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Kevin Love Vows To “Be Better” After Recent Outbursts

January 8th, 2020 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

After a series of incidents in which he displayed his frustrations with the Cavaliers on and off the court, Kevin Love expressed remorse when he talked to reporters on Tuesday, as Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes.

“I wasn’t acting like a 31-year-old, I was acting like a 13-year-old,” Love said of his recent behavior. “That was not me.”

The Cavaliers fined Love $1K for an incident during the team’s New Year’s Eve game vs. Toronto, when Love reportedly said the club was playing selfishly and was seen smacking chairs on the sidelines in anger. The standout power forward later had an alleged altercation with general manager Koby Altman, then expressed frustration on the court during Saturday’s game vs. the Thunder when he didn’t get the ball while he had Chris Paul guarding him.

Love is on the trade block in Cleveland and prefers to be dealt, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. However, due to his expensive, long-term contract, Love’s value is already limited to some extent, and one league executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com noted that the big man wasn’t helping his case with his recent outbursts. While Love’s mea culpa on Tuesday could help alleviate concerns about his behavior, it remains to be seen whether Cleveland will find a deal before the February 6 deadline.

We’ll have to wait to see what’s next for Love and the Cavs, but the 31-year-old spoke to Fedor candidly about the incidents that have made the news over the last week or two. Fedor’s piece is worth checking out in full, but here are some of the highlights from Love:

On The Athletic’s report detailing Love’s “emotional verbal outburst” toward Altman:

“There was no altercation, there was no screaming match. I was actually shocked when guys were telling me about the article and what had come out. I’d heard about everything about 10 minutes before the game. I didn’t know who it came from, it didn’t come from me. Like I said, there wasn’t anything that happened at shootaround that warranted something like that.

“It was a conversation we had, but there was no blowup, there was no me talking about how much money I have. I’m an a–hole. But I’m not that big of an a–hole. … That was like a two out of 10. It was really nothing.”

On his on-court show of frustration during Saturday’s game against the Thunder:

“I knew it immediately. Looking back and seeing it, I was a s—head. It looks really bad. Everybody thought it was directed at Collin (Sexton). It was directed at Coach (John Beilein). Coach was saying, ‘Swing four, swing four’ and I’m like, ‘We’re in the bonus, it’s the last shot and Chris Paul is going to foul me or I’m going to get to the free throw line or I’m going to score.’ So I ran out there, launched the ball to Cedi (Osman) and I was really, really frustrated.”

On the idea that he hates playing with Sexton:

“No. I don’t hate Collin. You know Collin and I’s relationship. That’s so dumb. Are there times where he has poor decision-making and bad shots? Of course! By the way, it’s the same thing with me and same thing with Tristan (Thompson) not kicking the f—ing ball out when he’s in the post and there’s five guys on him. You just have to keep correcting it.

Collin’s 21 years old. So many guys are losing sight of that. DG (Darius Garland), he’s 19. KP (Kevin Porter Jr.) is 19. These guys are learning. This is where I can’t relate because I didn’t have the ball in my hands at that age. I was more like, get it off the glass and hit transition threes, get to the free throw line, rebound, but he has the ball in his hands and has to make decisions.”

On his outlook going forward:

“(The behavior is) not going to happen moving forward. There will be some frustration, there will be some human moments where it’s out there on the floor. I’ve told you guys all along I read like a damn cheap novel and I wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I need to be better.

“Obviously, this has been extremely tough, especially with what our record indicates. I’m not perfect. Still working on myself on and off the court and this is about that. It’s about me getting better and helping these guys because I promised I would. I would like to (help them) — at least, from here on out. I don’t care if I’m here for five more months or five more weeks I’m going to try to do my best by these guys and by the coaching staff. That’s on me.”

And-Ones: Edwards, Cap Room, Sellers, Betting

January 7th, 2020 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

With LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton battling injuries this winter and James Wiseman leaving Memphis to begin preparing for the 2020 draft, Georgia guard Anthony Edwards is one of the few candidates for the No. 1 pick that NBA evaluators can actually watch these days. And, as Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relays, scouts have been impressed so far by what they’ve seen from the freshman.

“[Edwards] is a pro, everything about him. Athleticism. Skill. The ability to score,” one NBA scout told Spears. “He can defend. He is one of those guys that will be better on the next level because he will be playing with better teammates. When he walks onto the floor, you have the feeling that you’re watching a pro. And then the game starts and he shows you he is one with his versatility and skill.”

While he currently ranks behind Ball on ESPN’s big board, Edwards is considered a candidate to be the first player drafted this spring. So far, there’s no consensus among experts on which prospect will be the top pick, and Edwards tells Spears that his goal is to become that player.

“That’s my dream, to be the No. 1 pick,” Edwards said. “So, all I’m doing is just working hard. And whoever gets the pick, they will do whatever they want to do with. I just pray it would be me.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The Hawks, Grizzlies, Cavaliers, Hornets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Suns, and Pelicans are the teams expected to have cap room available during the 2020 offseason. Danny Leroux of The Athletic examines how much spending power those teams will have and what factors could affect their flexibility.
In his in-depth preview of the 2020 trade deadline, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) breaks down the most and least valuable contracts for each team and speculates on the topics currently under discussion in each front office.
Dan Devine of The Ringer identifies 11 teams that may be sellers at next month’s trade deadline, including obvious candidates like the Knicks and Cavaliers, as well as teams that will be more reluctant to sell, such as the Kings and Timberwolves.
Wayne Parry of The Associated Press explores how professional sports leagues – including the NBA – are cashing in on legalized sports betting by selling data to bookmakers.

Injuries Give Cavs Opportunity To Showcase Trade Candidates

January 7th, 2020 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

While the Cavaliers would surely prefer to have Larry Nance Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. healthy and in their rotation, knee injuries to both players have given the team the opportunity to showcase a pair of veteran players for potential trades, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

As Vardon observes, John Henson and Brandon Knight each played a season-high 23 minutes during Sunday’s loss to Minnesota after seeing limited action for most of the first half of 2019/20. Henson, who made his first start of the season due to Tristan Thompson‘s illness, scored seven points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Wolves, as the Cavs look to showcase him in advance of the trade deadline.

With Henson’s $9.7MM contract set to expire at season’s end, Cleveland would like to move him, according to Vardon, a reality the big man seems to have accepted.

“Expiring deals, rebuilding team, young guys — it’s part of the game,” Henson said. “You do the best you can within what you can control, and that’s me going out there and trying to play well within a team concept — and that’s what I’m going to do.”

As for Knight, 14 of his 23 minutes on Sunday came after Porter went down in the third quarter, Vardon notes. While the veteran guard made just 2-of-8 shots vs. Minnesota, he may get a chance to continue playing a regular role, since Porter is expected to miss at least the next two weeks.

“I like Brandon Knight,” one scout told Vardon before Sunday’s game. “But he never gets to play.”

Knight’s $15.6MM cap hit will probably make him trickier to move than Henson, especially since he has struggled in his limited minutes this season. Still, it’s an expiring deal and could appeal to a team looking to create future flexibility.

The Cavs, who have already traded Jordan Clarkson this season, appear open to moving Kevin Love and virtually any of their veterans in contract years, including Matthew Dellavedova and possibly Thompson. Now that Henson and Knight are in the rotation, the Cavs will hope the little-used vets show potential trade partners they’re worth a look.

Cavaliers Waive Alfonzo McKinnie, Tyler Cook

January 6th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

3:55pm: The Cavaliers have officially released McKinnie and Cook, the team confirmed in a press release. The club also announced the signing of Levi Randolph to a two-way contract.

2:30pm: The Cavaliers intend to waive third-year forward Alfonzo McKinnie, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Cleveland will also release rookie forward Tyler Cook, who was recently promoted to the 15-man roster.

McKinnie, 27, spent last season with the Warriors but was a cap casualty in October and was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers. He struggled in Cleveland though, averaging 2.7 PPG with a .353/.286/.636 shooting line in 23 games (11.0 MPG).

As for Cook, he spent most of the season on a two-way contract with the Cavs before being promoted to the 15-man roster on Friday. It appears as if that move was designed to get him a little extra money before he was waived. ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports (via Twitter) that Cook got a $50K partial guarantee on his new contract.

In addition to eating Cook’s $50K guarantee, the Cavaliers will also be on the hook for a prorated portion of McKinnie’s non-guaranteed minimum salary, which works out to about $709K. Both players would have had their full 2019/20 salaries guaranteed if they had been retained through Tuesday.

The moves will leave the Cavs with just 13 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way deal, giving them a total of three open roster spots. Cleveland will have to add at least one player in the near future, since NBA teams can only dip below 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time. The Cavs will also likely fill their two-way opening by next Wednesday, since January 15 is the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts.

Now that teams can sign players to 10-day contracts, the Cavs may look to bring in multiple players for 10-day auditions in the coming weeks and months. According to Charania, the club will explore the possibility of re-signing McKinnie, assuming he clears waivers on Wednesday.

Cavaliers Sign Levi Randolph To Two-Way Contract

January 6th, 2020 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are filling their open two-way contract slot by signing G League guard Levi Randolph to a two-way deal, league sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The team has issued a press release confirming the move is official.

Randolph, who went undrafted out of Alabama in 2015, has yet to appear in a regular-season NBA game, but has played professionally in the G League and in multiple international leagues over the last few years.

The 6’5″ guard spent last season with the Canton Charge, then returned to the Cavs’ G League affiliate this fall. In 20 NBAGL games (36.0 MPG) in 2019/20, he has averaged 15.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.4 SPG with a .457/.373/.800 shooting line.

Randolph will join power forward Dean Wade as Cleveland’s second two-way player. He fills the opening created last week when the Cavs promoted Tyler Cook to the 15-man roster. Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie were waived today.

Cavs Notes: Porter, Nance, Love, Exum

January 6th, 2020 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers rookie Kevin Porter Jr. has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Porter’s injury occurred during the third quarter of Sunday’s home loss to Minnesota.

While Porter will be sidelined for multiple weeks, the news wasn’t as bad as it could have been for the Cavs. A source told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com before Porter underwent an MRI that the club was “bracing for some real time off.”

As Fedor notes in a separate article at Cleveland.com, the second half of the season figures to be mostly about player development for the lottery-bound Cavaliers, and Porter had emerged this season as one of the organization’s most promising young prospects. If his knee injury had been more severe, it might have cost him most or all of the rest of his rookie season. While it appears that won’t be the case, teammates like John Henson were worried when they saw Porter go down.

“It kind of hurt my heart a little bit,” Henson said. “Young guys, this is the year for them. Especially them just learning the game and he was progressing. At this stage of the season he was looking like the steal of the draft.”

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

The Cavaliers are also without big man Larry Nance Jr., having announced on Friday in a press release that he’d be on the shelf for about one or two weeks with left knee soreness.
Kevin Love won’t be disciplined by the Cavaliers for his outburst during Saturday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. We described that on-court incident in a Sunday story.
As a result of last month’s trade with Utah, John Beilein has the opportunity to coach Dante Exum six years after he tried to recruit the Australian guard to come to Michigan, notes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “It was only a couple of phone calls,” Beilein said of his recruitment efforts. “I never could get the time right, you know, calling Australia. So we kept playing voicemail tag… I don’t think he was ever thinking, ‘NBA or Michigan?’ But we were one of the people that called him. I’m sure North Carolina was recruiting him, as well.” Exum ultimately opted not to play college ball, entering the 2014 NBA draft and going fifth overall.

Kevin Love: “I Love My Teammates”

January 5th, 2020 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

After a day that started with a tirade against general manager Koby Altman and culminated with in-game show of disgust that quickly went viral (video link), Kevin Love offered his side of the story last night on Instagram, relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“A lot of non truths being shared,” he wrote. “But I’ve learned that we live in a world where people remember accusations and not rebuttals. Let them paint whatever picture they want. Fact is — I love my teammates.”

Those feelings weren’t on display shortly before the end of the first half of the Cavaliers‘ loss to the Thunder Saturday night. Guarded by Chris Paul in the post, Love raised both arms and called for the ball. However, coach John Beilein had instructed Collin Sexton to dribble some time off the clock before running a play. Love stomped toward Sexton and put his hands out until he got the ball, then fired a bullet pass at Cedi Osman.

It was an obvious show of frustration that might have been directed at Sexton, Beilein, Altman or the team’s losing ways in general.

“I think you’re talking about the play with Chris Paul on me,” Love told reporters after the game. “Yeah, I felt we were making a play call and at the end of the second half we were in the bonus and I had Chris Paul on me. Felt swing it to me and try to throw it in the post, see if they double-team me and get a shot out of that, but that’s not what we did. Yeah, I was frustrated.”

After Saturday morning’s shootaround, Love directed his anger at Altman in an animated discussion that began on the court and ended in the GM’s office. Love has had heated exchanges with Altman and the coaching staff before and was fined $1K for a display of emotion during a December 31 loss at Toronto.

Beilein tried to calm tensions last night, accepting responsibility for the play that ended the first half.

“That was my mistake,” he said. “I was trying to get us to slow down and try to get, not the last shot, but close to the last shot. He had Chris Paul posted up and I didn’t see it. It was on me. I called something else.”

Beilein values Love’s passion for the game and his desire to see his young teammates learn to play the right way. Sexton can be frustrating to play with because of his tendency to seek his own shot, Fedor adds, recalling that several veteran Cavaliers spoke out about him early last season.

Love’s future in Cleveland remains uncertain. His championship experience makes him valuable as a mentor, but at age 31 he doesn’t fit in with the rebuilding process. After Saturday’s incidents, everything he does will be closely watched until at least next month’s trade deadline.

Kevin Love Clashes With Cavaliers’ GM

January 4th, 2020 at 6:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love lashed out at Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman after today’s shootaround, according to Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of The Athletic. Love expressed “displeasure and disgust with the organization” in a tirade in front of players, coaches and front office members, sources tell the authors.

Today’s incident builds on a $1K fine that Love received for his actions on the bench during a lopsided loss in Toronto on New Year’s Eve. Love said he was angry about how selfishly the first team was playing, according to sources, and asked a coach to take him out of the game so he could calm down. He walked away from the huddle during a third quarter timeout and was seen smacking chairs in anger.

Vardon and Charania note that this isn’t the first time Love has been angry with the organization. He reportedly raised his voice at Altman late last season, and when threatened with a fine he responded, “Go ahead. I have plenty of money.”

Love is in the first season of a four-year, $120MM extension that he signed during the summer of 2018. However, he has been the subject of persistent trade rumors as Cleveland launched a rebuilding project following the departure of LeBron James.

Sources tell Vardon and Charania that Love would like to be traded to a contender, although he hasn’t expressed that desire publicly. After winning 19 games last season, the Cavs appear hopelessly out of the playoff race with a 10-24 record.

Cavs Promote Tyler Cook To 15-Man Roster

January 3rd, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have converted Tyler Cook‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, promoting him to their 15-man roster, the team announced today in a press release. According to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link), it’s a non-guaranteed contract for Cook.

A standout at Iowa, Cook went undrafted last spring, but signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets in August. After being waived by Denver in October and claimed by the Cavs, the 22-year-old has spent most of his rookie year so far with the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate. In 15 NBAGL games, he has averaged 12.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 20.7 minutes per contest.

The timing of Cook’s promotion is interesting. All players on non-guaranteed contracts will have their salaries guaranteed if they’re not waived by next Tuesday, so if Cleveland plans to keep Cook on his new standard contract, it’s unclear why the team wouldn’t just guarantee it now.

The Cavs may have another move or two up their sleeves, but for now the team has a full 15-man roster and a newly-opened two-way contract slot. Neither Cook nor Alfonzo McKinnie has a fully guaranteed 2019/20 salary, so Cleveland could waive one or both players in the coming days to create added flexibility.

Hollinger: McKinnie Among Candidates To Be Waived

January 3rd, 2020 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

With non-guaranteed salaries around the NBA set to become guaranteed next week, John Hollinger of The Athletic explores which players are safe and which ones might be at risk. Alfonzo McKinnie (Cavaliers), Derrick Walton (Clippers), and Dragan Bender (Bucks) are among the players in danger of being waived, in Hollinger’s view.