Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love made his media rounds Monday as he promoted his partnership with Chocolate Milk, and he had plenty to say regarding his highly-scrutinized role in Cleveland.
Love diplomatically said that he’s OK with being occasionally benched at crunch time—the Cavs are 3-1 this season with Love watching from the bench in the fourth quarter.
As for his “evolving” relationship with superstar teammate LeBron James, Love argues that they don’t need to be BFFs in order to form a fruitful partnership.
Per ESPN:
“A lot of the times, if you look out on the floor when that’s happened, it’s been matchups,” Love said Monday. “So whether it’s been James Jones being out there or Tristan Thompson, us going big, us playing the 5 man, which happened [Sunday], and LeBron playing the 4 and guarding a guy like [Ersan] Ilyasova out there, it just changes the dynamic of the game, and we happened to be rolling at the end of the third quarter all the way into the fourth. […] So I think it’s on me to try to do what’s best for the team and always be a consummate professional throughout this entire process.”
“Just knowing that it’s for the greater good,” Love said. “If we have a chance at the end of the year to hoist that Larry O’Brien Trophy, then it’s all been worth it. I think there’s been times this season, naturally, that I fought it, but then seeing the end result, it kind of changes everything. Had it been different, then maybe I would have felt some different kind of way. But knowing that my teammates have my back, Coach [David Blatt] knows that I’m going to be a pro going out there every single night, and I’m just trying to find different ways to affect this team. That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
“It’s fine,” Love said of his relationship with James. “You know, we’re not best friends, we’re not hanging out every day, but we see each other every day, whether at the practice facility, whether on the road or going to a game. I think our relationship is also evolving. I can say the same with each and every coach, Coach Blatt and each and every player on the team. But that’s part of the NBA.” […] Love was asked about James posting an Instagram photo after the Milwaukee game with him and several teammates — with Love absent from the shot — and labelling the group his “clique.” […] “I’m sure that he’s going to add me in the next picture. We’ll see,” Love said with a laugh.
