LeBron James Reportedly Was Unhappy with Kevin Love's Fitness Before Last Season

Kevin Love experienced a challenging transition from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, reportedly in part because LeBron James was frustrated with his new teammate's physical fitness.

With James' return to his home state pairing him with dynamic young scorer Kyrie Irving, Cleveland's acquisition of Love was the cherry on top of the sundae.

But the honeymoon phase of James' relationship with Love apparently didn't last long.

In a detailed piece chronicling the relationship between the two Cleveland All-Stars, Jason Lloyd from the Akron Beacon Journal noted that LeBron was visibly irritated with Love at the start of their first training camp together because of Love's conditioning:

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In truth, James was frustrated in part because Love showed up out of shape. He didn't work out much at all the summer he was traded here and he wasn't the player James was expecting. His legs bothered him all season. His back was hurting. All of the parts were connected and none of them were firing properly.

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According to Lloyd, that was the main reason the two-time NBA Finals MVP gravitated toward Irving on offense more than Love. That began a season-long journey of Love playing third wheel in Cleveland, which also prompted this tweet from James in early February in reference to Love:

LeBron carried the Cavaliers to the Finals without Love and eventually without Irving, who were both injured. Seeing how well Cleveland played with Love out of the lineup, the chances Love would leave Cleveland were real.

But Lloyd pointed out that when the 27-year-old Love went to see James in California this summer, there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to come back to Cleveland:

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When Love approached James in Los Angeles, he went with a clear message. He wanted a bigger role in the offense, but it wasn't an ultimatum. He insists he had already decided he was going to take the Cavs' max offer.

"More than anything I just wanted to see what he thought about where the team was going and what we wanted to accomplish," Love said. "It was always 'we' or 'us.' It was never like, 'You need to tell me this.' Never."

James listened and obliged. Love wanted a bigger role, so James is giving it to him. Love spent part of his summer working out and rehabbing from shoulder surgery in the high altitude of Park City, Utah. He arrived at training camp in fantastic shape and erupted with big games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat.

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LeBron has needed Love to return to his Timberwolves form with both Irving and Iman Shumpert out for the foreseeable future. So far, it's been a good start to the season for Love, who's averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds. However, his shooting percentages are considerably down from his career averages, sitting at 41.1 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from three-point range.

But Love is still working his way back from the gruesome shoulder injury he suffered in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics in April. In time, Love could return to the perennial All-Star form he enjoyed with the Timberwolves.

It appears Love is committed to helping Cleveland get back to the Finals this year.