Factory Of Sadness
FanSided

Cleveland Sports: Top 40 athletes from the Browns, Monsters Indians, and Cavaliers

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 06: (Left to right) Francisco Lindor, Roberto Perez and Edwin Encarnacion of the Cleveland Indians look on from the sideline during warm ups prior to Game Three of the 2018 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on June 6, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 06: (Left to right) Francisco Lindor, Roberto Perez and Edwin Encarnacion of the Cleveland Indians look on from the sideline during warm ups prior to Game Three of the 2018 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on June 6, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 29: Kevin Love #0 and Andre Drummond #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after the two connected on a pass during the second half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Pacers defeated the Cavaliers 113-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 29: Kevin Love #0 and Andre Drummond #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after the two connected on a pass during the second half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Pacers defeated the Cavaliers 113-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

3. Cavaliers PF Kevin Love

This might be also controversial, but yes, Kevin Love is the face of the Cavaliers. He’s a multi-time All-Star and All-NBA caliber player. He’s one of a few players on this current squad with an NBA Championship and he’s on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Yes, Love is the face of the franchise for better or worse, and for that reason most of all he’s this high.

He’s also becoming a more respected person, beyond just his status as a player. His stances and support of those struggling with mental health issues have earned him a whole heap of new support from passionate long time fans, to once former detractors. He’s been on the front lines of treating mental health issues seriously and offering words of encouragement to those suffering.

He also took a leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic and lead the Cavaliers and other NBA’ers to step in and step up for the arena workers around the league who would lose out on needed income during a trying time. Which of course was needed due to the postponement of the league’s season. The Cavs star has shown a willingness to lead by example for the community in which he plays and fans don’t forget stuff like that.

While Love is usually at the center of trade talks and seemingly has been since he arrived in Cleveland in 2014, it’s never felt like fans wanted him to leave. Just that they wanted to maximize his value. Whether that’s true or not for everyone is up in the air, but Love has shown to be someone how can have a positive impact on the team, even if there seem to be a few missteps from him from time to time.

Love will go down as a Cavs all-time great, and his number zero might one day hang in the rafters with other former Cavaliers greats.

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