LeBron James and Kevin Love are not best friends. LeBron is reportedly frustrated with Love not fitting in. Love wasn’t in LeBron’s Instagram photo. Love wants touches in better spots and is not comfortable in the offense. Love said Russell Westbrook should be the MVP, not his teammate LeBron. Everyday there seems to be a new headline.
So Love and LeBron have a problem, right?
Wrong.
The latest person to say this is no big deal is Kendrick Perkins, who came to the Cavaliers after the Jazz traded for him then bought him out. Perkins has a ring from Boston and spoke about the Cavs dynamic with Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
“What people don’t understand is that this is not a place that requires you to be best friends,” Perkins told CBSSports.com before the Cleveland Cavaliers practiced at Baruch College on Thursday. “I think sometimes people don’t realize that this is work for us. So when you go to work every day, that doesn’t mean your co-worker has to be your best friend. This is our job. You don’t have to be best friends to come out here and work together…”
“I turn on ESPN and I see, ‘No Love for K-Love,’ or something like that, and it’s kind of silly to me,” Perkins said. “I haven’t seen anything to the point that it’s drama. … I don’t think Ray and KG were best buddies in Boston. I was best friends with Rondo. I hung out with KG a little bit, but I wasn’t best friends with him.”
Perkins is right, Love and LeBron don’t need to be BFFs to win together. Shaq and Kobe did just fine together, to use the easy example — and those two fought in a way Love and LeBron do not, according to Perkins.
However, those guys had chemistry — LeBron and Love need to develop a more consistent chemistry on the court. There need to be more sacrifices on both sides. Ideally that comes with time. Love is going to be a Cavalier next season (if he leaves it will be in the summer of 2016) so there is time for them to figure this out.
It also helps to rack up some wins — which the Cavaliers have racked up since the All-Star break. And they will rack up more come the playoffs.
With those wins will come all the friendship the Cavaliers will need.