Everyone remembers last offseason, when Boston Celtics owner Danny Ainge was obsessed with the image of All-Star forward Kevin Love in Irish green. That won’t be the case this upcoming summer. Though Ainge would like having Love adjourning a Celtics uniform next season, he’s not going to chase after him to the end of the world to get him. Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald laid out the situation:
“According to all sources, Danny Ainge still has affection for Love, but it’s not nearly the borderline obsession that was in play last summer.
Times change. Rosters change. The old flame doesn’t necessarily burn as brightly.
While all Celtics/Love talk may be rendered moot anyway if the Cavaliers present him with a big-money extension, the general circumstances here make it perhaps even more of a longshot that he plays his 2015-16 home games in Boston. The major difference is that last year Ainge was doing everything he could to avoid the deeper rebuild that came when he didn’t get Love and was fated to trade away Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green.”
We saw what Love could do as a third option on a team this season for the Cleveland Cavaliers even though he got off to a slow start. He posted some solid numbers as he found his niche on the team, putting up 16.4 points per game and hauling in nearly ten boards.
From Love’s perspective, making a move to Boston now would be as good a time as ever. Danny Ainge brought in good midseason talent with Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, making a late push to the 8th seed in the East and punching their tickets to the playoffs. Add that to the appeal of playing with one of the best young coaches in Brad Stevens and you have a likable destination.
Boston isn’t far away from being competitive again, but they need a go to scorer in order to make some real noise. Kevin Love could be that guy. Add all of that to Tristan Thompson’s rise in the playoffs and you would think Love is considering abandoning ship. However this latest development and Love saying he’ll be in a Cavs uniform next season make the chances of him heading north to Beantown this summer miniscule. Why would you ever want to leave a team that has the best player in the world and is in the Finals anyway?
