Cavs: Kevin Love hasn’t considered retirement but he really should

Cavs forward Kevin Love pulled out of his Team USA spot due to lingering issues with his calf.

It’s sad that the career of Kevin Love has shaken out the way it has. Once seen as a top-three power forward in the NBA, Love has not had the same success, individually, with the Cavs as he did in Minnesota. Part of that was playing the third wheel to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving but the other part has been the mounting injuries. He did go to two All-Star games and win an NBA title while in Cleveland, but his expectations were so much more.

So when it was announced that Love had to pull out of the Olympics due to the same lingering calf injury that curtailed his 2020-2021 season, the odds of him ever returning to form are all but out the window. Even Love himself admits that he’s no longer a 35-minute, 20 touches type of player.

So of course many are wondering if it’s time for Love to retire. That is something that Love himself is apparently not considering, however. As Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor writes;

"At this point, sources say, retirement has not been discussed or considered. Love is still enthusiastic about the upcoming season. He still loves the game. But as he enters season 14, even Love admits it’s time to reset expectations."

Kevin Love should consider retirement as his injuries continue to mount

Love has been anything but good the last three years. He’s missed over half of the games played over the last three years. He’s played in just 103 of a possible 219 games over the last three years. Yes, that is factoring in the shortened seasons of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

It’s not just his ability to get on the court that’s been an issue, but his scoring numbers as the de-facto number one option have been awful. So awful that Collin Sexton, as a rookie, nearly outpaced him. The Cavaliers were supposed to be his team in the post-Lebron James Era but it’s been anything but. His constant blowups on the court, the lockerroom issues with teammates, and the constant drama that has surrounded him have ruined his reputation in Cleveland.

He’s so untradeable that most teams “expect” him to be bought out, because in their eyes, who would trade for an injury-prone player with that contract? In fact, most experts agree that the only way Love gets traded is if it’s in a deal that ships out Sexton too.

His reputation and legacy in Cleveland can only get more tainted if he stays. Retiring is the right call at this point. Lest we sit through another season of him being too hurt to play.