NBA trade rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers deny any knowledge of trading Kevin Love

It didn't take long for the Cleveland Cavaliers to react to alleged Kevin Love rumors.

When word of such came out, Cavs general manager David Griffin immediately doused water on all trade rumors involving the All-Star forward. Griffin recently announced the firing of head coach David Blatt, something he stresses was his call.

Kevin Love[photo: YouTube screen capture/FOX Sports Ohio]

It was after Blatt's dismissal that Love trade talks cropped up, something that reportedly resulted from issues of co-existence between him and Kyrie Irving.

Other than that, Love has been taking the heat once again for coming up with subpar performances, similar to the one he got last year when he was groping for form.

As Griffin puts it, he doesn't see the team getting any better particularly in the Finals with Love out of the picture.

The alleged issue involving Love and Irving seems to have stemmed from the drop in numbers of the big man since "Uncle Drew" made his official return to the lineup.

Love is currently averaging 15.6 points and shooting just 42 percent, satisfactory for any average player but definitely not for someone who is known to be among the best forwards in the NBA today.

Despite negating those rumors, the road ahead will prove to be rough for Love as well. With a new head coach in Tyronn Lue, he is likely to struggle in the early goings to get a grasp of the new system. And with that in mind, expect the fire to stay or grow a bit more as far as trade talks are concerned.

At some point Love is likely to break out of his slump. It may not be immediate with the latest changes, but hopefully his usual game sets in soon.

The Cavs are leading the pack in the Eastern Conference and upcoming games should become tougher as teams gear up for the NBA playoffs.