Kevin Love drew a lot of headlines for a very public visit to Boston back in late May/early June. Back in town with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Friday's game against the Celtics, Love addressed his visit at this morning's shootaround. From ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:
And what about that clandestine meeting with Rajon Rondo at a Boston Red Sox game back in June?
Love was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Cavaliers in August, but before that deal went through, there were reports the All-Star forward had interest in going anywhere from Boston to Chicago to the Golden State Warriors to the Lakers.
Love maintained his visit had nothing to do with trying to see if he'd enjoy life donning Celtics green.
"The fact is, my agent is a big Red Sox fan," Love said. "I'd been planning on that for a long time to come in and check out not only the city, but a Red Sox game and we had a great time and we plan on coming back.
"It's tough because I wasn't a free agent last summer. I have potential to be a free agent this summer or next. It's just one of those things. It's obviously a tremendous city. People love it here. Basketball and sports in general are huge here, but it's been fantastic being a part of the Cavaliers now. We have a team that's formidable, has a big presence and we see a lot of you guys [in the media] on a daily basis."
Despite having to run through the rumor mill for the day, Love had an easygoing attitude about it all, at least outwardly.
"It's the world we live in now," Love said. "Stuff like that can happen."
Love did offer high praise for coach Brad Stevens and these rebuilding Celtics:
“I think Brad Stevens is an awesome coach," said Love. "He has guys on this team that are talented. I like [Kelly] Olynyk’s game, [Jared] Sullinger, Jeff Green, I’ve always been a big fan of Rondo as well. They have good guys on this team and they are going to be able to figure it out as they accumulate more talent. Like I said, I’m a big fan of Brad Stevens and what they do here, plus they have a great fanbase.”