What are the Cavs doing with Kevin Love?

The Cavs have won six straight games so it’s hard to nitpick what they are doing. They are starting to get healthy, and all their rotation guys are playing well. Ricky Rubio is rounding into form and Dean Wade, who they singed to an extension this past summer is back providing size and shooting off the bench. Even Isaac Okoro is playing well in the starting lineup.

It’s been truly a nice stretch for a team that many believe should now contend for a top 4 seed in the conference for the playoffs. All is good right? Welllllllll. Not so fast. What’s up with Kevin Love? Love, the former all-star and champion, can’t seem to get on the floor. In fact, he’s completely out of the rotation. This year Love has played 20 minutes per game, with averages of 8.5 ppg/6.8 rebounds. While those numbers are not bad, they are all career lows for Love.

With Dean Wade and Ricky Rubio coming back from injuries, Love has been the odd man out. Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman has said he hasn’t been approached by Love or his agent about a buyout and doesn’t anticipate it either. Love is in the last year of his contract and with all the uncertainty surrounding him, he was a prime tradeable asset potentially. But Altman and the Cavs stood pat. Altman knows this isn’t easy for Love. However, he also knows the value of having a veteran with experience on the roster.

Because Love has been in Cleveland since 2014, and won a championship with the 2016 team, the fans appreciate Love and have grown to really respect and like him. The turnaround last year was partially because Love bought In and accepted his role off the bench. This year, the Cavs have needed him to stay positive while still being ready and, and probably WHEN his name is called.  Love has previously expressed a desire to potentially finish his career in Cleveland and for a young team that is building, having a guy that has made a Hall of Fame case during his career, wouldn’t be a bad thing.