Cleveland Cavaliers' J.B. Bickerstaff Noticed Frustration In Kevin Love Over Playing Time Before He Signed With Miami Heat

Bickerstaff wished Love well in his new role with Miami Heat
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Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke on the departure of forward Kevin Love. 

He told reporters in Cleveland Wednesday he could sense some frustration in Love in the weeks prior to both parties agreeing to a buyout. Love recently signed with the Miami Heat.  

"It's not a disruptive unhappy or combative unhappy," Bickerstaff said. "Kevin wants to play and I understand that. He wants to be on the floor. He can help a team. He believes that. It's that frustration of not being to participate with your teammates." 

Love was a cornerstone in the Cavs making four straight NBA Finals, including playing a key role in their 2016 championship. After falling out of the rotation with the Cavs this season, he is expected to contribute with the Heat. 

"He helped bring this organization back to a place it hadn't been," Bickerstaff said. "To be able to win championships, to be able to go to four straight Finals, that's something that you definitely praise to be recognized and appreciated ... In my time with him here, the sacrifices he made for the younger guys for the better of the team, those things can't go unmentioned and not appreciated. There's nothing but respect and appreciation for him. Again, the opportunity for him to move on to a place he feels he'll be able to contribute in a role consistently." 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here