It didn’t take long for Cleveland Cavaliers legends to pay their respects to forward Kevin Love once they heard the news of his official buyout.
Former Cavs guard Mark Price, one of the few players with his number hanging in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse rafters, sent out a heartfelt message to the nine-year Cavs forward in a Saturday tweet.
“Thank you Kevin Love,” Price wrote. “You have been a warrior for the Cavs. We will be forever grateful for your part in bringing a Championship to Cleveland.
“Wish you all the best at your next stop and look forward to you joining me in the rafters one of theses days!”
Mark Price pushed the Cavs to playoff appearances after every one of his four All-Star selections with the Cavs, going as far as the Eastern Conference Finals with All-Star forward Larry Nance and a former No. 1 overall pick in center Brad Daugherty during the 1991-92 season. The team pushed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls to six games before falling in a five-point loss at the Coliseum at Richfield.
Cavs forward Evan Mobley, who represented Cleveland in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge, said he hopes Kevin Love does great wherever he goes in an emotional message of his own.
“He’s been great, a great leader,” Mobley said. “He’s always been a character in the locker room as well. All the guys on the team love him.
“His lightheartedness in the locker room definitely helps everybody and glues everybody together.”
Kevin Love bid farewell to the team he shared countless Cavs-defining memories in a fiery tweet on Saturday.
“I’ll have more to say soon but want to get this off my chest,” Love wrote on Twitter. “To the people of Cleveland and all of Ohio. I f**king LOVE you…and always will.
“Thank you for everything. More to come.”