Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Asked directly if he wants out of Minnesota, he said, “Uh, my agent is handling everything at this point,” adding when pressed: “I got some advice that six years in the league, I’m 25 years old, I’m hopefully heading into my prime, I’m working as hard as I possibly can and I’m hoping everything works out for all parties involved.”
In a separate Fox Sports interview while doing publicity in Los Angeles for a video game, he was asked about the Wolves’ playoffs chances and answered by referring to his team as “they,” saying: “If they’re healthy, they can do a lot of damage. … I think they’re very close.”
More than a week after he toured Boston to “check out” the city for three days, he reiterated in both interviews that winning is his top priority. “No matter what the outcome is, I just want to end up in a great place where I can win,” Love told ESPN. “In six years, I haven’t made the playoffs yet. That burns me and hurts my heart, so I really want to not be watching guys all the time. I want to be playing [in the playoffs].”
Love can opt out of the final year of a four-year contract he signed in January 2012 and become an unrestricted free agent in July 2015 without the Wolves receiving any compensation.
Boston, Chicago, Golden State, Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix and Sacramento are believed to be among the teams seeking to trade for him before the June 26 draft, a window here that likely would give the Wolves the best leverage to make a deal.
Kevin Love continues to pave the way out of Minnesota. Now that he’s gone public, I’m wondering about the backlash. Will he face the same wrath as Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony?
It was The Big Lead who revealed the stipulation that the Celtics were off limits in interviews. Best to steer clear of any notion of tampering.
Remember the report that had Chicago with the best offer for Love? The alleged offer included Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and the 16th and 19th picks in this year’s draft. Well, there are new rumors that Chicago is trying to package those picks to move up in the draft. Maybe Chicago has moved on from Love.
On Page 2, Noah Vonleh wants to play some wing.
Vonleh said Wednesday that he can see himself playing some small forward at the NBA level because of his dribbling and shooting talents. Ainge said he envisions Vonleh primarily as a power forward, but watching what Kawhi Leonard has done for the San Antonio Spurs, some teams might just consider the possibility of Vonleh playing some wing.
What Vonleh is trying to do on his workout circuit is show what separates him from the other power forward types — namely Aaron Gordon and Julius Randle — that are expected to be swooped up in the early-to-mid lottery.
“They’re all very different,” said Ainge. “I’ll tell you, Noah put up very good rebounding numbers this year. And he shot well from the 3-point line with limited attempts. And he blocked shots pretty well. So those are obviously very important things, and he’s one of the youngest players in the draft. I want to say third or fourth. He’s still 18 years old. There’s a lot of room for growth.”
The more I learn about Noah Vonleh, the more I am intrigued with his game.
But… I just can’t motivate myself to get excited about any draft prospect as long as the option to acquire Kevin Love is real.
In other news, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports Julius Randle will undergo foot surgery follow the draft. He’ll miss about two months.
The other links:
ESPN Boston – Stevens on offseason work: A fun month | MWDN – Rondo anxious to rebound from lost season | CSNNE – Vonleh: No place like home
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