On Monday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Kevin Love was the subject of ire in a recent Cleveland Cavaliers team meeting, where a number of players questioned the validity of an illness that caused him to leave Saturday’s game after three minutes, and miss Sunday’s practice.
The onion was peeled back even further on Tuesday, when Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported that it was the recently acquired guard Isaiah Thomas who led the charge against Kevin Love. Thomas has been with the team for half a season, and played only seven games
With the Feb. 8 trading deadline looming the next three weeks will be fascinating, starting with the dead-man-walking Cavs, who were described by one person close to the team as being in “utter chaos.” ESPN reported that during a team meeting Kevin Love became yet again the convenient scapegoat. A source told The News that Isaiah Thomas led the charge against Love, who turned up ill for Saturday’s embarrassing loss to Oklahoma City and went home after playing just three minutes.
At Cavs practice on Tuesday, Love said he wished news of the team meeting hadn’t gotten out, but denied being singled out by teammates.
“Did I feel like a target? I think everybody, most people, were a target,” he said. “We’re trying to figure this thing out. People hold themselves to a very high standard on this team and we’re a team that can compete at the highest level.”