Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas says "there is no bad blood" between him and teammate Kevin Love, despite persistent rumors to the contrary.
Thomas addressed reporters during Saturday's team practice following Friday night's 115-108 win over the Indiana Pacers. Multiple reports have indicated Thomas "led the charge" in questioning the legitimacy of Love's illness that forced the latter to miss all but three minutes of last Saturday's blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Love actually left the arena at halftime, reportedly suffering from migranes.
The issue was apparently discussed during a tense team meeting on Monday. Thomas confirmed he questioned Love about the issue, but denied it was as bad as it looked.
"I didn’t call him out," Thomas said. "We didn’t know why he wasn’t on the bench supporting his teammates and why he wasn’t in the locker room after the game. And then he missed the next practice, which it still wasn’t addressed."
"Whoever reported that it was and we [were] bashing Kevin Love, there was nothing to bash him about," Thomas said. "We just wanted to know where he was and why he didn’t play."
During Friday's game, much was made of a moment in the first quarter when the 6-foot-10 Love grabbed a rebound and bent over to hand it directly to the 5-foot-9 Thomas. Some saw it as a shot by Love at Thomas' less-than-average height.
While Love has not addressed the rebound, Thomas said there was no significance to it.
"Did you see I was smiling right after?", he asked. "Did you see that part? OK then."
Thomas was also asked if the Cavs were "dysfunctional," and responded by saying the situation was "bigger than what we talked about on Monday," mostly referring to the team's lackluster defense.
"I don’t think that talk had anything to make us better," he said. "There [were] questions that [weren't] addressed.”
Acquired from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade, Thomas did not play a game for the Cavs until late December while recovering from a hip injury. His role in Cleveland has come under scrutiny as of late, as the two-time All-Star is shooting just 39 percent from the field since his return. The team has also won just four games with him in the lineup.
"I’m trying to figure out how to play with LeBron. I’m trying to figure out how to play with Kevin Love," he said. "At the same time, trying to get my rhythm back in real, live action. So that’s going to take time."
Thomas added that it was "not fair" for him to be given so much of the blame for the team's poor play, especially on defense.
"We've been a lowest five [rated] defensive team in the NBA the whole time [this season]," he said. "So when I come back, it's my fault now. Which, life isn't fair, but that's not fair, bro."
The Cavs, currently third in the Eastern Conference standings, will be back in action Sunday night when they welcome the Detroit Pistons to Quicken Loans Arena.
