Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love believes he and his fellow athletes have an obligation to step up amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

"Obviously it's been an incredibly stressful time for a number of people," Love said Wednesday on Today. "As the show just mentioned, a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck. So I felt this is really the time, especially for us NBA players, to walk the walk and be more than athletes. ... It's more of a time for us to step up and be community leaders and do what's right for the people that are having a very stressful and tough time."

The five-time All-Star pledged $100,000 to help pay employees at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse who are unable to work with the NBA season on hold to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Others across the NBA have made similar donations.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson announced he planned to cover the salaries of Smoothie King Center employees for 30 days. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo matched Love's $100,000 donation for workers at Fiserv Forum, and Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin made the same pledge for those at Little Caesars Arena.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed last week the league expects to be on hiatus for a minimum of 30 days.

The break will almost certainly extend well beyond that.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the NBA held a meeting with its board of governors Tuesday. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy provided his input during the meeting and left those in attendance with the impression June is the earliest that action could resume.

The NBA came to an abrupt halt after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell confirmed he tested positive as well, and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium he had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

According to CNN, more than 194,000 cases of the disease have been confirmed and more than 7,800 people have died worldwide.

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they will create a compensation plan to pay Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse "event staff and hourly workforce" that will no longer be working Cavs home games in light of the NBA suspending its season amid ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

The statement read as follows in part:

"Providing as safe and healthy of a work environment as possible for our organization and our visitors is our highest priority and the extensive precautionary and preventative measures being taken continue to be in place. At the same time, we are also developing a compensation plan to continue paying our event staff and hourly workforce that is impacted with the changes to our regular event schedule."

The news also comes after Cavs big man Kevin Love said that he is donating $100,000 through the Kevin Love fund to arena and support staff.

The Cavs had five more home games on the regular-season ledger, beginning March 24 against the Sacramento Kings. The final one was slated for Monday, April 13, versus the Brooklyn Nets.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Thursday that the season will be put on pause for 30 days at minimum but that it's "possible" the campaign doesn't resume.

The Cavs aren't the only team planning to pay arena staff, with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announcing on Wednesday that the Mavs would do so.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is donating $100,000 to support employees at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse who won't be able to work as a result of cancellations due to the coronavirus. 

In a message on Instagram, Love announced he will be making the donation through his charity organization: 

"Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. And the fear and anxiety resulting from the recent outbreak of COVID-19 can be extremely overwhelming.

"Through the game of basketball, we've been able to address major issues and stand together as a progressive league that cares about the players, the fans, and the communities where we work. I'm concerned about the level of anxiety that everyone is feeling and that is why I'm committing $100,000 through the @KevinLoveFund in support of the @Cavs arena and support staff that had a sudden life shift due to the cancellation of the NBA season. I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities. 

"Pandemics are not just a medical phenomenon. They affect individuals and society on so many levels, with stigma and xenophobia being just two aspects of the impact of a pandemic outbreak. It's important to know that those with a mental illness may be vulnerable to the effects of widespread panic and threat. Be kind to one another. Be understanding of their fears, regardless if you don't feel the same. Be safe and make informed decisions during this time. And I encourage everyone to take care of themselves and to reach out to others in need -- whether that means supporting your local charities that are canceling events, or checking in on your colleagues and family."

Love isn't the only prominent NBA figure to help workers in danger of not receiving paychecks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on ESPN's Get Up that he has a program in place to pay hourly workers as if they worked for what would have been the team's next four home games. 

The NBA announced Wednesday that it was suspending its season until further notice after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had a preliminary positive test for the coronavirus prior to a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

An encouraging 10-game start to his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers has officially landed head coach J.B. Bickerstaff a contract extension. 

The Athletic's Kelsey Russo was the first to report that Bickerstaff and the Cavs had agreed to a multiyear deal. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the contract is for four years and will run through the 2023-24 season. 

The 41-year-old began this season with the Cavaliers as an associate head coach on John Beilein's staff. He spent the previous two years as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies but was fired after a 33-49 record in 2018-19. 

When Beilein resigned as Cleveland's head coach on Feb. 19, the team promoted Bickerstaff to take over on a full-time basis. 

The Athletic's Shams Charania, Jason Lloyd and Joe Vardon reported after Beilein's resignation that Cavs players "began tuning Beilein out" during training camp and he had "shown no consistency in relating to players or in building lasting relationships with them."

One unnamed Cavaliers player told Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor the change has been "night and day" going from Beilein to Bickerstaff: "[Beilein] didn't know how to talk to people. He couldn't communicate."

After going 14-40 under Beilein, the Cavaliers have been a respectable 5-5 in 10 games with Bickerstaff at the helm.

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson will reportedly miss Tuesday's game against the Chicago Bulls because of an eye injury.

Kelsey Russo of The Athletic reported the news, noting Darius Garland (groin strain), Kevin Porter Jr. (concussion) and Dante Exum (ankle sprain) will also be sidelined.

Thompson missed time earlier this season with a quad injury and played just 43 games in 2018-19 and 53 games in 2017-18. However, he was durable in the early portion of his career and played at least 78 games five straight seasons from 2012-13 through 2016-17.

When healthy, he is a double-double threat every time he is on the floor who is averaging 12.0 points and 10.1 rebounds this season.

The University of Texas product averaged a double-double last season with 10.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game and was a key part of the 2015-16 Cavaliers squad that won the championship behind LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Cleveland will have to look elsewhere until the veteran is ready to return and will likely give more playing time to the combination of Andre Drummond, Love and Larry Nance Jr. while he is sidelined.

Kevin Porter Jr. has only started three games in his rookie season, so it's not as if he's totally figured out the NBA.

Still, he learned a valuable lesson Wednesday night as he attempted to make his fourth start. "Attempted" being the keyword here. The small forward was yanked back from the opening tipoff after he took off his warm-ups and revealed he didn't have his jersey on.

Nothing the Cavaliers can throw Porter's way will likely be as embarrassing as Wednesday's faux pas. It's the NBA equivalent of the nightmare where you show up to an important meeting or class without clothes on. Unfortunately for Porter, this is reality, and that meant backup guard Matthew Dellavedova ran off the bench to replace the forward in the lineup.

When he is able to get on the floor—and is wearing proper attire—the USC alum is averaging 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. 

If he puts up career highs against the Celtics, he may have to start forgetting his jersey intentionally going forward. 

Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond is out for Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a left calf strain, according to Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philly.

The Cavaliers took a swing at the trade deadline by acquiring Drummond from the Detroit Pistons. He's played only five games with his new team, averaging 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Injuries haven't been a problem for Drummond since his rookie season in 2012-13. He missed 22 games that first year because of a back issue. 

Since that time, Drummond only missed 10 games over the next six seasons. He also missed some time in 2019-20, including two after losing a tooth and suffering a gash in his lip during a Jan. 20 loss to the Washington Wizards. 

This has been a frustrating season for the Cavaliers, who have reportedly had issues behind the scenes with players being unhappy with first-year coach John Beilein, who stepped down this month. Kevin Love has acted out on and off the court to express his frustration with the organization. 

Cleveland, which owns the third-worst record (16-41) in the NBA, was hoping Drummond could stabilize a franchise that is building around young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. 

Until Drummond is able to return, new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will turn to Tristan Thompson as his primary center. 

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Miami Heat with soreness in his Achilles. 

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported the news. 

Love did play in Friday's 113-108 win over the Washington Wizards, but he was only on the court for just over 22 minutes and shot 3-of-8 from the field with nine points. 

Love has been somewhat injury-prone throughout his career, especially over the previous three seasons. From the 2016-17 season through 2018-19, the five-time All-Star missed 105 of a possible 246 games.

Saturday's matchup with the Heat will be the ninth game Love has missed this season. 

As the Cavs continue their rebuild, Love has had some issues with the team. The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Shams Charania reported in January he directed an "emotional verbal outburst" toward general manager Koby Altman to voice his displeasure with the organization after a shootaround.

During a Jan. 4 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Love appeared to grow frustrated with Collin Sexton by demanding the ball before firing an angry pass to Cedi Osman.

This season, Love has averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, right in line with his career averages with the Cavs. In his absence, expect to see Larry Nance Jr. in the opening lineup.

The Portland Trail Blazers reportedly made an attempt to acquire Kevin Love from the Cleveland Cavaliers at some point before the trade deadline.

Per The Athletic's Jason Lloyd, the Blazers offered the expiring contracts of Kent Bazemore and Hassan Whiteside in exchange for Love which "definitely equated to just a salary dump." 

If Love was going to be traded, the Blazers were considered one of the most likely landing spots. 

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported in December that Love's preference was to play for Portland, with the contracts of Bazemore ($19.3 million) and Whiteside ($27.1 million) cited as being perfect matches for Love's 2019-20 salary ($28.9 million).

Love is signed for three more seasons and will earn $91.5 million through the 2022-23 season, per Spotrac.

The Blazers eventually dealt Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round draft picks to the Sacramento Kings for Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, that trade dropped Portland's luxury tax bill for this season to $7 million. 

Lloyd noted in December the Cavs wanted a first-round pick if they were going to trade Love. 

One league source told B/R's Greg Swartz on Feb. 4, two days before the trade deadline, that Cleveland "would have to take a loss" on a trade for Love by including a draft pick to get another team to take him. 

Since the Cavs currently own the worst record in the Eastern Conference (14-40), they wouldn't seem to be in a position to give up draft assets. 

The Blazers are fighting for the final playoff spot coming out of the All-Star break. Their 25-31 record ranks ninth in the Western Conference, four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies (28-26). 

Veteran forward Kevin Love took some personal responsibility for the Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles this season and the departure of head coach John Beilein on Wednesday.

According to WKYC's Ben Axelrod, Love suggested that he and his teammates need to improve their attitudes during the second half of the season:

"We gotta do a little check on ourselves too. We gotta look at ourselves in the mirror too. I was talking about passing that mirror test. Definitely myself—I've been a s--thead at some points this season. I let losing get the best of me, and nobody likes to do that ... it's really just looking at ourselves and finding out how we can get better. And from there, trying to put it all together."

After an Eastern Conference-worst 14-40 start to the season, the Cavs and Beilein officially parted ways Wednesday less than one season into his five-year contract. J.B. Bickerstaff will take over as the team's new head coach.

Love said he "respect[s] the hell out of" Beilein and added:

"Us players, in some ways—really, in a lot of ways—we could have been a lot better. Naturally we have a lot of young players on this team. As veterans, we're trying to figure out ways to help young fellas, as well as the coaching staff. When you look at things in their entirety and as an accumulation, that's when you start to see the story. It's really not just one man."

There have been several reports of behind-the-scenes issues regarding the Cavs this season, and Love was the subject of a few of them.

In January, Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Love had an "emotional verbal outburst" toward general manager Koby Altman and expressed his "displeasure and disgust with the organization."

Also, during a January loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Love showed visible frustration with second-year guard Collin Sexton, which he later apologized for:

Another major issue within the team surfaced last month when Beilein said during a film session the Cavs were playing "like a bunch of thugs." Beilein apologized and said he meant to say "slugs," but Cavs players were reportedly shocked by the situation, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

That led to some players loudly playing songs that featured the word "thug" when they were around Beilein, according to Vardon, Charania and Jason Lloyd.

The Cavaliers have been a magnet for controversy this season, and much of that likely has to do with the fact that they own the NBA's second-worst record.

Cleveland is just two seasons removed from its fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, but ever since LeBron James left in free agency for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cavs have been among the NBA cellar dwellers.

Love is a five-time All-Star and a veteran leader who helped the Cavaliers win a championship in 2016, and while he has been the subject of trade rumors since last season, he is still with the team and sounds determined to help turn things around for as long as he remains in Cleveland.