent have in talks about restructuring my contract. No decision has been made and I’m not sure if one will.”

It’s an odd situation, one that Drew likens to being a “substitute teacher,” as Amico relays. Drew is interested in being the Cavaliers’ coach, but he also wants a restructured contract and a longer-term commitment.

That’s a reasonable stance — if the Cavs go into full-fledged tank mode this season, those wins and losses would go on Drew’s official record and could make it more difficult for him to find another head coaching job in the future. His last head coaching gig was in 2013/14, when he led the Bucks to a 15-67 mark. At the time, it was his fourth consecutive season as an NBA head coach, but he was fired just one year after being hired by Milwaukee and has been back in an assistant role ever since.

Here’s more from out of Cleveland:

There is a push within a faction of the Cavaliers’ organization to make a longer-term commitment to Drew, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). It remains to be seen if the two sides will work something out.
Explaining his decision to move on from Lue, GM Koby Altman said today that “this is a different group and we feel it needs a different voice.” Altman added that the Cavs had hoped to “overachieve” this season, but that hasn’t happened (Twitter link via Amico).
Altman also said that a timeline for Kevin Love‘s return has yet to be determined (Twitter link via Amico). Altman still believes it could be a “short-term” absence, though a report from earlier today suggested that Love could miss a month.
Firing Lue won’t solve the Cavaliers’ problems, according to Bill Livingston of Cleveland.com. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News agrees, arguing that the team’s real issues lie with its players. Meanwhile, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that the Cavs’ history of burning through coaches and front office executives has prevented the franchise from establishing stability.
Coaches from around the NBA weighed in on Lue’s firing, with Clippers coach Doc Rivers saying it “makes no sense” and Warriors coach Steve Kerr suggesting that if Lue “wants another shot, he’ll get one” (links via Andrew Grief of The Los Angeles Times and Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press).

Kevin Love May Miss Several Weeks With Toe Injury

October 29th, 2018 at 8:20am CST by Luke Adams

The 2018/19 regular season isn’t off to a great start in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers became the first team to fire their head coach this season, replacing Tyronn Lue with interim coach Larry Drew on Sunday. Now, the club may be without its top player for an extended period.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavs are preparing for the “strong possibility” that Kevin Love could be sidelined for more than a month due to his left toe injury.

As Windhorst and Wojnarowski report, the Cavaliers and Love are consulting with doctors to go over the “limited short-term solutions” available to the veteran forward, who has been dealing with the toe injury since the preseason. With the Cavs off to an 0-6 start to open the year, it might not make sense for Love to push through the injury and keep playing, since rest would be the most logical solution for the painful ailment.

No final determinations have been made yet, so it’s still possible that Love will attempt to keep playing or will opt for an alternate route that doesn’t keep him on the shelf for quite so long. For now though, a multi-week absence seems to be the likeliest outcome. Larry Nance, Sam Dekker, Ante Zizic, and Channing Frye are among the candidates to pick up a few extra minutes in the frontcourt with Love out.

Now that Lue is out of the picture, a Love-sized hole in Cleveland’s lineup would be an issue for Drew to deal with. In the wake of Lue’s dismissal, reports indicated that Drew was seeking a longer-term commitment than just the interim tag, but the two sides are still “working through” what the arrangement will look like, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Central Notes: Griffin, Pistons, Love

October 28th, 2018 at 5:54pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

With the Pistons getting off to a strong 4-1 start, all eyes have been on Blake Griffin‘s impressive performance as the team’s leader. As A. Sherrod Blakely writes for NBC Sports Boston, Griffin has reinvented his game to evolve with the modern NBA. Al Horford believes that Griffin has been playing like a MVP candidate so far with his ability to handle the ball, score in the post and create opportunities for others.

Griffin is averaging 28.4 points, 10 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game so far, knocking down 3 3-pointers per game. Most notably, Griffin dropped 50 points (including the game winning and-one layup) on the 76ers.

Blakely details just how impressed Horford is with Griffin’s start — the Celtics’ big man observed that Griffin seems more comfortable in his role now that he has had time to settle in with the team and city.

For the Pistons, they are hoping that a revitalized Griffin, better health for Reggie Jackson and a new coach in Dwane Casey will be enough to get the team back to the playoffs. So far, the results are promising as the Pistons look to build on their strong start and the MVP performances from Griffin.

There’s more from the Central division:

The Pistons have gone about building their roster in unique fashion with two big men leading the way. Rod Beard writes for The Detroit News that Celtics coach Brad Stevens recognizes and appreciates what Dwane Casey has done to successfully compliment and ride Griffin and Andre Drummond to early season success.
With the Cavaliers firing head coach Tyronn Lue, Marc Stein reveals for The New York Times that the team may also look to rest Kevin Love for an extended period in order to let him recover from recurring foot soreness. Love missed three preseason games with the injury and has struggled to play through it during the early stages of the regular season.

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Arcidiacono, Love, Evans

October 28th, 2018 at 11:46am CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is standing up for associate Jim Boylen after criticism from Jabari Parker, relays Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Boylen sets the team’s defensive schemes, which Parker felt were lacking in Friday’s loss to the Hornets, telling reporters after the game that the Bulls “didn’t adjust” while giving up 135 points.

‘‘You look at Jim’s track record in this league,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘He had the No. 1 defense in Indiana. He was on some really good Spurs defensive teams. … We have long film sessions. Jim does a great job in those. We have a young team. We have to keep growing, keep working.’’

It’s the first swipe at the coaching staff from Parker, whose stay in Chicago might be short after signing a two-year, $40MM contract with only the first season guaranteed. This is the third year with the Bulls for Boylen, who got his first job as an NBA assistant in 1992.

There’s more today from the Central Division:

Ryan Arcidiacono has shown he deserves the backup point guard job at least until Kris Dunn returns from an MCL sprain in his left knee, contends Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago. Arcidiacono is shooting 53% from 3-point range, providing a much-needed outside threat for a team with few other long-distance shooters. He also supplies energy on both ends of the court that rubs off on his teammates, Walton adds.
Kevin Love‘s aching left foot may turn out to be a lingering injury, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Love sat out his second straight game last night because of pain that has been bothering him since the preseason. Sources tell Vardon an MRI showed some fluid in the foot, and while it’s not thought to be serious, Love will need rest to get it under control.
Tyreke Evans‘ one-game suspension was a result of being late for practice on Friday, according to Scott Agness of The Athletic. It was the final straw for the Pacers‘ guard, who had already accumulated multiple infractions early in the season. “We’ve got guidelines that we have to follow,” coach Nate McMillan said. “When you start to see a pattern with those guidelines being broken, then you have to be disciplined. Our players know those guidelines. We have a book with those rules, guidelines, laws in them.” Pacers president Kevin Pritchard spoke to the team after Friday’s practice, but players refused to reveal what was discussed.

Cavs Remain Committed To Winning Despite Rotation Changes

October 23rd, 2018 at 5:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers remain committed to winning this season rather than tearing down the team and rebuilding, Joe Vardon of the Athletic reports. The front office doesn’t view Sunday’s blowout loss to the Hawks as a reflection of what to expect going forward with this squad.

Before the 22-point loss, the team owned a record of 0-2 and Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith, and Channing Frye, the team’s three oldest players, were told that they were not going to be in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Coach Tyronn Lue and GM Koby Altman sat with the trio on Saturday—a day before the loss—and explained that Cleveland was going to give its young players the opportunity to showcase their skills. Lue’s rotation was teetering between 11 and 12 players and it needed to be shortened. Frye was already not in the rotation, but Korver and Smith were both set to receive a demotion.

Today, after the 22-point loss, Lue began practice with both Korver and Smith among the team’s top 10 players. Both vets are expected to play on Wednesday against the Nets. Vardon notes that it’s possible Lue made this decision against the front office’s wishes.

The front office is committed to the team’s youth but also pledged to Kevin Love that the organization would not tank, something Love wanted to know before he signed his four-year extension. Love understands the need to develop players for the future, but sees a reason for playing the vets now.

“In our commitment to helping guys grow, the guys who know how to win have to play,” Love told Vardon, in supporting Lue’s latest decision. “I think having Kyle and Channing and J.R., those guys know how to win in this league, and having them will help bring the others along. So they need to play.”

Love feels that younger players may pick up bad habits as a result of not playing alongside veterans. He spoke about how he did just that playing on a young team in Minnesota.

“I had to step into playing so many minutes every single night, and my bad habits had accumulated. I got here and I had to shake a lot of those, learn what it is to sacrifice,” Love said. “In practice time and teaching points and film, all that stuff that goes on away from the games, that’s where I think those guys are gonna grow.”

Lue sees Cleveland’s defensive woes as a communication issue and he said the team’s players either have to “talk or they’ve got to come and sit down [on the bench],” as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com relays.

“I think the biggest thing is communication,” Lue said. “When you’re switching you have to call the switches out so the man can’t get behind and get dunks and layups and easy shots.”

This is a situation that could fluctuate over the next several weeks. The team can only dress 13 players and on Sunday, David Nwaba was in street clothes while the team’s three oldest players sat on the bench in uniform. A front office executive tells Vardon that Nwaba is unlikely to be out of uniform going forward, so it’s unclear who will be in street clothes when the team plays on Wednesday.

Korver is considered a strong candidate to be moved at some point during the season, though the team has not explored trade opportunities for him since training camp. Vardon adds that if a market developed for Tristan Thompson, the Cavs would likely listen to offers. Cleveland’s payroll sits at approximately $115.7MM, roughly $14MM over the salary cap.

Community Shootaround: Kevin Love’s Future

October 22nd, 2018 at 7:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Well, that didn’t take long.

Kevin Love signed a four-year, $120MM extension this summer, as the Cavaliers made a commitment to winning even with the loss of LeBron James. Love was happy to get long-term security and an expanded role as the team’s primary scorer.

Cleveland’s 0-3 start already has some people thinking that Love may be wearing a different uniform before the end of the season. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post wrote a column this weekend about this subject, speculating that the franchise may have to finally embrace a rebuilding plan that would include cashing in Love for assets.

Love has held up his end of the bargain, averaging 20.7 PPG and 14.3 RPG, but Cleveland could find itself with some buyer’s remorse. Love will make $28.9MM next season, $31.3MM the following two seasons and $28.9MM in 2022/23 season. With the salary cap projected to rise, a contender may be able to swallow that type of contract if it feels Love could put its franchise over the top.

Love can’t be traded until late January but something could go down by the February 7th trade deadline. Remember, the Clippers dealt Blake Griffin in late January last season to the Pistons after he re-signed with Los Angeles for five years and $171MM in free agency.

That leads us to our question of the day: Do you think the Cavaliers will deal Kevin Love before the trade deadline? If so, which team do you think would be the best fit for him?

Please take to the comments section and weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Central Notes: Love, Harrison, Kennard, O’Quinn

October 22nd, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kevin Love trade watch is already under way in Cleveland, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. The Cavaliers were hoping to continue their streak of playoff appearances after losing LeBron James, but they haven’t looked like contenders in any way during an 0-3 start, especially in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Hawks.

Love has been among the few bright spots, averaging 20.7 PPG and 14.3 RPG, but at age 30 he seems out of place on a team that may have to get serious about rebuilding. The four-year, $120MM extension he signed this summer may make him more attractive on the trade market, Bontemps suggests, just as a similar deal did for Blake Griffin last summer. Love won’t become trade eligible until late January, and the Cavs could be well out of the postseason race by then

There’s more today from the Central Division:

The Bulls have an abundance of point guards after signing Shaquille Harrison over the weekend, notes Sam Smith of NBA.com. Kris Dunn is expected to take over the starting role when he returns from paternity leave tonight, with Harrison and former Suns teammate Tyler Ulis in reserve, along with Cameron Payne and Ryan Arcidiacono. Harrison hopes to use his defensive prowess to help him emerge from the pack. “It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “When I found out, I was extremely excited and ready to get down here and get to work. It was an unfortunate situation in Phoenix, but I’m going to take full advantage of it here in Chicago.”
Coach Dwane Casey’s lineup shuffling led to Luke Kennard not playing at all on Saturday after being in the starting lineup for the season opener, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The new Pistons coach is working his way through a crowded rotation and has used point guards Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith at the same time, cutting down on the available wing minutes.
Free agent addition Kyle O’Quinn paid early dividends for the Pacers in Saturday’s win over the Nets, states Scott Agness of The Athletic. With Domantas Sabonis ruled out shortly before game time, O’Quinn stepped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. “This is what we brought him here for,” coach Nate McMillan said. “… There are going to be nights where we’re going to need him. Domas was out, (Kyle) stepped in and he was ready to go, and played a really, really good game for us.”

Cavaliers Notes: Love, Nance, Frye, Playoff Race

October 3rd, 2018 at 7:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love, the only remaining member of the Cavaliers’ former Big Three, met with GM Koby Altman in June after the team was swept in the NBA Finals, writes Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports. Love said he made it clear that he wanted to stay in Cleveland no matter what else happened to the organization.

“We went over every scenario,” he said. “The first was if [LeBron James] came back and we compete for a championship. Then it was trying to build with the young guys that we have.”

Love also wanted assurances that the Cavs wouldn’t tank and he wouldn’t be traded. The meeting helped convince him to accept a four-year, $120MM extension and a new role as the number one star on a team that has made four straight Finals appearances.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge,” Love said. “It’s definitely going to be a growth year for us. We feel like if we’re in shape, if we play physical, if we shoot the ball well, we’re going to give ourselves a chance.”

There’s more today from Cleveland:

Coach Tyronn Lue‘s plan to pick a starting center based on each night’s matchup is a hit with Larry Nance Jr., relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Lue plans to start Nance against smaller, quicker opponents and use Tristan Thompson against larger, more physical centers. “Having him start one night and I start the next, not having a definitive, ‘You’re a bench guy and you’re a starter,’ I think is going to be great for our team chemistry,” Nance said, “and I think we’re both deserving of the position. I think it’s a great idea.”
Lue has responded to the loss of James by installing an up-tempo offense, and so far the players are enjoying it, Fedor adds in a separate story. Veteran forward Channing Frye explained that the whole team is now approaching the game the way the reserves always did. “True basketball people are going to like the fact that we’re using the corner, we’re using the elbow, we’re using the top of the key,” he said. “It’s not just a lot of one-on-one stuff, it’s a lot of good actions, it’s reads and it’s going to be fun.”
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer believes James’ departure has changed the focus of the Eastern Conference playoff race, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. “I think Boston, Philly, Toronto, Indiana, Miami, Washington — you just keep on going down, Detroit — everybody feels like they have a chance,” he said. “Maybe more so because LeBron is in the West now.”

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