The Cleveland Cavaliers are officially in turmoil.
If that wasn't the case after they gave up 148 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday afternoon -- a loss so bad it even had former coach David Blatt taking shots at the team from overseas -- it's certainly the case now.
According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers held an emotional team meeting after the loss in which several players accused Kevin Love of faking an illness during that game. Love left the game for good early in the first quarter. Via ESPN:
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, league sources told ESPN.
Several players were pushing for the Cavaliers' management and coaching staff to hold Love accountable for leaving the arena before the end of Saturday's game, and then missing Sunday's practice, league sources told ESPN.
The meeting was loud and intense, only calming down once Love spoke to those gathered in the room and explained himself, league sources said.
Per the report, some in the locker room apparently have hope that the meeting could have a positive effect on the team. Though that, of course, will remain to be seen.
There was a sense that the team was largely accepting of Love's explanation, and that the airing out of issues could have a positive impact on what has become an increasingly fractured locker room. Within factions of the locker room, there has been blame for the Cavaliers' struggles directed at everyone from Love to Isaiah Thomas, to Lue and the front office, led by Altman, and owner Dan Gilbert, league sources said.
Well then.
Of all the ways this Cavaliers season could have gone, absolutely no one had "Kevin Love being accused of faking sick to leave a game early" on their bingo card.
However, at the same time, if any team were going to have a team meeting where they accused a star of faking sick, it was definitely going to be the Cavs. It's just such an absurd, middle-school-like grievance that no one could have predicted it would happen in the NBA.
Who knows, perhaps airing everything out and screaming at each other about a fake illness will bring the team together, but it just really doesn't seem like a good time to be a Cleveland Cavalier right now.
