The Cleveland Cavaliers are starting to string together chemistry on the court, but is there growing trouble off the court that could hurt them in the future? The Big 3 of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving continue to feel each other out, but when one players well, another struggles and that appears to be Love. After criticism regarding his fit with the team and confidence with the ball begin to surface, is Love looking to bolt at the first chance he gets?
Trouble stirred following a win over the Los Angeles Lakers when James tweeted out saying, "Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special! Just my thoughts." James made it clear that tweet was not about Love and his comments saying he was not trying to fit in, but of course speculation is running wild that there are growing issues between teammates.
"It wasn't even about this team. It was more about people in general," James said, via ESPN.com. "It was just a general thought that I had, and obviously, whatever thought I had people try to encrypt it and Da Vinci Code it and all that stuff. It's just a general thought. That's all that is. And people are always trying to fit out instead of fitting in, instead of being a part of something special. And that's all that was about."
The tweet comes after James made comments stating he did not believe Love was playing with enough confidence, something the forward disagreed with. He did have a breakout game against the Lakers, putting up 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Love has said that the situation in Cleveland is tough as he tries to find his place, but one thing he is making sure to shoot down is his plans to exit the team in free agency.
"I'm a Cleveland Cavalier," Love said.
Love must continue to stress that as he is eligible to exit the franchise this upcoming summer. Cleveland acquired the forward in a trade, but per NBA rules they could not sign him to a new contract until his current one expires. It would be very easy for Love to opt out of his player option and bolt for the open market where many speculate he is eyeing a return to the West Coast with the Lakers. Love continues to say all the right things as James aims to praise the forward in hopes he sticks around.
"We wanted to keep going to him," James said. "I drew up a few sets for him in timeout. He had the hot hand, and I wanted to keep going to him."