Earlier in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers granted Kevin Love’s wishes to be bought out, releasing him into free agency, presumably with a Brinks truck loaded with $100 bills.
Subsequently, he sought to join a contender who could use his services and wound up with the Miami Heat.
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While that decision seemed fruitless at first, Love has found a new home on an eighth seed that is currently making a historic run through the postseason; first by locking up a playoff spot with a Play-In Tournament victory, then by dismantling the massive one-seeded favorites in the Milwaukee Bucks in just five quick games.
Now, Miami holds a 3-1 lead over the fifth-seed New York Knicks and have shown no signs of slowing down.
By fleeing Cleveland and joining Jimmy Butler and the Heat, Love has avoided a first-round upset and has apparently made his way onto an Eastern Conference Finals team at the least.
While Love did end up seeking a buy-out with the Cavaliers, it wasn’t his decision that ultimately severed his ties with the team. Over the years, the former NBA champion was adamant about his loyalty to Cleveland and his desire to remain as their sage veteran leader.
While there have been ups and downs in his time in that role, Love saw his usage drastically decrease with the Cavs, particularly in this past season. Eventually, he found that he had no role at all outside of his locker room voice.
For a team that was so quickly dispatched in the playoffs, it’s peculiar to think that they couldn’t have found a niche for Love and his talents.
| Kevin Love 2022-23 Season Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| FG% | REB | AST | PTS |
| 38.2 | 6.4 | 1.9 | 8.2 |
| 47th | 130th | 150+ | |
In their first-round series loss against the New York Knicks, the Cavaliers were consistently battered on the boards, giving up offensive rebound after offensive rebound to the likes of Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart. The Cavs also suffered from poor floor spacing and a lack of playmaking.
Through nine playoff games with the Heat, Love is averaging over eight points, nearly seven rebounds, and tacking on two assists per outing, including some beautiful outlet passes leading to wide-open lay-ups in transition for his teammates.
It sure seems like Love could have been a major patch for many of the Cavaliers’ ailments that plagued them against the New York Knicks.
Their decision to freeze him out of the rotation and shed him from their roster will only continue to look worse the longer Love contributes for a dark-horse title contender in the Heat.
Kevin Love was right on the money with the outlet pass 💰
📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/gwV0e6V7hM
— ESPN (@espn) May 6, 2023
| Title: Kevin Love has proven that he should have remained a staple contributor with the Cleveland Cavaliers
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: May 1, 2022
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