Kevin Love doesn’t seem thrilled with Kyrie Irving’s comments about the media.
Irving went as far as to call the media ‘pawns’, which is a sure sign of disrespect, per Love. Kyrie’s intentions are pure, as he doesn’t want his words misconstrued. However, by continuing to defend himself, he’s actually feeding into the media monster he hoped to avoid altogether.
Love, a longtime Cavs teammate of Irving, spoke out against those comments.
“Calling anyone a pawn is a sure sign of disrespect,” Love said, per The Athletic. “I understand where Kyrie is coming from in trying to better a number of people’s lives, but I’m not a divisive person.”
Why did Love take the time to speak out against Kyrie?
Per The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, who is the editor-in-chief of their Cleveland sports section and a longtime beat writer of the Cavaliers, the relationship with Irving and Love isn’t on the best of terms. In fact, it never has been.
“Love and Irving were never particularly close during their time together. Most players on those Cavs teams grew tired of Irving’s stunts, such as not talking to anyone at practice. Love also had issues with the media but resolved them through his own personal mental health journey. Love is more comfortable being himself these days and isn’t afraid to speak out — even against a former teammate,” Lloyd wrote.
Love’s grown comfortable in his own skin, and doesn’t let the media storm get the best of him. In some ways, Irving should take note of how his former teammate handles such things. By avoiding the media altogether, Kyrie is only making matters worse, opening himself up to more drama by saying less.
Controlling the narrative isn’t solved by releasing personal statements, as even that can be twisted against the star point guard. Irving is learning this the hard way.