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Last night, during ESPN’s (questionable) coverage of the NBA Draft, after the analysts went on about Tyus Jones‘ fit with the Cleveland Cavaliers for ten minutes despite everyone knowing he’d already been traded, the subject of Kevin Love was brought up. Having just opted out of his contract, the panel wondered aloud whether Love would return to Cleveland. Jalen Rose was quick to say no, shooting down the Cavs’ ability to contend by noting they hadn’t won the Finals this year.
Now, disregarding the fact Rose seemed to forget Cleveland lost the Finals due to taking on serious injuries – such as, I don’t know, Kevin Love – it was yet another example of national media showing serious doubt in the star player returning. Despite Love’s continued statements claiming he wants to come back to the Cavs, there are still a large amount of people convinced he wants out.
However, it appears Cleveland GM David Griffin is clearly not one of those people. At the end of the draft, he was asked about Love, and his answer was as to-the-point as possible.
“We’re very much intending to bring him back to the extent that we’re able to.”
Feel free to dig into the “extent that we’re able to” comment, but it’s tough to ignore the fact Griffin seems more than a little confident Love isn’t going anywhere. And, for all the speculation out there about his leaving, Griffin’s confidence really says a lot. Quite frankly, Griffin’s matter-of-fact claims about planning on Love being back sure make it seem as though Cleveland is the front-runner to keep him.
We’ve seen more than a few front office execs around the league asked about their prized free agents and whether or not they think they can keep them. Often times, you’ll get a “we hope to have him back” or “we’ll definitely talk to him.” Very rarely do you hear a comment like Griffin’s, basically saying “yeah, he’ll be here.”
This is why the Cavs’ GM saying something this confidently is quite significant. I wrote earlier this week the team was hardly shocked by Love’s decision to opt out in the first place, that Cleveland likely already had a plan in place. Griffin coming out and assuredly saying he doesn’t expect there to be a new starting power forward for the team next year certainly backs this up.
Of course, this may sound strange if you listen to all the national reports regarding Love. Through those, you hear about his likelihood of leaving Cleveland, his desire to join the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics, or his relationship with LeBron James being too dysfunctional. Sure, Love has said over and over he intends on being a Cav next season, but it’d be less surprising if he actually went elsewhere.
Despite all of this, multiple Cleveland insiders aren’t buying it. In fact, several are all but convinced that Love is not only back next season, but that he’ll return on a five-year max deal.
Sure, things can always change. Who knows, perhaps the Lakers, Celtics or any other interested teams have a pitch which could really change Love’s mind.
That said, not only has he been insistent you can expect to see him in Cleveland next year, last night the team’s GM expressed the exact same sentiment.
Barring some miscommunication between Love and Griffin, it certainly seems as though the two parties are on the same wavelength. It doesn’t guarantee Love is re-signed, but it certainly leads you to believe said scenario is much more likely than national media is leading on.
I’m not sure where everyone is hearing so much about Love clearly getting ready to bail on the Cavs. And yes, there’s still always a chance such a thing occurs. However, the people closest to the situation are feeling more than confident Love is wearing a Cavs jersey next year.
One of those people is Love, and as of last night, we know another is the team’s GM.
Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook
