Kevin Love is not having a great two weeks. Love has constantly been the focus of scrutiny and questions about his "fit" with the Cavaliers since arriving two years ago in a blockbuster trade that sent No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota and sent the phrase "superteam" to Cleveland. Love was absent in last year's Finals, only ramping up the pressure on him to prove that with him in the lineup, things would be different.
Instead, of the two games the Cavaliers have won vs. the Warriors in the Finals, Love has been on the floor a grand total of 32 minutes and scored two points, with three rebounds and one assist. (It should be noted he was a plus-18 in Game 5, the second-best mark on the Cavaliers, but it never felt attributable to him.)
He's in a bad matchup, struggling with confidence, role, and performance.
And the fans in Cleveland ain't helping. Someone in Bay Village, OH started a GoFundMe fundraiser Wednesday to pay Kevin Love his $10 million annual salary just to not play in Game 6 Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
That just seems mean.
Love is obviously going to play, and after the Cavs lost Game 4 with him off the bench, Tyronn Lue elected to return Love to the starting unit, so he'll likely start Game 6 as well. If the Cavaliers lose, it won't be because of Love, and if they win, it won't be because of Love. Love is just "there" in these Finals, a non-entity who is sometimes but not always exploited defensively, and who cannot find a place to thrive against one of the best teams of all time.
Stuff like this, though? It probably won't help his confidence.
The good news, though, is that this hasn't taken off, donations-wise. The fundraiser has only generated $25 as of Wednesday afternoon. Doesn't look good for bringing up $10 million in one day.
