The brief 54-game tenure of John Beilein as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers was likely doomed from the start according to a new report, due to Kevin Love’s apparent disdain for Beilein.
The Hoop Collective podcast, hosted by Brian Windhorst, discussed the Beilein situation, with guest Tim MacMahon (at the 10:20 mark) offering this assessment about the relationship between Beilein and Love.
“Kevin Love did everything but rent out a billboard saying Beilein sucks,” said MacMahon. “There was zero percent chance of Beilein [working out with the Cavs]. With Kevin Love around, that was going to be a complete disaster because he was going to make it clear how much he thought this coach was over his head, and he was going to be right.”
Prior to taking the Cavaliers job, the 67-year-old Beilein had never coached at the NBA level. That lack of experience in dealing with professionals and the security possessed by Love through his four-year, $120 contract were apparently a recipe for disaster.
At the start of training camp, Beilein indicated that he planned to make Love the focal point of the Cavs offense, and Love spoke of the things he already liked about his new coach.
However, when the Cavaliers’ season quickly began to unravel, Love began openly expressing his frustration with the team’s losing. Eventually, he ended up apologizing for his behavior.
When Beilein ended his run with the Cavs, they had won just 14 of their 54 games this season. The hope is that the team can finish strong under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, with Love’s frame of mind presumably in a much better place than it was when Beilein was at the helm.
