Cleveland Cavaliers: Who is to blame for Kevin Love’s frustration?

Kevin Love is clearly frustrated in his role with the Cleveland Cavaliers but who is to blame for this disastrous situation?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are beginning to fall apart as Kevin Love grows increasingly frustrated with his role.

Following an in-game outburst that cost the big man a thousand dollars in team fines, Love, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Joe Vardon, reportedly shouted at general manager Koby Altman in an exchange that ended with more fines being threatened.

Love’s frustrations carried over into his game against the Oklahoma City Thunder where he was visibly distraught for most of the match. Love was seen with his head down and sulking multiple times throughout the night.

It’s no longer a secret that Love appears ready to be traded out of Cleveland. He is making it abundantly clear that he is fed up with the team and is ready to move on. But, who is to blame for this disastrous situation?

Many are quick to point out that Love signed a four-year extension with the Cavaliers after LeBron James had already made his decision to leave the franchise. Therefore, Love has nobody to blame but himself for remaining with the team.

However, it’s not this simple. At the time, the Cavaliers were hopeful that this team could be salvaged and a playoff run was still possible. With several veteran players returning to the roster, the belief was that they would at least be competitive.

Of course, it became clear very early on that the franchise had no plans of being competitive. Key players like Rodney Hood, J.R. Smith and George Hill were restricted to limited roles while Tristan Thompson and Love both suffered significant injuries.

As a result, the franchise initiated a full rebuild. Trading away most of the remaining members of their recent NBA Finals run, Love was now on a team full of inexperienced prospects. It was time for the young players to receive more opportunities.

This trend has continued into this season with Love being iced out of plays frequently. The team’s focus is on developing their rising stars and Love has been left in the dust on many occasions.

Love is currently attempting just 11.9 field goals per game, the fewest attempts since his sophomore season. This has to be a frustrating reality for Love who is easily the best offensive player on the roster.

Most assume that Collin Sexton is the root of Love’s anger. The Young Bull is leading the team in scoring but tends to force up shots. Love has been seen multiple times shaking his head at Sexton’s decision making.

One moment that has gained traction is a clip in which Love raises his arms in anger as Sexton dribbles the ball at the top of the key. Though it appears Love is upset with Sexton, it is head coach John Beilein who Love is fuming at.

There is no reason to be mad at the 21-year old guard for following his coach’s orders. Instead, this is a perfect example of how the coaching staff and front office are to blame for Love’s troubles.

Though Beilein is doing a solid job of developing the Cavs young core, he has completely neglected Love’s talents. This may be best for the team but certainly frustrating for Love who is deserving of a bigger role.

This explains why Love is ready to move on from Cleveland. There is no use in wasting his time in a rebuilding situation when he is nearing the end of his career.

Sadly, Love isn’t the first veteran on the Cavaliers to feel trapped with the team. J.R. Smith had hoped to be traded for nearly all of last season but was refused even a buy-out until July of 2019 when the team officially waived him. To this day, Smith resents the front office for this decision.

Former Cavalier Channing Frye has also stepped up to defend Love. In a series of tweets, Frye stated that Love is justified in his actions and is not in a situation that is setting him up for success.

Thankfully, Love took to social media to clear the air between him and his current teammates. An Instagram post of Love and Sexton stating “I love my teammates” is all we need to see to know this issue stems no further than the basketball court.

The front office owes it to Love to find him a new home where his talents will be utilized. The Cavaliers are doing themselves no favors by holding on to him at this point. Unfortunately, his time in Cleveland is coming to such a disastrous end but parting ways is what’s best for both parties.