Kevin Love believes he could’ve done more for Cavs: ‘I have a lot more to give’

Current Miami Heat forward Kevin Love started the 2022-23 campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers before being bought out by the team earlier this year.

The veteran big man ultimately decided to sign with the Heat, and he has made a major impact for the team in the playoffs.

Despite being 34 and dealing with an injury earlier this season while on the Cavs, Love recently said that he felt like he could’ve still been productive for the team.

“I think more than anything I just wanted to I want to be a part of it,” Love said, according to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov. “I wanted to be out there. I felt like I could be productive and help win more than just being a great vet and then helping those guys along. Because I still love those guys. I’m still on the group chat with them. But definitely know I have a lot more to give and just wanted to play.

“So the fact that it came to that, again being in the second round, playing in the Garden, getting the big upset, eight over a one seed, I mean it’s the beautiful thing kind of how it worked out.”

A five-time All-Star, Love thought he and the Cavs were on a “collision course” to meet in the playoffs.

The Cavs could have matched up with Love in the second round of the playoffs, but the team was knocked out by the New York Knicks in five games in the first round.

Love and the Heat rode a strong series from star Jimmy Butler to upset the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. Now, the No. 8-seeded Heat have a 1-0 lead on the Knicks after winning Sunday’s Game 1 matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Prior to being bought out, Love had fallen out of the rotation in Cleveland. The one-time champion appeared in 41 games for the Cavs in the 2022-23 campaign, making three starts. But the team decided to move on from him to give him a chance to find playing time elsewhere.

The former first-round pick has fit in well in Miami, putting together a huge performance in Game 5 of the first round against the Bucks. In that game, Love shot 5-for-11 from beyond the arc, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

In a small sample size for the Heat during the regular season, Love appeared in 21 games and made 17 starts. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from beyond the arc.

While those shooting numbers aren’t great, the veteran has improved on them in the playoffs, shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from deep.

Love’s playoff experience has certainly been helpful for Miami, and one has to wonder if the Cavs could have used that in the first round against New York.

While his Cavs career is over for now, Love clearly still appreciates his teammates and everything that he helped build while with the team.

Cavs fans should be pulling for the 2016 champion to make the most of this season’s playoff run in Miami.