David Blatt Says Max Contract Player Kevin Love 'Not a Max Player Yet'

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt may not have said the wrong thing about Kevin Love, but he definitely picked the wrong time.

Following Cleveland's fifth straight loss, which was marked by the same lack of intensity that has characterized the team's play during LeBron James' absence, Blatt responded to questions about how a team with two max players could perform so poorly.

Per Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty, here's the key exchange:

Update: Monday, Jan. 12, 4:50 p.m. ET

There is no bad blood between Blatt and Love following the former's max-contract comments, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

Blatt also attempted to clarify what he meant at the time, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Chris Haynes:

Move along folks. There's nothing to see here—at least for now.

---End of Update---

If Blatt was merely pointing out that Love's deal, originally signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was actually one year short of the five-season max, maybe there's no harm done. He's right on that point—mostly.

Love's deal didn't include the fifth year typically associated with "max guys," but it does pay him the maximum amount allowed on a four-year deal.

Of course, if Blatt was calling out his power forward's talent as being unworthy of a maximum contract, that's different. Never mind that Blatt is probably also right on that point, the Cavaliers' disappointing record and troublesome failure to muster consistent effort has him on thin ice already.

A tepid endorsement from James and more vociferous support from general manager David Griffin in recent weeks won't mean much if Blatt is calling out his team's top talent in the media. Love can opt out of his contract as soon as this summer, and a report from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal indicates he plans to do just that.

Per Lloyd, Love wants to sign a one-year deal ahead of the projected salary cap spike in 2016, at which point he'll cash in on a multiyear max tied to a percentage of the newly inflated cap. It's just business.

The fear in Cleveland is that Love will take Blatt's comments personally, giving him an excuse to walk away this summer. Even if Love's play has underwhelmed, it would be a disaster to lose the supposed superstar who cost the Cavs Andrew Wiggins in a trade.

Big picture: Blatt's comments have been and will continue to be blown out of proportion. He'll be scrutinized unfairly, his words parsed and his tone analyzed. Whether that's fair or not is irrelevant.

The Cavaliers haven't met expectations this season, and because Blatt isn't as integral to the team's future as James or Kyrie Irving or even Love, it's Blatt who will be under the microscope.

I guess that means he'll need to be more careful around the microphone.