LeBron James and Kevin Love reportedly aren’t in sync.
According to the New York Daily News‘ Frank Isola, LeBron is frustrated with Love and his inability to adapt to the circumstances at hand. Isola also maintains that Love is, indeed, a free-agent flight risk:
Kevin Love’s future in Cleveland is more uncertain not only by the day but by the latest social media postings from LeBron James.
Love may very well be back on the open market as a free agent this July which is good news for Phil Jackson, who has available cap space and just about 12 available roster spots to fill. In theory, a high draft pick, a healthy Carmelo Anthony and the addition of Love is a huge upgrade over what they Knicks are throwing out on the court these days.
The Knicks are the type of big market team that appeals to Love. The Lakers and Celtics would also be in the mix if Love decides not to return to the Cavaliers after just one season as the third wheel in Cleveland. …
But several sources close to the situation in Cleveland claim that LeBron has tried to make it work but that he’s frustrated by Love’s inability and in some ways unwillingness to get with the program. Remember, LeBron pushed the Cavs to trade Wiggins to the Timberwolves to acquire Love, who could be one and done in Cleveland.
That could be a positive development for the Knicks. Or just a warning sign.
None of this is especially new. A big deal is being made about Instagram posts and everything Love and LeBron James say. Some of that, to an extent, has to be noise. But at the same time, where there’s this much smoke, there has to be fire. And with the thick cloud of smog hovering around Cleveland’s locker room these days, there could be an inferno of clashing egos and broken relationships.
Even so, it would be tough to imagine this marriage dissolving. Love has at least said all the right things publicly, so he cannot force his way out, lest he be known as the 2015 version of Dwight Howard. Though his answers could be a way of pinning all the blame on Cleveland and hoping any forthcoming split falls on the team itself, said plan would hardly be goofproof. It’s dependent on the Cavaliers wanting him out, and it’s difficult, nigh impossible, to imagine them willingly parting ways with someone who cost them the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
For the sake of both parties, this is something that needs to last at least through next season, when Love, LeBron and the Cavaliers can say they gave the experiment two campaigns. If things aren’t working by then, Love’s exit can become a distinct possibly.
This, of course, is assuming this relationship is past the point of salvation on all potential fronts. The Cavs are winning and contending for a championship, and titles have a way of bringing players together. So even if there’s something here, something worth worrying about, something worth monitoring, it’ll take at least the rest of this season, playoffs and all, for the Cavaliers and Love to know what must come next.
