For one fleeting moment over the summer, Kevin Love to landing with the Boston Celtics looked like a realistic possibility.
Love, still technically a Minnesota Timberwolf at the time but clearly on his way out of town, visited Boston in early June, taking in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park and even sharing a handshake with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo.
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That image instantly went viral, of course, but it would be the closest Love came to donning Celtics green. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers two months later, joining up with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to form the NBA’s latest “Big Three.”
Love returned to Boston on Friday, and the three-time All-Star reflected on that trip to Fenway as his team prepared to take on the Celtics.
“The fact is, my agent is a big Red Sox fan,” Love said after Cleveland’s shootaround, via ESPN.com. “I’d been planning on that for a long time to come in and check out not only the city, but (also) 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.”
Some Celtics fans still are a bit salty about the team’s inability to land a big-name player during the offseason, but Love believes Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has put together a solid collection of players despite the shortage of superstar talent.
“I think Brad Stevens is an awesome coach,” Love said. “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.”
Thumbnail photo via Russell Isabella/USA TODAY Sports Images
