Third Wheel in the Association | Sports

Kevin Love has LeBron James to thank for the three most memorable moments of his career. First, James returned to Cleveland in 2014, offering the All-Star striker a way out of a terribly uncompetitive Minnesota Timberwolves team. Second, James led a historic return to the NBA Finals against the vaunted Golden State Warriors, delivering a 2016 championship ring.

Now, LeBron drew a kind of different favor for the talented great man: He left.

To be honest, I'm delighted that Love, an All-Star five times, has just signed a four-year, $ 120-million expansion with the Cavaliers. He returns to "the man" after playing for two years the second and third roles of James and the late Kyrie Irving.

People forget that love was a monster before forming the "Big 3" Cleveland. the five seasons that led to this movement. But they are not double-doubles daily, they are advanced double-doubles.

Shabeless SpongeBob's reference aside, Love's averages of 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds were fourth and third respectively in the league. his last year in Minnesota. But as before Chris Bosh before him, Love was underused as a third option (Bosh took the place of James and Dwyane Wade during the trio's four years in Miami.)

Of course, Bosh has was forced to retire after being diagnosed with blood clots, ending his post-LeBron chance of shining once more. With a little luck, the fate of Love is more positive.

You must give him the credit of being patient and staying true to it. It's not easy to be described as "arguably the best asset of the game" in a 2014 ESPN article regarding Love's trade in Cleveland and then move on to the next two seasons at game of stars.

Really, it's not easy this third guy in general.

Look at Carmelo Anthony this season. He joined Russell Westbrook and Paul George in a hasty and unexpected way during the off season and never adapted to his smaller role in the team. Yes, Melo is one of the most prolific markers in the history of the NBA, but his inability to accept that he was past his first led to a categorical refusal to leave the bench. Although it would have probably been better for the Thunder, it's not surprising that Anthony had a hard time adapting to a lesser role. He had, after all, been "the man" of his team throughout his 15-year career

Then there is a different situation at Klay Thompson and Draymond Green of the Warriors. Thompson is by far the league's best three-and-D goaltender, and Green is a jack of all trades, an elite defenseman and a talented passer, as well as the emotional leader of the defending champions. The two were not really the second or third options behind Steph Curry – before the arrival of Kevin Durant two years ago – rather, 2A and 2B. But Durant, the second-best player in the world, both pushed them to 3A and 3B

The Warriors have already shown signs of taking off last year, sometimes resembling a shell of the well-oiled machine that has won a NBA-record 73 games a few years ago. The role and value of Thompson in the team have decreased significantly, as has the overall defensive effort of Green. And Thompson will be a free agent in 2019; Green the year after.

After being served with what is essentially a demotion, does their team attitude start to break? Is it due to the fatigue of the championships or a creeping discontent to lose their share of the spotlight?

It seems increasingly likely that one or both end up looking for a new home where they can be # 1, or at least 2 option. It's human nature to want to spread one's wings, especially when you can fly higher than almost everyone on the planet.

It is not easy for most humans to humiliate, accept less than what they are used to (or less than they feel that they deserve) and show up at work as if nothing changed. I salute the professional athletes who treat this same burden on a huge scale, amplified by the media.

Andrew Huang is a sports writer. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJHuang and contact him at [email protected].