The Cleveland Cavaliers did not play on Monday, but they reportedly had some big business to discuss.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Cavaliers held an emotional meeting prior to practice on Monday during which the legitimacy of Kevin Love’s illness was questioned.
The Cleveland Cavaliers held an emotional team meeting prior to Monday’s practice, where several players challenged the legitimacy of Kevin Love leaving OKC loss on Saturday ill and missing Sunday’s practice, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2018
Woj says Love tried to explain his side.
In a locker room increasingly full of finger-pointing, Love defended himself and explained his side to teammates, coaches and management, sources said. At end of meeting, there was a sense with some that team had worked out some issues, but that ultimately remains to be seen.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2018
Love started and played just three minutes during Saturday’s embarrassing loss to the Thunder in which the Cavs allowed 148 points. He took two shots and missed both of them.
Love was said to have had an illness, which led him to leave the game. He did not practice with the team on Sunday.
On Monday, Love did tell reporters that he felt dizzy on Saturday and that he is now feeling better. He is set to play on Tuesday.
.@kevinlove says he is feeling better and will play tomorrow in SA..says he felt super dizzy Sat vs OKC and had to come out of the game pic.twitter.com/GuwE9yUdeb
— Fred McLeod (@CavsFredMcLeod) January 22, 2018
The 29-year-old forward has struggled to find his way in the offense since Isaiah Thomas joined the starting lineup. His usage rate is down and his stats have been terrible in January. For the month, he’s averaging just 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 23.9 minutes per game. Compare that to December when he averaged 22.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 29.7 minutes per game.
When Love first joined the Cavaliers, he had some issues with LeBron James, but that seemed to pass after the Cavs won the title. Now that Thomas is in the mix, Love is trying to find his way on the team, and it clearly has not been easy.
