The start of the NBA postseason means two major things for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The first is mostly ceremonial: LeBron James will begin his now-annual social media blackout for the remainder of the playoffs. The second thing, though, is much more interesting: LeBronWatch is officially on.
Once the Cavaliers are done in the postseason, all that remains is where James decides to play next. And while there is an entire postseason to decide before that, it’s hard not to think of his free agent decisions as anything other than looming large. Even one of James’ teammates admits that it’s hard not to think about the upcoming decision.
Kevin Love spoke to ESPN before the playoffs started and admitted that James’ pending free agency “definitely could” impact what happens in the playoffs, though he also made it clear that he has his own lingering thoughts about the future.
Love was asked if he’s thought about what happens to James and if thoughts about the uncertain future of the Cavaliers could weigh the team down in the playoffs in an interview with Dave McMenamin that was published on Saturday.
“It definitely could,” Love told ESPN on Friday. “But only one person knows what he’s thinking and that’s ‘Bron. I think at the end of the day, we would love to have a long run, but that’s going to be up to not only him but all of us. And you know I don’t mean only the players, but the coaching staff and everybody. I mean, really getting on board and, you know, sticking to our schemes and playing great basketball.
“So I think it definitely could affect it, but you know that’s, at least for me, out of sight, out of mind right now.”
Love hedged well here, but he was being honest: it’s an added sense of urgency for one of the few players left on the roster that won it all with James and the Cavaliers in 2016. Love knows what it takes to win a title, and wondering if it’s his last shot in Cleveland is an inevitable distraction, or perhaps motivator, this postseason.
“The unknown is something that you try to just put out of your hands for a certain amount of time. But, just go out there and lose yourself in it and everything will fall where it needs to.”
Love also advocated for James in the MVP race, saying he could “easily” win MVP and if he doesn’t it will be one of the best seasons that came short of an MVP crown in a long time.
“I don’t know if the word ‘unprecedented’ is the word to go with, but [his] 15th season, [James] could easily be the MVP,” Love said, adding he indeed believes James should win it. “I would say even if he doesn’t, if he weren’t to win it, it would have to be the best season anybody’s ever had and not won the MVP. It was such a special year, and we had so many injuries. He played all 82 games. He was still able to, and not surprisingly play such a miraculously high level.”
Love was one of those players that dealt with plenty of injuries in the regular season, but it seems like he’s ready for a long playoff run with the Cavaliers. Whether it’s his last is hard to know right now, but Love says he’s just ready to get lost in it and see what happens.
