Cavaliers: Kevin Love’s desire to play out NBA season is commendable

Kevin Love wants to finish the rest of the NBA regular season, even if it means a bubble location, which is unexpected considering where he was this year.

Earlier this year, Kevin Love was not someone who was happy where he was. The Cleveland Cavaliers were not playing well, Love was having outbursts on the court (though a tad overblown) and it was rumored to be Love that was leaking information about former coach John Beilein. However, Love seems to be in much higher spirits with the team since then. J.B. Bickerstaff is now the head coach, the team stole Andre Drummond from the Pistons and Love has been using the recent pandemic to spread positivity and show support for those most affected by the NBA shutdown.

Now he wants to return to work even if there are no fans and at a centralized bubble-facility. Player, personnel, crew, and possibly fan safety (depending on if any are allowed) has to be paramount for any return to sport for any league. The Korean baseball league is already underway again but there are no fans and the players have already spoken out about their nerves. The UFC is in the midst of their return week in Jacksonville, but they’ve already had one fighter test positive, who was in close proximity to others. They were also lambasted for breaking major protocols throughout the first two of three shows they held.

There is a risk if the NBA returns this year. Playing out the rest of the regular season makes little sense, and leaping into an all-league playoff seems like the move to make. Yet, to see Love so optimistic about something happening is refreshing. Considering how he was in the winter, slapping chairs, and showing his discontent more often then anytime before; it made people think he wanted out.

Yet, he here is asking to play more for the team.  According to Yahoo, Love was optimistic about finishing the season.

"I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like getting back and playing with no fans or fans kind of scattered out through the arena. It’s going to be really, really odd to see how sports slowly start to roll themselves out, but I think it’s needed,” Love told Yahoo Sports. “It’s just such a way to — even for us, too — get out of our own heads and just go and compete. Sport has a commonality to it that, it just plays itself out and has a unique brand of storytelling that’s unraveling right before your eyes.…I’m fingers crossed for the season to resume."

If the NBA can do things responsibly, safely, with provisions and steps in place to safeguard everyone involved, then absolutely return. Even if it means they play in a biodome on the moon. Love’s enthusiasm may make the meaningless games the Cavs may play a lot more fun than they have any right to be.

Minimize travel the best you can, and you may just be able to get the season done. At least, you have a better chance of finishing the NBA season than the MLB does even starting theirs right now. Here’s hoping the league though is willing to protect Love and the rest of the NBA as best they can.