Factory Of Sadness
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Kevin Love won the breakup between him and the Cleveland Cavaliers

By Chad Porto

MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 22: Kevin Love #42 and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat speak on the court during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Kaseya Center on April 22, 2023 in Miami, Florida. 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 Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 22: Kevin Love #42 and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat speak on the court during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Kaseya Center on April 22, 2023 in Miami, Florida. 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 Megan Briggs/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers were wrong for letting go of Kevin Love.

The Cleveland Cavaliers screwed up royally when they let go of Kevin Love this season. After struggling to find his shot, Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff removed Love from the lineup and sat him while the team tried to look for a trade. No one was biting, mainly due to Love’s massive contract, so the team opted to release him, buying him out in the process.

Surely, sitting Love while shopping him didn’t help his value any, and Love ended up winning out in the end. Not only did Love leave for a better situation for himself, a starting role for the Heat, but he also ended up somehow making more money this season via his buyout than he would’ve had he remained in Cleveland.

The Cavs gave Love $7 million of his $8.5 million remaining owed. So he lost $1.5 million to leave Cleveland. Then the Heat gave him another $3.5 million to sign with him. That means he earned a whole extra $2 million for the season.

Oh, and his team just knocked off the number-one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks to move on to the second round of the NBA playoffs. And he played well in the series to boot.

Kevin Love made J.B. Bickerstaff and the Cleveland Cavaliers look silly by letting him go

I wasn’t taking a side when the divorce happened. The Cavs had a chance to succeed without Love, and they blew it. Bickerstaff overreacted to Love’s struggles, and instead of giving him time to find himself, the Cavs head coach forced the organization’s hand and moved on from him.

We can now safely say that the Cavs made a mistake in letting him go, and there’s no denying that.

While admittedly, he wasn’t and didn’t shoot well all regular season, against the Bucks, Love found his old form.

Love had shooting splits of .412/.433/1.000 for the series while dropping just shy of 10 points per game, and just shy of 7.5 rebounds per game. All while playing just 20 minutes a night. Clearly, Love wasn’t the issue, as he took on a tough Bucks team, and played very well against Giannis Antetokounmpo, scoring 15 points, and pulling in 12 rebounds against the former MVP in the close-out game.

Had the Cavs had that type of shooting and physicality, they may have made the Knicks series far more competitive.

Next. 3 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers fell apart against the New York Knicks. dark

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