Love: 'I don't give a s---' about fit with Cavs
Kevin Love is now an NBA champion, and thus no longer cares for the petty criticism about his fit with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Love understands those questions won't ever subside, so it's useless for him to pay them any attention.
"I don't think it will ever leave, but frankly, I don't give a shit," he told reporters Friday.
Ever since he joined the Cavaliers in 2014, Love's place in the pecking order has been questioned. Never confused for being fleet of foot or intimidating on defense, he hasn't been able to replicate his All-NBA-type performances from his days with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The issue came to a head when LeBron James not-so-subtly urged Love to "fit in, not fit out."
Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special! Just my thoughts
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 8, 2015
The problem boils down to this: Love is a high-usage power forward that needs the ball in his hands to thrive, and, given the overlap in that regard with James, he'll always be looked upon as an outcast.
That doesn't mean the Love experiment hasn't worked. Cleveland's offense has been phenomenal when its Big Three share the court, and that combination just won them the title.
Having performed wonderfully in that title run, the conversation about Love's fit has diminished this summer. But as the last two seasons have shown, he is typically offered as a scapegoat whenever Cleveland encounters any bit of adversity.
Love holds averages of 16.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in two seasons with the Cavaliers.