Well, you can file this under “obvious”: Kevin Love said the Cavs needed to throw half the team overboard.
He answered, “Yeah, I think that was pretty apparent” during the All-Star media session on Saturday and the Cavs appear rejuvenated since revamping the roster two weeks ago at the trade deadline. Love is currently mending from injury but said he’s excited to return and see where he fits among the new pieces.
Love found himself caught in a controversy last month when some unnamed players questioned whether he was truly hurt. Reports in Cleveland said Dwyane Wade was the guilty party; Wade has since been traded to Miami, where he began his career.
Here’s Joe Vardon of cleveland.com on Love’s take and the state of the Cavs:
By now, even the casual fan knows general manager Koby Altman shipped out six players last week — including Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade — and netted Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, and Rodney Hood in return.
The Cavs were a mess on the court and off, and Wade and Thomas both took issue with Love for missing a game and a practice in January with an illness.
“It might not have been a bad thing to get some fresh faces in there and guys from situations where they really wanted to win,” Love said. “I think first and foremost, seeing those (new) guys in Atlanta, they didn’t play, but they got there right after the trade and they just said they want to win. You can tell when somebody says it, you can tell when somebody means it. They really meant it and it felt good to have that there.”
Love, a southern California native who went to college at UCLA, has been highly visible in L.A. this week, attending numerous events for corporate sponsors. He preached caution when asked to consider the Cavs’ chances for a return to the Finals after the trades.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens,” he said. “I feel like if we get a couple months under our belt playing together we can be tough.”
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