Did anybody see the Kevin Love situation coming?

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

I have to say I didn't. Not at all.

I mean, everyone was disappointed that the playoff drought didn't end last season. That being said, there were a lot of positives and reasons to believe the Wolves could take the next step:

--Won 40 games in a very tough Western conference

--Lost a ton of close games, often in ridiculous fashion, record easily could have been around 5 games better

--Had one of the worst benches in the league which is a solvable problem

--Had a hall of fame coach, but unfortunately it seemed like the game had passed him by last season

--Gorgui emerged as one of the best players in last year's draft and could have a much higher ceiling than most anticipated

--Despite riding the pine most of the season, Shabazz showed signs of being a role player at the very least, and possibly more

--Rubio showed improvement the 2nd half of the season

--Bud, if he returns, should be fully recovered from injury

--Have the 13th pick in a what is perceived as a deep draft

OK, Love wants to be in the playoffs. He wants to win. I get it. And when his contract is over he is free to go wherever he wants, just like James did after Cleveland. But why is he forcing his way out now? Does he really think this team doesn't have a chance? Hates the cold winters? Problems with teammates? Wants to spite Kahn and Taylor for not giving him the 5th year?

Whatever the reason, I think the guy is a quitter and doesn't have the balls to stick it out. Worst case he would have to spend one more full season here. Then he literally can choose where he wants to go. What a chump.

[Phenom]

Whatever the reason, I think the guy is a quitter and doesn't have the balls to stick it out. Worst case he would have to spend one more full season here. Then he literally can choose where he wants to go. What a chump.

Nailed it.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I think some of us could see a potentially ugly break-up the second they didn't give him the 5 years and essentially called him out for not being a star when he already was one. If Love were locked up for the next two years, this wouldn't even be a problem. Even if he still wanted to force his way out we would be getting much better offers with the extra two years guaranteed on the deal for the other team to try to convince him to stay. I guess all the posters that said we didn't deserve Love if we couldn't build a winner in 3 years instead of 5 got their wish when they tried to justify the 3 year deal over the 5. All I can say is Glenn Taylor and David Kahn are a-holes for acting like they were the smartest guys in the room when they were/are consistently two of the dumbest. This is why owners should only write the checks and hire the right basketball people to make the decisions.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I have probably been the biggest critic of Love's character for the longest time on this board, but I have to admit I did not see this coming. Even I didn't think Love's immaturity could rise to the level that he has shown this past month. I have no problem with a player wanting to win and wanting to move to another team if they think his current team has no chance. It stings a little as a fan of the team that is being deserted, but I recognize it as the player's prerogative. But I thought that Love would wait until the end of his contract to assess the situation and make his move. That would have been the smart move, because it would have allowed him one more year to see if this team was on the right track since the wolves could pay him the extra $26 million. And it would have also been the best move for his image, which I think is quite important to Kevin (Mr. Coat Drive) Love. I just didn't see him trying to force a trade a year early in such a passive aggressive manner, with his trips to Boston, preference for the pronoun "they" and general smirkiness in interviews. I have to admit I feel betrayed to a much greater degree than I would have if he had just left in a more traditional fashion...at the end of his contract.

Unfortunately, despite his efforts and the public interest of several teams, I still don't see Flip finding a suitable deal before the draft...still hoping to be wrong on this one. I think there are too many red flags with Love to warrant the kind of return we, and Flip, seek. Some of those red flags:

1) leadership: Love has never gotten his team to a playoff game
2) clubhouse impact: the NBA is a small community, and there are few secrets. Every GM knows what Rambis said about Love, and they all have heard his tendency to throw teammates under any bus that comes around.
3)character: GMs are keenly watching Love's behavior this summer, and wondering if he's the kind of guy they want to mortgage their future on.
4) defense: the league is on to him
5) health: although he played 77 games last year, Kevin Martin played a lot of games too, and we still worry about his health. The fact is Love has only averaged 60 games a year during his career. There are also rumors that some teams have concerns about his knees.

And the biggest red flag...after a trade, Love can still leave in free agency in a year. GMs have to be assessing the stunning lack of loyalty Love is showing toward the Wolves this summer, and wondering how they are going to turn him into a loyal player in one year. Way too risky to give up significant assets for a possible 1-year rental.

The ugly conclusion is that we are likely stuck with Love for another year, and I'm trying to stay positive about that. My personal narrative I am trying to buy into is that Love was probably not liked by his teammates very much before anyway, so this summer's antics won't have a further detrimental impact on team chemistry. And Love is both a stat hound and in his free agency year, so he is likely to put up huge numbers again. I'm trying to stay positive about this.

[m4gor [enjin:6667447]]

hello guys, i guess a lot of people saw this coming, i saw that coming to the point where i suggested that if we cannot make playoffs this year we should make K Love available before trade deadline as you get best price when the buyer gets 2 playoff runs granted with extended chance to resign player .. there were some discussions about this topic on these forums as well, at least as far as i can remember

[mjs34]

I think some of us could see a potentially ugly break-up the second they didn't give him the 5 years and essentially called him out for not being a star when he already was one. If Love were locked up for the next two years, this wouldn't even be a problem. Even if he still wanted to force his way out we would be getting much better offers with the extra two years guaranteed on the deal for the other team to try to convince him to stay. I guess all the posters that said we didn't deserve Love if we couldn't build a winner in 3 years instead of 5 got their wish when they tried to justify the 3 year deal over the 5. All I can say is Glenn Taylor and David Kahn are a-holes for acting like they were the smartest guys in the room when they were/are consistently two of the dumbest. This is why owners should only write the checks and hire the right basketball people to make the decisions.

Truthfully Khans, Kahn was the smartest guy in the room, and Kevin Love should be thanking him. While the 4 year deal doesn't look like it will work out for the wolves, it will certainly be a boon for Love. Love stayed healthy enough so that he can sign a max 5 year deal at the 30%/cap instead of continuing on the 25%/cap contract he was on, just as Kahn stated back then. That is the vision that Kahn laid out back then, but Kevin was too busy pouting about not getting the extra year.

One other point to make. I don't believe for one minute that Love is leaving because he felt betrayed in the past negotiation. I think Love planned to leave at his earliest possible opportunity, and whether he had one year or three years left on his deal, he could have asked to be traded. The manner in which this all played out, leads me to believe that this was inevitable.

[Coolbreeze44]

My thought at the time of the contract was that if Love couldn't make us a winner in 3 years, he probably wasn't worth the 5 years. Obviously looking back he was worth the max contract. But let's also be honest, his impact on the team's overall performance isn't as great as we would like. He's definitely a max player, but he's one that needs other great players around him to succeed. For this reason I really don't believe he is as hard to replace as some think.

Let's shed some contracts, get as many picks as possible, and accelerate the rebuild. It wouldn't even be a complete rebuild. We have some good young players already. I can see a 2-3 year process to give us a chance at the postseason again. And a higher ceiling after that.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I think some of us could see a potentially ugly break-up the second they didn't give him the 5 years and essentially called him out for not being a star when he already was one. If Love were locked up for the next two years, this wouldn't even be a problem. Even if he still wanted to force his way out we would be getting much better offers with the extra two years guaranteed on the deal for the other team to try to convince him to stay. I guess all the posters that said we didn't deserve Love if we couldn't build a winner in 3 years instead of 5 got their wish when they tried to justify the 3 year deal over the 5. All I can say is Glenn Taylor and David Kahn are a-holes for acting like they were the smartest guys in the room when they were/are consistently two of the dumbest. This is why owners should only write the checks and hire the right basketball people to make the decisions.

Truthfully Khans, Kahn was the smartest guy in the room, and Kevin Love should be thanking him. While the 4 year deal doesn't look like it will work out for the wolves, it will certainly be a boon for Love. Love stayed healthy enough so that he can sign a max 5 year deal at the 30%/cap instead of continuing on the 25%/cap contract he was on, just as Kahn stated back then. That is the vision that Kahn laid out back then, but Kevin was too busy pouting about not getting the extra year.

One other point to make. I don't believe for one minute that Love is leaving because he felt betrayed in the past negotiation. I think Love planned to leave at his earliest possible opportunity, and whether he had one year or three years left on his deal, he could have asked to be traded. The manner in which this all played out, leads me to believe that this was inevitable.

You do understand as the GM, Kahn's job was to make deals that are best for the team and not the player? That makes him the dumbest guy in the room for not getting a max guy for 2 more guaranteed years at less money than he would make opting out and re-signing. Also, Love wasn't planning on leaving the earliest possible because he was willing to sign a deal to be here 2 years longer and we turned him down. At the earliest, this summer's power play wouldn't have happened for 2 more summers after his 4th year was up. I don't really agree with any part of your statement.

[mjs34]

I do understand that, and keeping your two best players moving forward is what would be best for the team. Kahn couldn't have foreseen Rubio's ACL tear, or Love breaking his hand. Kahn likely realized this team wouldn't be a contender in the next three years, and looked longer term. The fact that Love would still be holding a grudge just doesn't make sense when you are talking about millions of dollars lost. If he is, that is on him.

Love's power play has more to do with where Love wants to play and winning then it does about his contract. He could easily sign an extension in January or opt in for next season under the same contract and be no less for wear. Love wants out, and he could have asked to be traded any time.

[WildWolf2813]

I think some of us could see a potentially ugly break-up the second they didn't give him the 5 years and essentially called him out for not being a star when he already was one. If Love were locked up for the next two years, this wouldn't even be a problem. Even if he still wanted to force his way out we would be getting much better offers with the extra two years guaranteed on the deal for the other team to try to convince him to stay. I guess all the posters that said we didn't deserve Love if we couldn't build a winner in 3 years instead of 5 got their wish when they tried to justify the 3 year deal over the 5. All I can say is Glenn Taylor and David Kahn are a-holes for acting like they were the smartest guys in the room when they were/are consistently two of the dumbest. This is why owners should only write the checks and hire the right basketball people to make the decisions.

This is an utter lie.

If he was that fed up with losing, why would 2 extra years shut him up?


He wanted a 5 year deal for vanity purposes. That is all. He's been walking around with a bruised ego for 3 years. If anything I find it funny how everyone swore he'd never leave when we drafted him.