Kevin Love is going to be a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rest of this season. And next season. And the season after that. Then he can opt out of his deal if he wants (or he can stay another season), but we are a long way from even thinking about that). He signed a four-year deal last summer because you always sign the first big contract after your rookie deal — you get paid first.
The point is that Kevin Love may be frustrated, but it’s a little bit moot. He signed the deal, he is not going anywhere for a while.
Actually, it’s not “may” be frustrated — he is frustrated. That all stems back to the contract deal he was offered — teams can only offer one five-year contract extension at a time under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Timberwolves are saving theirs for Ricky Rubio. Love — the All-Star and gold medal winner — got four and has felt slighted by that and much more, he told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.com and the NBC Sports Network.
“I don’t know who labels people stars, but even [T’wolves owner] Glen Taylor said: I don’t think Kevin Love is a star, because he hasn’t led us to the playoffs,” Love told Yahoo! Sports. “I mean, it’s not like I had much support out there. That’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Love said he doesn’t forget slights light that. And after a couple more seasons when he can opt out he says he will remember then, too.
Minnesota can offer more money then than any other team, but Love has made it clear on more than one occasion — and did again — that winning is what maters to him.
“I haven’t been in the playoffs yet,” Love says. “I’m looking at my contract in the eye of two years from now, and if I haven’t been to the playoffs – or it’s been one playoff berth – well, it’s going to be tough to say, ‘Oh well, I’m going to stay here and continue to rebuild.’ “
You really need to read Wojnarowski’s entire story to get how frustrated Love is with some things in Minnesota.
Love has not felt the Love from Minnesota — but that doesn’t mean they are going to lose him. He wants to win. He wants a team of good players that push themselves. They have a coach that can do it in Rick Adelman (who Love respects) and good players like Ricky Rubio and Andrei Kirilenko. If things start to gel and Love feels this is a place he can contend, that a roster is being built and maintained like in Oklahoma City and Memphis, he will stay. It’s a bottom line thing.
I think the Timberwolves — 9-9 and currently the eight seed in the West — will make the playoffs. They have defended well this year but it’s been a struggle on offense. Rubio — especially with Love — will change that.
And if the Timberwolves start making the playoffs and improving, Minnesota has nothing to worry about. But we are a few years away from discussing how Love feels when it really matters.