“I didn’t think Kevin Love was gonna play. I wasn’t even sure he had much left to play. He reached out to us and said he was in shape and said he felt he owed us… Well, it didn’t work out. He wasn’t in shape. And he was way behind as it turned out. So you move on. Call it a mistake.”
That was former Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo after Kevin Love withdrew from team USA during the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics sLLove’se was injured.
Love’s responseHHBO’sat?
“F*** him.”
Love was on HBO’s The Shop (the show created by Maverick Carter and LeBron James), and both Carter and Love lit into Colangelo on the episode, which debuted on Friday. Below is the actual conversation, but unedited — it is very much NSFW. Listen at your own discretion.
Love said that Team USA veterans LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony called him to tell him Colangelo was way out of line with his comments. Love is a professional athlete who will someday seek a new contract, and what Colangelo said is sometLove’svery GM heard. It could impact Love’s ability to get that next deal.
Love added he thinks Colagelo threw him under the bus to protect his reputation and legacy. Team USA had not impressed in the exhibition games running up to Tokyo and Colangelo was trying to save face, according to Love. Team USA found its groove in Tokyo and went on to win gold.
Colangelo is now out as the head man at Team USA, with former player and current Hawks co-owner Grant Hill taking over that role.
Love will report to camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers this week. While the Cavs have looked for a trade for Love, who does not fit the team’s rebuilding mode, he is owed $60.2 million over those two years and there is not a team looking to take on that money (without the Cavaliers throwing in significant sweeteners, which they will not do).
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Kevin Love fires back at former Team USA director Colangelo: “F*** him” originally appeared on NBCSports.com