Karlos Dansby says giving up big plays is “not a trend” for Browns
October 8, 2015North Coast to West Coast
October 8, 2015Dave McMenamin has done some very good work since he started covering the Cavs for ESPN last year. Among his latest is a piece on Kevin Love’s preparation for the 2015-16 season as he recovers from last year’s season-ending shoulder surgery.
Love’s recovery and training this offseason included a month in Park City, Utah (elevation 7,000 feet). Love and Cavs strength and conditioning coach Alex Moore used the thin air to their advantage as the power forward worked himself back into shape.
“It was all broken down to a science,” Love said. “[My shoulder] wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be and I wanted to get ahead of the game so I just put muscle on, really worked on my flexibility, range of motion and I came back from there and I really felt great about where I was and that has carried over.
“What do they say? Train high, live low. And I was training high and living high for three-plus weeks and your hemoglobin mass goes through the roof. Your red blood cell count [increases]. And going up there, it’s like putting a hand or a pillow over your face and trying to breathe. So when I came back down to sea level, it was a big increase and I felt really great.”
(If any of you reading are experts on hemoglobin mass, you are cordially invited to share your insights below.)
Love seems to be recovering nicely — McMenamin’s story opens with a scene of Love hurling a 20-pound medicine ball up in the air — and more comfortable than he was last year. He has a fresh five-year contract and a year of experience alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. The Cavs have said that Love will be more involved in the offense. He met with both LeBron and head coach David Blatt over the summer, and the gang seems to be on the same page.
All of this means that Love can focus on basketball. He doesn’t have to worry about finding his way in a new city or getting used to life under the LeBronoscope. The season is coming, and it’s time to ball.
“It’s just, I think, face everything head-on,” Love said when asked about his outlook for this season. “Relationships with all the guys out there on the court, facing adversity with these guys, or staying on a high with these guys, no matter where the season takes you, it’s just I think facing it head-on and trying to be in a collision course for great things. I think if we all put our heads together, we all continue to work and get healthy, I know I sound like a broken record, but I think we can do something special.”
3 Comments
If he can stay healthy (read: no long rebounds turn into an MMA match) I think he’s going to have a BIG year, and I’m very much looking forward to it.
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/cdya.gif
Love hearing it!
Not the warmest or fuzziest of local athletes but you gotta respect the guy who consistently and quietly denied all the noise about him leaving and then sequesters himself to train at high altitude – AFTER getting his guaranteed hundred million. Reminds me of Michael Brantley, someone who has disciplined himself to squeeze out all the talent he has every day.
That’s a guy you don’t resent getting a max contract.