Reports: Dwyane Wade was at odds with Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue over Kevin Love's absence
What's the story?
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com provided some interesting details between former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dwayne Wade and current Cavs Head Coach Tyronn Lue. Wade was looking for answers after Kevin Love was pulled from a game on 20 January against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In case you didn't know...
At the 2018 NBA trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Dwayne Wade back home to the Miami Heat in a deal where Miami sent the Cavs a second-round pick in 2024. Wade is a free agent this off-season and was widely expected to return to Miami anyways.
The heart of the matter
Vardon mentions that Wade would bring this issue up during practice the following day where he would ask Lue to disclose where Love had been. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski had reported earlier:
The Cleveland Cavaliers held a fiery team meeting in the practice facility locker room prior to Monday's practice, during which several players challenged the legitimacy of Kevin Love's illness that led him to leave Saturday's loss to Oklahoma City early and miss Sunday's practice.
In the meeting, Isaiah Thomas led the charge on getting more information about Love, but Wade would be the first one to bring it up. Oddly enough both Wade and Thomas were traded just before the deadline.
As Vardon mentioned in the headline, Cavs General Manager Koby Altman took control of the roster and begin cleaning up the mess that was made by Lue and LeBron James. It's a move that has clearly paid off as the new-look Cavs are 3-0 since the trading deadline.
What's next?
NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us, and starting on Friday night the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Rising Stars events will take place. Saturday brings the Hall of Fame announcement along with the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night with the skills challenge along with the three-point and dunk contests before the weekend wraps up with the All-Star Game.
Author's take
If the Cavs continue to play like this, I think Altman may have saved his job by doing what he did at the trade deadline. The same could be said for Lue as well. That is not the news I want to hear as a Boston Celtics fan.