Kevin Love: Cavs “always thrive under chaos”
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love believes the team thrives under chaos.
If there’s anything you should know about the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s this. Kevin Love isn’t nearly as worried about the chaos surrounding the team as you are. This isn’t due to indifference, though. It’s the result of expectation.
Kevin Love said he's almost numb to the chaos that's always surrounding Cleveland.
— Erik García Gundersen (he/him/his) (@Erik_Gundersen) February 16, 2018
"We always thrive under chaos. We’re the Cavs, after all."
In Love’s mind, the Cavs are a team that thrives under chaos. In fact, as LeBron Wire’s Erik García Gundersen caught up with Love on Thursday, he said he’s almost numb to it.
Keep in mind all of the times that the Cavaliers played poorly, had teammates on the trade block or had issues with how their teammate’s “fit in”.
Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special! Just my thoughts
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 8, 2015
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the NBA’s version of Keeping up with the Kardashians. Salacious headlines might be used to draw in an audience but the content is just as captivating. Why? Because of the drama. High-level drama that has threatened to tear apart a championship contender nearly every year.
In 2014-2015, both Love and Dion Waiters were questionable fits and Waiters was actually traded, Love was a poor enough fit for the Cavs to have a trade on the table for him. Love and Kyrie Irving would find themselves knocked out of the postseason that year thanks to a dislocated shoulder and a fractured kneecap, respectively. All that said, LeBron James and company took the Golden State Warriors to six games in the NBA Finals.
The following season saw the team have a falling-out with point guard Mo Williams. They also fired former head coach David Blatt halfway through the season (with the Cavs holding a 30-11 record but playing dispirited basketball). They would go on to win their first championship in franchise history while being the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a NBA Finals series.
Last season, the Cavs’ Big Three led a roster full of aged veterans and journeyman to the postseason. A 2-5 stretch in January prompted James to say that the team needed more playmakers and another big man as they were top-heavy in talent and thin on their frontline. Former general manager initially scoffed at the notion and called out James.
Quote transcribed by Rick Noland of The Chronicle-Telegram:
"“I think we have enough (talent to repeat as champs) if we play significantly better,” Griffin said."
This is the season where Thompson lost his NBA ironman record of 447 games, prompting Griffin to realize they needed another big man. They then brought in Andrew Bogut, then Larry Sanders then Edy Tavares for that role. The playmaker they added? 31-year-old Deron Williams, whose injuries made him look a lot older than that.
The Cavaliers swept their first two opponents before completing a gentleman’s sweep of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They then, however, were beaten by the Golden State Warriors 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
Bogut, Sanders nor Tavares played a minute in the Finals series. Williams missed his first eleven shots. In the offseason, Griffin wasn’t re-signed much to the chagrin of the locker room and Chauncey Billups, pegged to be his replacement, declined the offer. Irving and Love were then rumored to be on the trade block as they Cavs looked to add athleticism to their Big Three.
Love didn’t have the standalone trade value the Cavs needed and Irving, due to a request to be traded and the Cavs’ limited options to improve the team, was moved instead.
Must Read: Cavs can now mask Kevin Love's defense
This season, when you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers current roster, there are only four players who have been a part of the team since the 2014-2015 season: J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, James and Love. Out of those four players, only three have been riding down Euclid since the start of the season: Thompson, James and Love.
This trio represents the core of what it means to be Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thompson was the Cavs fourth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, their second pick of the draft with first overall pick Kyrie Irving becoming the face of the franchise during James’ four-year stint with the Miami Heat. Over the last 7 seasons, Thompson has switched shooting hands, switched positions and switched his place in the rotation.
However, the player who was the NBA’s “ironman” (active leader in consecutive games played) last season, has never switched his motor or his dedication to the team. He’s the ultimate team player, willing to do whatever it takes to his help his team succeed (within the rules, of course).
James, the Cavs’ first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, isn’t just the face of the franchise but nearly is the franchise. He’s led the Cavs to their only four NBA Finals appearances in franchise history. He’s the career leader in nearly every statistical category for the Cavs as well, despite playing four seasons for the Miami Heat.
There’s nearly no way to quantify what James means to the franchise. He’s a masterful entertainer, both on the court and in Hollywood. He’s a powerful voice among athletes worldwide and his words always hold weight. He’s the best player in the NBA and has a case as the best player in NBA history.
Love, who the Cleveland Cavaliers traded former number one overall pick Andrew Wiggins for, is a player whose been through it all. Rifts with James. Trade rumors (nearly every year). Being called out in team meetings. Yet, he’s persevered through it all and kept his head down, working to improve his game and physique. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that the Cavs were shopping Love during the offseason and that’s at least the second time in his Cavs career.
He’s currently ranked fifth in franchise history in three-point field goals (552) and player efficiency rating (20.1). He’s ranked second in defensive rebound percent (28.1); third in rebounds per game (10.0) and total rebounds percent (18.0); fourth in win shares per 48 minutes (.169); ninth in offensive box plus/minus (2.0), offensive rating (114.5) and true shooting percent (57.1); and tenth in free-throw percent (57.1) and total defensive rebounds (2,077).
After a whirlwind month that saw a team be ecstatic about Isaiah Thomas’ return to ignoring him in postgame celebrations, the toxicity and drama surrounding the locker room seems to be a thing of the past. There’s no longer a 5-foot-9 point guard hijacking the offense, failing to play defense and calling out the team and coaches. Now there’s a group of young and hungry players who know their role.
Cavs general manager Koby Altman, criticized for not showing enough commitment to James, made a move that reset the season and has earned the respect of both James and the fan base because of it; he made a bad situation a better one. The Cleveland Cavaliers have won three straight games since the trade and one of those games came with the Cavs short six players, five of whom were in the rotation.
This season, made more important by James’ impending free agency, has been as dramatic as ever but it’s not the first time they’ve overcome adversity.
Love, one of the Originals, is spot-on with their assessment. The Cleveland Cavaliers truly do thrive in chaos.