Getty Images Kevin Love with LeBron James during the NBA Finals
Times were tough in Cleveland for star forward, Kevin Love. Before joining the Cavaliers via trade in 2014, Love was the star leader of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Once he arrived in Cleveland though, he was no longer the voice, or face of the time. It was the LeBron James show, and Love had to learn how to deal with that.
We’re all well aware of the Love and LeBron feud behind closed doors. The LeBron James leadership effect didn’t always come out positive during his second stint with the Cavaliers. Coaches got fired, players got frustrated, and times got hard. Eventually, Love learned how to deal with the change of pace with LeBron in charge. Unfortunately, some others didn’t
Before LeBron James made his return to Cleveland, Kyrie Irving was the star of the show. It was his team. And although Irving didn’t mind the fact that LeBron could come back at first, he would soon find out that his duties as the team leader would get stripped entirely away. Irving handled it well during the season, but by the time last year’s offseason rolled around, he wanted out.
Now, free agent veterans might be skeptical about playing along with LeBron. As he made his move to Los Angeles this past summer, the Lakers anticipated being a hot landing spot for some big-name superstars. Guys like Paul George, and Jimmy Butler were linked to moving to Los Angeles.
In the end, those particular superstars didn’t seem all that interested. Is it because of what happened between guys like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love out in Cleveland? Was the experience all that negative for them? Well, Kevin Love wouldn’t shy away from sharing his perspective in a recent interview that he did with ESPN Senior Writer, Brian Windhorst.
Would Love Endorse Playing with LeBron?
If you were to ask Kevin Love his opinion on playing with LeBron in 2014, he would probably tell you to just steer clear of it all. LeBron was no stranger to putting people in their place. He held private, players-only meetings with the head coach waiting outside as LeBron assigned everybody their role. If you were a superstar before, you would have to recognize that you are no longer the best player on the court.
For Kevin Love, that was a tough pill to swallow at first. But over time he adapted to LeBron’s style. He learned a lot about being a leader and what it takes to win championships. So if a veteran free agent were to call his phone and ask about paying for LeBron, Kevin Love would most likely recommend the experience.
What Would He Tell Somebody Looking to Play with LeBron?
“You have to follow. You have to learn a lot about that,”
“[Playing with LeBron] you’re not the top guy. I just tried to continue to be myself and not fake it. I said how I felt,” Love said. “Whether we disagreed or agreed, my voice was heard.”
“You have to be resilient. I had a lot of hard nights. There were dark times,” Love said. “But I always believed keep fighting, I was stubborn about it. And LeBron makes sure you have a chance to win every year. He’s gotten a lot of guys rings. You’re going to win at the highest level. We won and we bonded and we’re going to continue this brotherhood.”
According to Love, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows playing next to LeBron. But if a player has the opportunity to do so, then they should. Love makes it sound like an experience that is unmatched. Knowing that LeBron is one of the greatest players ever and is still playing at a high level, it would have to be tough for players to pass up the opportunity to play along with him. Obviously, ego’s would need to be set aside, but we’re sure that Love could have some advice for that as well. After all, he had to make it work at some point as well.