Reasons Why Love Could Choose Boston

[LarBrd33]

If the rumors are true that he wants to play for a winner, he probably will have little interest in coming here. We had a 16 win pace with Rondo playing.  It would only be marginally better than playing with Rubio.  Boston would need to make more moves for this to be an appealing destination.

And that's why it would have been good for the Celtics to have made the playoffs this season.

Not really.  You aren't starting a conversation with 'Sota around the #15 pick and Jared Sullinger.  Need that top 8 pick to get out foot in the door

I'm starting the conversation with their choice of Sullinger or Olynyk and 2-3 firsts in the hopes that the Celtics can keep their own 2014 pick.  What other team is going to beat that offer?

5 nickels for a dollar.  I think they'd prefer a prospect with a shot at becoming a dollar.

But if we can trade for love while keeping the pick, that would be incredible. 

[aingeforthree]

If the rumors are true that he wants to play for a winner, he probably will have little interest in coming here. We had a 16 win pace with Rondo playing.  It would only be marginally better than playing with Rubio.  Boston would need to make more moves for this to be an appealing destination.

And that's why it would have been good for the Celtics to have made the playoffs this season.

Not really.  You aren't starting a conversation with 'Sota around the #15 pick and Jared Sullinger.  Need that top 8 pick to get out foot in the door

I'm starting the conversation with their choice of Sullinger or Olynyk and 2-3 firsts in the hopes that the Celtics can keep their own 2014 pick.  What other team is going to beat that offer?

5 nickels for a dollar.  I think they'd prefer a prospect with a shot at becoming a dollar.

But if we can trade for love while keeping the pick, that would be incredible.

I personally hope its Sullinger and not Olynyk in the deal.

I'm not sure how a deal is made without giving up the lottery pick.  That's the value in it for Minnesota.  A high lottery pick in a deep draft.  If it's #1 or #2, that will save Danny from giving away even more assets.

[slamtheking]

If the rumors are true that he wants to play for a winner, he probably will have little interest in coming here. We had a 16 win pace with Rondo playing.  It would only be marginally better than playing with Rubio.  Boston would need to make more moves for this to be an appealing destination.

And that's why it would have been good for the Celtics to have made the playoffs this season.

Not really.  You aren't starting a conversation with 'Sota around the #15 pick and Jared Sullinger.  Need that top 8 pick to get out foot in the door

I'm starting the conversation with their choice of Sullinger or Olynyk and 2-3 firsts in the hopes that the Celtics can keep their own 2014 pick.  What other team is going to beat that offer?

5 nickels for a dollar.  I think they'd prefer a prospect with a shot at becoming a dollar.

But if we can trade for love while keeping the pick, that would be incredible.

I personally hope its Sullinger and not Olynyk in the deal.

I'm not sure how a deal is made without giving up the lottery pick.  That's the value in it for Minnesota.  A high lottery pick in a deep draft.  If it's #1 or #2, that will save Danny from giving away even more assets.

If they get the 1 or 2 (and Embiid's still available) keep the pick.  use other assets for Love.   would have a hard time also passing on Wiggins but if all we had to do was give them the pick that becomes Wiggins and some salary filler, I might do it. 

the reason I would keep Embiid even though he's not a proven player like Love is that talented centers that are athletic and can play both ends of the floor are a rarity in the NBA and provide a matchup headache for other teams.  IF, granted it's a big IF, Embiid turns out to be a really good player (all-star caliber), you've got to take that shot that you can add the foundation player for your franchise for the next decade. 

I don't see Love as that foundation player because of his issues on D but he's a big man that scores and rebounds which is probably more than you'll get with Parker (pretty much scoring -- D is a real concern) and Wiggins (athletic enough to be great on D, so-so on offense right now, questions about his drive to succeed) in their careers.

[gpap]

Unfortunately, I think Chicago has just as much appeal, if not more.

1) Coaching: Thibs is well respected around the league
2) The East
3) Bulls "mystique" thanks to Jordan is more recent and probably more meaningful to a younger player like Love, who has also confessed he doesn't know much about Boston
4) Bulls are much closer to contention than the Celtics are

I imagine we can conjecture a number of reasons "why" for any number of teams.

I suppose.

However, the Bulls also have alot of question marks.

Can Rose stay healthy?

Can Noah stay healthy?

And with all due respect to Thibs and the Bulls, they can't seem to make it past the 2nd round of the playoffs. Does Love put them over the hump? I don't know.

[LooseCannon]

If the rumors are true that he wants to play for a winner, he probably will have little interest in coming here. We had a 16 win pace with Rondo playing.  It would only be marginally better than playing with Rubio.  Boston would need to make more moves for this to be an appealing destination.

And that's why it would have been good for the Celtics to have made the playoffs this season.

Not really.  You aren't starting a conversation with 'Sota around the #15 pick and Jared Sullinger.  Need that top 8 pick to get out foot in the door

I'm starting the conversation with their choice of Sullinger or Olynyk and 2-3 firsts in the hopes that the Celtics can keep their own 2014 pick.  What other team is going to beat that offer?

5 nickels for a dollar.  I think they'd prefer a prospect with a shot at becoming a dollar.

But if we can trade for love while keeping the pick, that would be incredible.

Obviously, they prefer the better pick.  My point is that I'm not sure that any team can beat the offer I suggested, so automatically including the Celtics' own 2014 pick is basically the idiotic strategy of bidding against one's self unnecessarily.

Here are some of the suggested ideas for other teams:
Golden State - David Lee, Harrison Barnes, and a 2015 first (after the 2014 draft)
Houston - Omer Asik, Chandler Parsons, picks

You would have to include the pick to outbid the Lakers if they toss their only trade asset (their 2014 pick) into the hat.  You probably need it to outbid the Suns, although some are skeptical that Love wants to go to Phoenix.

Is Minnesota just going to let Love walk or take a lesser offer if Ainge doesn't throw in that pick?  Maybe the Celtics get a top three pick and Love becomes enamored with the idea of playing with Rondo and a highly-rated rookie, so he becomes willing to sign an extension with Boston and only Boston, but only if that pick is not included in the deal.

[hpantazo]

I can see why Love would want to go to the Bulls, but what do they have to offer that would convince the Twolves to send him there? No lottery picks and no great young prospects that I can see.

[sofutomygaha]

I can see why Love would want to go to the Bulls, but what do they have to offer that would convince the Twolves to send him there? No lottery picks and no great young prospects that I can see.

If Love plays his cards right, they will have to take what they can get. Gibson, a middling pick, and the rights to Mirotic.

[Fafnir]

I can see why Love would want to go to the Bulls, but what do they have to offer that would convince the Twolves to send him there? No lottery picks and no great young prospects that I can see.

Multiple podcasts I listen to seem to think Butler/Gibson + 2 low first round picks is a good deal, better than what Boston could offer.

I don't see it, *shrug*.

[hpantazo]

I can see why Love would want to go to the Bulls, but what do they have to offer that would convince the Twolves to send him there? No lottery picks and no great young prospects that I can see.

If Love plays his cards right, they will have to take what they can get. Gibson, a middling pick, and the rights to Mirotic.

Why not take a top 5 pick and a prospect from the lakers or celtics instead then? He's open to the lakers at least and they do have a lottery pick to trade. I don't see Chicago as a legit option.

[Lucky17]

Mirotic would be in that #4-#8 range if he were in this coming draft, yes?

Boozer's expiring deal, two 2014 1sts in the teens, and rights to Mirotic seems like a competitive package. Bulls can sub in Gibson/Butler/filler instead of Boozer if needed.

[sofutomygaha]

I can see why Love would want to go to the Bulls, but what do they have to offer that would convince the Twolves to send him there? No lottery picks and no great young prospects that I can see.

If Love plays his cards right, they will have to take what they can get. Gibson, a middling pick, and the rights to Mirotic.

Why not take a top 5 pick and a prospect from the lakers or celtics instead then? He's open to the lakers at least and they do have a lottery pick to trade. I don't see Chicago as a legit option.

The Celtics and Lakers won't give up anything for him if he doesn't sign an extension. If it were you, wouldn't you rather go play with Rose, Butler, Noah and coach Thibodeau (assuming that Rose plays again in the NBA some day)?

[Fafnir]

Mirotic would be in that #4-#8 range if he were in this coming draft, yes?

Maybe, buzz on him is huge but a lot is up in the air.

His status as an asset is also an issue, is he going to come over to play in Minnesota?

[sofutomygaha]

Mirotic would be in that #4-#8 range if he were in this coming draft, yes?

Maybe, buzz on him is huge but a lot is up in the air.

His status as an asset is also an issue, is he going to come over to play in Minnesota?

As a prospect, he's the #1 foreign player. Certainly ahead of Saric.

This is a great question, Fafnir. If I were Minnesota trying to make this work, I'd sell Rubio and Pekovic to him hard. I'd be exploring ways to get Pau Gasol too.

[hpantazo]

I can see why Love would want to go to the Bulls, but what do they have to offer that would convince the Twolves to send him there? No lottery picks and no great young prospects that I can see.

If Love plays his cards right, they will have to take what they can get. Gibson, a middling pick, and the rights to Mirotic.

Why not take a top 5 pick and a prospect from the lakers or celtics instead then? He's open to the lakers at least and they do have a lottery pick to trade. I don't see Chicago as a legit option.

The Celtics and Lakers won't give up anything for him if he doesn't sign an extension. If it were you, wouldn't you rather go play with Rose, Butler, Noah and coach Thibodeau (assuming that Rose plays again in the NBA some day)?

The same Rose who missed the last two seasons and looks like a shadow of his former self? IMO it will be difficult to convince Love to go anywhere other than LA.

[D.o.s.]

Mirotic would be in that #4-#8 range if he were in this coming draft, yes?

Maybe, buzz on him is huge but a lot is up in the air.

His status as an asset is also an issue, is he going to come over to play in Minnesota?

As a prospect, he's the #1 foreign player. Certainly ahead of Saric.

This is a great question, Fafnir. If I were Minnesota trying to make this work, I'd sell Rubio and Pekovic to him hard. I'd be exploring ways to get Pau Gasol too.

Word is Gasol's looking at (beyond the Lakers) Memphis, San Antonio, and Chicago.