Kevin love(s) Boston

[j804]

At around 9 p.m. on Friday, Bill Fairweather received a surprising phone call from one of his employees at The Greatest Bar, of which he is co-owner.

A few minutes later, Fairweather raced from his home on the North Shore to the establishment located across the street from TD Garden, home of the Celtics.


Apparently, Kevin Love had just walked in, unannounced.

The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star forward had arrived in Boston for the weekend to check out the city, a sightseeing visit that sent Celtics fans into a frenzy about the possibility that Love will join the team perhaps this summer.

The 25-year-old is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal with the Timberwolves, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Timberwolves risk losing Love without compensation if they dont move him this offseason, or before the February trade deadline.

In what has become known as the Summer of Love, many teams are focused on acquiring Love through a trade and league sources say that includes the Celtics, who can offer an array of assets, namely draft picks. They have as many as 17 picks over the next five years, including 10 in the first round.


So when Fairweather walked up to the second floor mezzanine level of his bar, he spotted Love eating dinner with a longtime friend and his trainer.

Is the deal done?? Fairweather asked, hoping for good news.

Love laughed and shook his head. No, he said.

But over the next few hours, the two talked plenty about Boston and the Celtics.

It went great, Fairweather told the Globe on Sunday. The kid is a real gentleman. I think he has a real appreciation with the Celtics history and tradition.

Love, who averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season, learned Celtics history at an early age, as one of his favorite tapes growing up was a VHS copy of Winning Basketball with Larry Bird and Red Auerbach.

And of his youth, Love once told Sports Illustrated in an interview, My dad likes to say when other kids were watching Big Bird, I was watching Larry Bird, and he was totally right.

Fairweather, a former ESPN producer and radio co-host, found Love to be so interested in Celtics history that he gave him a 90-minute DVD that details the teams illustrious past, a gift Fairweather said Love very much appreciated.

Love showed such reverence for Bird, Fairweather said, that at one point Love pointed out how he believes that Birds No. 33 ought to be retired by every team in the NBA. Love also said he planned on talking to fellow UCLA alumnus Bill Walton about what it was like playing for the Celtics.

Fairweather said he told Love that he could be the Celtics Tom Brady, a reference to the Patriots star quarterback.

You could be a rock star here, Fairweather said he told him.

But Fairweather said that if Love made one point clear throughout their lengthy conversation, it was this: I just want to win, said Love, a three-time All-Star who has yet to make the playoffs in six years with the Timberwolves.

Love also complimented Celtics All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. "He just said hes a really, really good player," Fairweather said.

Rondo and Love met up Sunday at Fenway Park, where the two watched the Sox win their seventh straight game, beating Tampa Bay, 4-0.

Love sat in the EMC Club and Rondo in the Green Monster seats, but the two eventually crossed paths and chatted. A photo captured the moment and blazed across social media.

Later Sunday, Sox slugger David Ortiz tweeted at Love: Yo @kevinlove, if you need advice on moving from Minnesota to Boston just let me know #CityOfChamps?

Ortiz would know what it?s like to make such a transition, as he spent six seasons with the Minnesota Twins before signing as a free agent with the Red Sox in 2003.

However, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said the team very much plans to keep Love in Minneapolis.

The last I knew Kevin was under contract with us, and I expect him to be playing for us next year,? Saunders told reporters in Minneapolis on Sunday. I dont really dictate where guys go on vacation or what they do. They can go wherever they want to go.

With regard to the teams that are interested in Love, Saunders said, ?I know there?s a feeding frenzy out there from a lot of teams. Unfortunately, they have no say. I plan on Kevin being here.?

Saunders also said Celtics fans should calm down.

They?re the same fans who thought they had Tim Duncan,? he joked, a reference to the 1997 NBA Draft lottery, where the Celtics were surprisingly leapfrogged by San Antonio, which landed the top pick and Duncan.

They still think they got Tim Duncan in the draft. I?m not really sure, but the last I looked he was playing for San Antonio, Old Man Riverwalk.

Either way, Sunday capped quite a weekend in Boston for Love.

During his trip, he stayed at a luxury hotel on Boylston Street, dined at an upscale restaurant in the Seaport District, grabbed lunch on the patio at a sports bar outside of Fenway Park, and attended a rooftop party at a hotel near Boston Common late Sunday.

Along the way, Love came across several Celtics fans, many of whom snagged photos that were quickly posted online.

Love also met with several prominent Boston sports stars, including members of the Patriots.

To Fairweather, Loves visit seemed a bit surreal, as it was just a week and a half ago, on the night of the NBA Draft lottery, that local comedian Dave Russo held a promotional event at The Greatest Bar that was dedicated to Love.

It was called a Love-In, Fairweather said, and the idea was that Russo would stay in the bar until the Celtics made a deal to land Love. (Obviously, the Celtics didnt make such a trade, but Russo stayed at the bar for the better part of two days, Fairweather said.)

Now, here was Love, sitting in the same bar, not long after.

"I couldnt believe it" Fairweather said.

In the area where the two talked, the walls surrounding them were decorated with banners from championships won by local teams. But there was one bare spot.

And before Love left that night, Fairweather pointed to that spot and told Love that they would fill it with a championship banner that the Celtics won with him.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/06/01/kevin-love-enjoys-quite-weekend-boston/1mEG5awQsl1I8GRtqVwU7K/story.html

Wow

[j804]

Oops double post sorry guys

[Clench123]

Welcome, Love 

[esel1000]

That's awesome!

[RJ87]

Welcome, Love 

Let's not get cocky. We don't wanna put any bad karma out there.

[GreenWarrior]

kevin love will play one game in boston and know he needs to be here.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Wow, that's what you call recruiting. I love Boston.

[indeedproceed]

That is pretty awesome. Gives you a snapshot of what it's like for any athlete in high demand. Pretty sweet to know the Celtics don't even need to coordinate an attack to have the city just enfold the guy. Pats, Red Sox, restauranteurs, college kids, and those are just the ones we know about that reached out to him to try and bring Kevin Love to Boston. It's a wonder the seals at the aquarium didn't put together a music number and laser show.

I bet Omer Asik buys tickets tomorrow.

[Smokeeye123]

This is the kind of guy i want on my team, Someone who values winning and respects the organization and fans. In an era of players choosing to buddy up and/or picking places due to the weather this is so refreshing. If this article is accurate danny should call saunders repetedly all night and day until the deal is done.

[Ogaju]

Oops double post sorry guys

Dude, you  can post that 200 times and no one would mind.

Get the deal done Danny!!!! Get it done.

[j804]

^LOL. I am just as stoked as you are what more can we ask for, he was personally handed a 90 minute DVD on the Celtics history. He wants to talk to Bill Walton about what it's like playing for the Celtics, he mingled with Rondo and Patriots players. The draft can't come soon enough.

[Devine827]

http://teespring.com/bostonwantslove

[indeedproceed]

^LOL. I am just as stoked as you are what more can we ask for, he was personally handed a 90 minute DVD on the Celtics history. He wants to talk to Bill Walton about what it's like playing for the Celtics, he mingled with Rondo and Patriots players. The draft can't come soon enough.

You really can't ask for a better embassador than Walton either.

[j804]

Saw this on CSNNE Welsh says we been working the back channels with Love's people and the Wolves on a trade

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/welsh-only-been-positive-love-boston-0

[LarBrd33]

Just going to cut and paste my thoughts from the other thread.  I'm still not giving my hopes up:

From what I understand, Love can't sign an extension right now.  He's under contract for 2014-15 and has a player option for 2015-16.  It's not until next season that he could sign an extension, right?

My info is based on comments on this forum, but from what I understand, a team that trades for Love could make the trade contingent on Love opting in for that 2nd season.   Since he can't sign an extension, getting him to agree to opt-in for  year 2 is the best any potential trade partner can hope for.

It could still end up being a risky 2 year rental, but at the very least you'd have a bit of a buffer... worst-case scenario if things aren't working out, you could just explore trading him next summer (since he'd be under contract for another season).

So my guess is this Boston trip was related to that opt-in.  Love may have told his agent that there were a couple teams he'd be willing to opt-in for (such as the Lakers).   But perhaps he was on the fence about Boston.  He doesn't really know the city and hadn't visited it before.  They set up the trip a couple weeks ago.  Love has been in communication with Rondo and they made sure they were both in Boston at the same time.  This was likely just an exploratory trip set up by Love's agent.  It gives him a chance to feel out the city, contemplate the Celtics and see if he'd be willing to opt in for a 2nd year upon being traded there. 

That doesn't mean the Wolves will trade him.  That doesn't mean the Wolves will trade him to Boston.  That doesn't mean Boston even has the best offer.  But assuming Love and his agent give the green light on opting in for that 2nd year, Ainge could feel comfortable offering up assets without worrying about it merely being a 1 year rental.  The more teams that Love is willing to do that 2015-16 opt-in for, the more teams the Wolves can negotiate with over the next months.  If Love decides that he doesn't like BOston and isn't willing to commit to 2 years there, Ainge doesn't really need to waste his time... because he knows he'd be more than likely just getting a 1 year rental.

This is still probably a long way from being over, though.  Other teams will have competitive offers... and maybe Love decided a while ago that he was comfortable opting in for some of those teams.