News broke late Monday night that the Cavs had held a team meeting before practice. The most noteworthy development? Cavs players questioning the legitimacy of Kevin Love's illness, which kept him out of Saturday's debacle against the Thunder.
Upon hearing Love had become the scapegoat for the Cavs' struggles, the first thing that came to mind was Garry Gergich, the awkward yet lovable character from NBC's "Parks and Recreation." Garry — or Jerry or Larry or Terry because no one ever cares quite enough to get his name right — is often the target of the members of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department because of his general clumsiness and tendency to put himself in ridiculous situations. He becomes the butt of many jokes, even in cases where he really hasn't done anything wrong.
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Like the time Garry was excited to present a beautiful mural but was shut down after accidentally saying "murinal."
Why did this remind me of Love? Well, think about him having to defend himself over feeling sick and dizzy as his own teammates call him out for faking it. Or remember that time he wanted a high-five from LeBron James only to get a scolding.
Love was traded from the Timberwolves to the Cavs in 2014 after James announced he planned to return to Cleveland that summer. After averaging a career-high 26.1 points per game in his final season with the Wolves, he accepted a tertiary role behind James and Kyrie Irving. He has dealt with all the nonsense that comes with being the third wheel on a LeBron-led team. (That fit out/fit in episode with James happened nearly three years ago. Time flies!)
Despite fingers being pointed at Love throughout his time in Cleveland, Love has brushed off his shoulders and kept moving. He did it once again Tuesday afternoon in responding to questions about Monday's meeting.
Kevin Love on "meeting": "I felt like we should keep it on the court or in the locker room, but obviously it didn’t stay there."#Cavs
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) January 23, 2018
More Love: "I’m going to keep my mouth shut, do right by the organization, by the fans and try to help this team win.”#Cavs
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) January 23, 2018
Love: "Did I feel like a target? I think everybody, most people, were a target. We’re trying to figure this thing out. People hold themselves to a very high standard on this team and we’re a team that can compete at the highest level."#Cavs
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) January 23, 2018
Lost in all of this drama is Love's production this season, which earned him a spot as an All-Star reserve. He is scoring 18.4 points and grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game while shooting over 50.5 percent from 2-point range and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc on 5.5 attempts. He is a reliable shooter outside and creates scoring opportunities on post-ups. And when his touches dropped after Isaiah Thomas joined the team full-time, he didn't say one negative word.
Some may point to Love's lack of defensive prowess, but it's not his fault Tyronn Lue installed him as the center in the starting lineup. Love has never been a rim protector, but the layup line offered by the Cavs' perimeter defenders would be a challenge to stop even if Love suddenly turned into Rudy Gobert. It's time for Lue to switch out Jae Crowder in favor of Tristan Thompson. Either that or general manager Koby Altman needs to find a big guy on the trade market. (DeAndre Jordan, anyone?)
Love routinely finds his name in the center of the Cavs' hurricane, and he somehow figures out a way to avoid flying off the handle. Yes, he looks goofy sometimes. He makes funny faces when he's trying to defend a quicker player. His status as the team whipping boy is good for all the jokes and memes you can post on social media.
But making fun of Kevin or Devin or Tevin won't improve the Cavs' lackluster defense or suddenly make the oldest team in the NBA younger. It's time for the guys in Cleveland to stop looking at Love and start looking in a mirror.
