CLEVELAND -- On Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers held an emotionally charged meeting, in which players reportedly questioned the legitimacy of Kevin Love's illness, which caused the star forward to miss much of the team's 148-123 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday and practice the following day.
And according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News, it was one of the newest members of the Cavs who was most vocal about Love's absence.
Per Isola, "a source told The News that Isaiah Thomas led the charge against Love, who turned up ill for Saturday's embarrassing loss to Oklahoma City and went home after playing just three minutes." Isola went on to add that while the 2-time All-Star guard is seeking a max contract next offseason, Thomas' rocky start to his Cleveland tenure has led to head coach Tyronn Lue's job status being up in the air.
"Thomas, who is hoping to land a huge contract in July, is well on his way to not getting a video tribute when he returns to Cleveland next season as a visitor," Isola wrote. "Head coach Ty Lue is most definitely on the hot seat while the Cavs front office is still deciding whether to shake up the roster with a trade. The Clippers' DeAndre Jordan appears to be the most likely candidate to join the defending Eastern Conference champs."
On Tuesday, Love said he wasn't the only one targeted during the Monday meeting, which was attended by players, coaches and members of the Cavs front office. He did, however, seem to take issue with the ordeal being leaked to the media, as did LeBron James, who refused to answer questions about the reported confrontation.
"That's something we're going to keep -- or we try to keep it in-house and I feel like we should keep it on the court or in the locker room," Love said on Tuesday. "Obviously, it didn't stay there."
Later in the day, Love would be named to his fifth All-Star Game, but the Cavs' troubles would only continue. With its 114-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland has now lost 11 of its last 15 games.
Suffice to say, the Cavs are struggling both on and off the court. With the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaching, changes could soon be coming and it will be interesting to see how Thomas' reported frustration factors in.
