When the Cleveland Cavaliers take the court on Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, veteran forward Kevin Love will not be there to play against his former team.
This is now official. Love is listed out. Tristan Thompson is questionable with an illness. https://t.co/Gs4T2S1bst
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) January 5, 2020
While the reason for Love’s absence from the lineup is to reportedly give him some rest, it comes just one day after a pair of controversial incidents occurred involving the 12-year veteran.
During the Cavaliers’ shootaround on Saturday, Love reportedly erupted at Cavs general manager Koby Altman about the pace of the team’s rebuild.
Then, during the Cavaliers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Love displayed visible frustration on the court toward teammates.
Love’s lengthy injury history, and the fact that he’s now 31 years old does lend some credence to the rest theory. However, it’s inevitable that speculation will develop about Love’s absence being seen as a punishment by the team.
In the first year of a four-year contract that he signed in 2018, Love had indicated that he wanted to be part of the Cavaliers’ rebuilding process.
However, Love’s frustration regarding the Cavaliers’ 10-25 start has ramped up rumors that he’ll be traded before next month’s trade deadline. At present, the Cavaliers haven’t got much interest from other teams, largely due to the aforementioned contract and injury concerns.
Love’s actions over the next few weeks may speed up efforts by the Cavs to trade him, regardless of whether or not they can get the best possible deal. That’s because the Cavaliers are reluctant to have the veteran’s mindset develop among the team’s younger players.
