Dan Patrick Caught In Unfair Drama Regarding Cooper Flagg And Kevin Love

Many on social media are ripping into legendary broadcaster Dan Patrick, although if they actually listened to the full audio clip regarding the longtime host's comments comparing Duke basketball sensation Cooper Flagg to NBA Champion Kevin Love, they would realize that he didn't say or do anything wrong.

During his Dan Patrick Show on Friday, the former SportsCenter anchor thought about who Cooper Flagg could be compared to when he most likely heads into the NBA Draft after Duke's season wraps up.

After thinking about it for a bit, he compared Cooper to Kevin Love, although with a bit of a ricochet shot at the potential Hall of Famer.

DAN PATRICK WASN'T RIPPING KEVIN LOVE, DESPITE WHAT PEOPLE THINK

"If you said his career was going to be like Kevin Love's, would that be a disappointment? And it probably would be," Patrick said on air earlier this week.

Immediately, social media reacted, as social media does… however, that one quote doesn't take into account everything that Patrick had actually said. He wasn't demeaning Kevin Love or "throwing him to the side," but rather, saying that Cooper Flagg is that good and will have such high expectations that if he did perform like Love, it would be a let-down. It wasn't a rip of the NBA star, it was an acknowledgment of just how much pressure Flagg will have on him when he heads to the pros.

Although many were taken aback by Dan Patrick referencing Kevin Love of all people, the 5x All-Star and NBA Champion took it in stride and responded very professionally, even praising Cooper Flagg's talent.

KEVIN LOVE RESPONDED THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE

"For those who will take this as a shot at me…I don’t take it as such," Love wrote. "I was pure skill & will. Cooper is far more talented than I ever was and if he stays healthy will have a far better career. He could very well have a statue by the time he’s finished. I’m a HUGE fan," Love responded in a quote tweet of the Patrick clip.

Honestly, good for the 17-year veteran Love, who left UCLA in 2008 to enter the NBA Draft and was picked 5th overall.

As we all know, many athletes who are coming towards the end of their careers don't always want to pass the ball onto the next person coming up. But for Love to do this and recognize Cooper Flagg's talent, that's pretty cool - especially when he says that the Duke freshman should excel beyond what Love did himself.

We shall see what happens. But first, Duke will host Alabama in the Elite Eight on Saturday. And you can be sure that all eyes will be on Flagg.