Kevin Love may or may not have been physically sick this weekend. Emotionally, he was likely feeling ill after what his team did to him. Before Monday on practice, the Cleveland Cavaliers chose to have a meeting, presumably to clear the air after recent struggles. But it took a fiery turn, with some players accusing the power forward of exaggerating his illness to get out of a lopsided affair. It might be the defining moment of a team fracture that has been developing for weeks.
No Love lost
During Saturday's humiliating loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Love was forced to leave under the guise of illness.
Apparently, teammates didn't necessarily believe that. The power forward left the arena before the game even ended and Cavaliers players wanted him held accountable for this on Monday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. It wasn't a "players only" meeting, but a moment where management was brought in to work through the situation.
The Cleveland Cavaliers held an emotional team meeting prior to Monday’s practice, where several players challenged the legitimacy of Kevin Love leaving OKC loss on Saturday ill and missing Sunday’s practice, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2018
While tensions were high, players reportedly bought in to what Love had to say when he was given the opportunity to speak.
The fact that it got to this point, however, is problematic. Everyone picking on one member of the team as the pinata is terrible in any industry, especially when there's only a dozen team members. He'll now expect the same teammates who accused him of bailing on them to have his back. It's an untenable situation for the Cavaliers.
In a locker room increasingly full of finger-pointing, Love defended himself and explained his side to teammates, coaches and management, sources said. At end of meeting, there was a sense with some that team had worked out some issues, but that ultimately remains to be seen.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2018
How Cleveland moves forward
Public statements since the meeting argue that this moment could make the Cavaliers stronger going forward, and how now is the time for the team to come together like never before.
That seems hard to fathom, though. Instead, this seems like a house whose foundation is beginning to show one too many cracks. General manager Koby Altman has the ability to piece it back together, but it will probably require some trades over the next two weeks, forever altering Cleveland's corps.
It's unclear if Love will be involved in any forthcoming transactions. Some people believe he should want to be, considering the flak he's taken throughout his tenure with the team. It may be a challenge to move his contract, though. Adding to the challenge is the specter of LeBron James' impending free agency and what that means for this team's title contention window.
These may be the last days of this version of the Cleveland Cavaliers -- Kevin Love could be entering his final days with the team.
