Should The Cavaliers Really Trade Kevin Love?

Dec 25, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward

(0) reacts to a call during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 101-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

If your the Cleveland Cavaliers, would you trade Kevin Love? It sounds insane for a guy who’s averaging a double-double per game this season, but shipping Love elsewhere is something that’s starting to gain some steam among Cavs fans, who started a “Trade Kevin Love”  petition on Change.org.

The person responsible for creating the page, later posted that the site was mean to be as a joke, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that from the reaction of Cavs Twitter during Cleveland’s Christmas Day contest with the Miami Heat.

Statistically, Love didn’t play a total clunker, scoring 14 points and grabbing five boards, but to understand fans’ reaction to Love’s play, you’ve got to look a little beyond the box score. It also didn’t help that Andrew Wiggins, the player Love was dealt for during the summer, hung up 27 on the Cavs just a few short days ago.

Eight of those points came in the first half, as Love shot 5-of-13 during the contest. As an offensive presence, he virtually disappeared in the second half.

Love, along with Kyrie Irving, had their physically questioned by ABC analyst Doug Collins, after allowing to many easy first-half buckets.

Chris Andersen, also made Love weak all night, as the Birdman out-physicaled the former UCLA product all night, coming up with 12 points and eight boards.

And one run in with the Birdman led to this interaction, which drew a cranky face from LeBron James, via Cleveland.com

"“LeBron barked at his teammates midway through the third.With the Heat leading, 67-61, former Cleveland State standout Norris Cole missed a jumper from the top of the key. The Cavs’ Shawn Marion, in the midst of a bad performance, lost track of Shawne Williams, who came from the left baseline to grab the rebound. As the ball worked its way around to Heat guard Dwyane Wade, somebody could be heard on ABC’s mic yelling: “Get a (bleeping) rebound!” From the telecast, it was impossible to know for certain who yelled it.Wade stepped back on the left wing and missed a 3-pointer. Teammate Chris Andersen crashed and beat Love to the rebound, the ball deflecting off Love on its way out of bounds. LeBron, next to Love, slammed the ball on the floor.The camera showed LeBron squawking in Love’s direction.ABC play-by-play voice Mike Breen said: (LeBron) is yelling at his teammates to box out.”ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said: ‘He’s right.'”"

And then there was this:

If LeBron James thought Dwyane Wade could still jump like that, do you think he ever would of left? I mean, Wow!

Was it a rough one for Love? Yes. But trade him? Come on. Entering the season, he was pegged as one of the top 10 to 12 players in the association. It is still way early, and besides, Love was starting at center last night because of the injury to Anderson Varejao.

So while guys like Doug Gottlieb want to take shots…

And fans want to create petitions, everybody needs to chilax and remember…Even a Baron Davis led team beat LeBron’s Heat team in James’ first year in South Beach.

Christmas Day losses are brutal to endure when your watching with all of your family, but they become distant memories during the thick of playoffs in May and June.