Kevin Love, Quite Literally, Cannot Win

The real loser here is SouthWest Airlines, because there has never been a more glaring missed opportunity for a company to lock up a celebrity spokesperson that perfectly encapsulates their slogan. Kevin Love has wanted to get away for two years now, and I'm absolutely stunned he didn't take advantage of his opportunity to catch the first financially responsible flight out of town when he became a free agent last offseason.  As shocking as this may read, the City of Cleveland has never been worse for an athlete's career than it has been for Kevin Love. His team has been to two straight finals since his arrival yet the goddamn bottom has fallen out from under his trade value. Poor guy just wanted to win and he has somehow become the player most responsible for his team's failure to do so. I honestly wish Adam Silver would have some compassion and let the Cavaliers trade him mid-Finals just to save him the anguish of being a storyline in a series he has been completely absent from both mentally or physically.  

Last night on the broadcast Mark Jackson said that the Cavaliers were "hopeful" for Kevin Love. Hopeful of what? That he's healthy or that he's dead? There's literally no chance he is getting on the court in any significant capacity for the rest of the series. Not when he's the only discernible difference between the puke inducing product on the floor in Golden State and the well oiled machine that ran the Warriors out of the building in Game 3. I'm not saying that his play is the only difference between the Cavaliers winning and losing, but after the way they played last night it is IMPOSSIBLE to justify giving him minutes. That's right. A guy that used to be an NBA superstar, that is making 22 million dollars a year, is unplayable in a series in which Cleveland is desperate for consistent productivity. He might as well exacerbate that concussion by banging his head against the wall, because that's exactly what his team has done for the last two seasons while trying to successfully fit him into the game plan. I never thought I would pity a guy that is the rightful owner of a 100 million dollar contract but I legit don't feel comfortable letting Kevin Love walk around without a mental heath professional by his side, because his stint in Cleveland has been nothing short of manically depressing.