It is tough to be a basketball fan in the state of Minnesota. From 1947-1954 the Minneapolis Lakers won six NBA Championships. But by 1960 the Lakers packed their bags and headed West to Los Angeles, California where they have won ten more NBA Championships. On the collegiate front the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team made their only Final Four appearance in 1997 before an academic scandal brought the programs to its knees in 1999. In the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves came into existence in 1989 and they have only won two playoff series in franchise history and of course they have not won an NBA Championship. Current Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett spent the first 12 years of his NBA career with the Timberwolves as he became the face of the franchise and also futility. Garnett was a 10-time NBA All-Star while wearing a Timberwolves uniform and he is the franchise’s leader in every major statistical category. Garnett led the Timberwolves to the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, but they were bumped in the first round seven times. Garnett tried to stay loyal to the Timberwolves and it wasn’t getting him anywhere. In 2007 at the age of 31, Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics.
In 2008, Garnett won an NBA Championship with the Celtics while the Timberwolves appeared to have his heir apparent on the way. A draft day trade in 2008 with the Memphis Grizzlies gave the Timberwolves the draft rights to power forward Kevin Love. In his one season at UCLA, Love dazzled as he averaged 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in helping the Bruins reach the Final Four.
Love came to Minnesota as a building block for the future and he hasn’t disappointed. In Love’s first four seasons in the NBA his points per game total increased and in his third season with the Timberwolves, he led the league in rebounding at 15.2 per game.
Like Garnett with the Timberwolves, Love is racking up the personal accolades as he is a three-time NBA All-Star. For his career Love is averaging 18.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. But the Timberwolves have yet to make the playoffs with Love or have a winning record with him for that matter.
During Garnett’s time with the Timberwolves he became the prime example in the NBA of one player being unable to do it all by himself. Once Garnett left Minneapolis he passed this message onto former Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James. In Cleveland, James was arguably the best player in the NBA which was highlighted by him carrying the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007 before bowing out to the San Antonio Spurs. When the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Garnett let James know that it might be time for him to have a change of scenery. James was a pending free agent that summer and he joined the Miami Heat. James has not looked back since as he has won two NBA Championships with the Heat.
Love is 25-years of age and he is under contract with the Timberwolves through next season with player option of $16.7 million for the 2015-2016 NBA season. Love will continue to put up tremendous individual numbers with the TImberwolves, but it won’t mean that much in a stacked Western Conference if the Timberwolves cannot make the postseason. Could the writing be on the wall for Love to take his talents to a bigger NBA market?
Love was born in Santa Monica, California, but he grew up in Oregon. Love attended Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Lake Oswego High School’s nickname is “the Lakers”. Love is a West Coast guy that spurned the University of Oregon in favor of the bright lights of Tinseltown and UCLA. Love’s father Stan is a former NBA player while his uncle Mike was a founding member of the Beach Boys. With a father that played in the NBA and a famous uncle, Love is no stranger to the big stage which is something that he will not get in Minneapolis.
At this point Love and Lakers make the most sense as the perfect match for one another. The Lakers are well on their way to suffering their first losing season since the 2004-2005 NBA season. The Lakers only have five players under contract for next season which means that they will have some salary cap flexibility for the foreseeable future. Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is 35-years of age and he has only appeared in six games this season as injuries to his Achilles and knee have kept him out of the lineup. The Lakers lost center Dwight Howard to free agency last summer and the team would love to make another title run with Bryant on the roster.
The Timberwolves can offer Love more money than any other team, but he would be receiving $15 million per season to win 35 games per season where he actually get a whiff of the playoffs and the good life in Los Angeles.
Since winning their last NBA Championship in 2010 things have been tough for the Lakers. In 2011, the Lakers had all but set up a deal to acquire point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets before former NBA commissioner David Stern intervened. The trade was nullified and Paul eventually ended up in Los Angeles, but with the Clippers. After acquiring Howard from the Orlando Magic in 2012, the Lakers attempted to team him with Bryant, but the two players could not co-exist as Howard signed with the Houston Rockets last summer. The Lakers have not been the same well-oiled machine since longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss passed away last year. Buss’ son Jim has been running the team and the cohesion does not appear to be there. Once the Lakers miss the playoffs this season they will have a high draft pick. The Lakers will also be a desperate team on the free agent and the trade fronts which means that more than likely they will have their eyes on Mr. Love.
In spite of the current chaos with Buss, the Lakers can still present Love with a team that has a winning tradition while the Timberwolves have nothing but a history filled with wasted draft picks. Love is also a smart guy that can clean up off of the court in Los Angeles with potential endorsement deals. The Timberwolves are not going anywhere with Love and the best thing for them to do this summer is to trade Love instead of allowing him to leave without getting something back for him.
We have seen this from the Lakers before when a disgruntled center in Kareem Abdul-Jabaar was looking to leave the Milwaukee Bucks. Abdul-Jabaar attended college at UCLA and a trade in 1975 sent him back to Los Angeles. The Lakers would go on to win five NBA Championships with Abdul-Jabaar on the roster.
You can see the writing on the wall that Love is looking for an out in Minneapolis. Love was critical of the play of his teammates with the Timberwolves earlier this season and since his tirade their record has gotten worse. It doesn’t help the Timberwolves that Love spent this past weekend in New Orleans with his fellow NBA All-Stars as he could see some of the best players in the NBA strolling through the French Quarter sporting their championship rings. Love wants a ring and his fingers will continue to be barren as long as he has an address in Minnesota. It isn’t set in stone that Love will join the Lakers, but that is far more believable than the thought of his staying in Minneapolis.
Source: Basketball-reference.com
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