Around the NBA: Kevin Love is not happy in Cleveland, Kyrie Irving holding off on shoulder surgery

Kevin Love is over the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are bad. They are 10-25, tied for 13th in the East, putting them one loss away from 14th. And Kevin Love is not having a good time.

Love has been visibly frustrated with his teammates in Cleveland on several occasions this season, specifically Collin Sexton, who likes to pound the rock. But the following is the most blatant act of disdain for a teammate during live action that I’ve seen in some time:

On one hand, I get Love’s frustration. We have the same name. He’s an experienced veteran. He’s got a ring. It’s one thing to be a rebuilding team, it’s another to not be competitive while playing an extra on Colin Sexton’s hit show Let’s Waste A Possession!. (Though Cedi Osman drew a foul on a 3PA to save the possession.) On the other hand, Love should have known full well what he was getting himself into when he signed a 4-year, $120+ million extension in the summer of 2018. I almost feel bad for Sexton! What a display of disrespect.

Love’s frustration isn’t limited to the court. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, he blew up on Cavs General Manager Koby Altman. From Charania’s article:

Kevin Love had an emotional verbal outburst directed toward general manager Koby Altman following shootaround on Saturday, expressing his displeasure and disgust with the organization, league sources told The Athletic.

Love was screaming in front of teammates and Cavs coaches and front-office members that there was “no feel here,” league sources said.

I gotta be honest: Kevin Love yelling “THERE’S NO FEEL HERE,” at professionals plays out pretty comically in my head. Apparently, Love went on to post an image on his Instagram of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and captioned it “Mood.”, which kind of sounds like something your Gen-Z nephew might do after he’s grounded for smashing his Xbox controller.

Love may be trying to force a trade. He’s still got a lot to offer a contender. The Portland Trail Blazers have been mentioned by fans and analysts alike as a good fit for Love.

Kyrie Irving avoiding shoulder surgery

Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters Saturday for the first time since November, and discussing his injured shoulder, said the plans to avoid surgery for now. From Malika Andrews of ESPN:

Speaking with reporters for the first time since initially injuring his right shoulder in mid-November, Irving, who was diagnosed with a shoulder impingement, said he got a cortisone shot on Dec. 24 in an attempt to postpone or eliminate the need for surgery.

“I am in a better place now that it has been a significant amount of time,” Irving said. “The next step in any progression was to either get a cortisone shot or to get surgery. That was the ultimatum I was fixed with. Now, I’m just doing the best I can to live off this cortisone and move forward if I need surgery in the future.”

Irving has not played since November 14th.

Sixers interested in Marcus Morris?

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Sixers are interested in Marcus Morris of the New York Knicks:

According to a source, the 76ers also have some interest in Morris as a solid two-way forward bench piece. Morris’ hometown team is on a championship-or-bust mission.

I’m unsure of the legitimacy of Berman’s source. Kicking the tires on Morris makes some sense for the Sixers just as a guy who’s willing to create for himself a little, but even that wouldn’t necessarily mean there’s real substance to trade talks. I haven’t seen anything on this from reporters close to the Sixers.

In the end, what the Sixers need is a guard. Morris could help this team but not in the ways they really need. Considering the hoops they’d have to jump through just to pull a Morris trade off, they’re better off looking elsewhere.

Vince Carter officially becomes first NBA player to play in four decades

With Vince Carter playing 18 minutes for the Atlanta Hawks in their January 4th game against the Indiana Pacers, Carter became the first player to appear in an NBA game in four different decades.

VC is one of my all-time favorite players. Love to see that he’s still chugging.