Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love has been a rumored trade piece for some time, and it seems to have amplified thanks to the Golden State Warriors signing Kevin Durant and LeBron James demanding improvements to the roster. Love was even rumored to be the piece the New York Knicks were trying to swap with Carmelo Anthony.
Yet teammate Channing Frye isn’t worried about all that. He knows Love’s value to the team, and told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin they wholly support Love.
Via ESPN:
“As a teammate, I don’t feel sorry for him,” Channing Frye told ESPN. “Who cares about rumors? We love him. We know what he does for this team. He’s a Banana Republic model. ... Dude, he’s fine. He’s absolutely fine. He knows that we have his back.
“Just being out there and hooping is therapeutic, regardless of whether it’s a good game or bad game, you’re just looking at it as ‘I’m out here with my brothers, we’re competing at the highest level.’ ...
“We’re a very good team with him. You know, we’re a very good team with him. So, let’s just keep it going.”
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine someone coming to the Cavaliers with a trade for Love that would make sense for them. While Cleveland doesn’t have the most traditional roster, and it is somewhat top heavy, and part of why they are one of the best teams in the NBA has to do in large part with Love.
Carmelo doesn’t make much sense for Cleveland, particularly because Love is a better player than Anthony. The Cavaliers forward is an upper-echelon player, it’s going to be hard to trade for him.