5 Reasons Kevin Love Would Love Boston
Kevin Love is an NBA superstar who's currently exploring his options in the basketball world. He's had enough when it comes to losing in Minnesota, and it's believed that he's told his current employer that he'd very much like to play somewhere else.
Of course, NBA players are not allowed to publicly demand trades, so it's all still speculation. But considering Love has done nothing to deny the flurry of rumors that surround him every day, it might be safe to assume the rumors are true.
And those rumors have only increased after the 25-year-old Love spent last weekend in Boston. A young man with all the time and money in the world elected to check out Boston, a city where the NBA team has a ton of assets that would make a trade possible.
Coincidence? Doubtful.
So while the city had its chance to woo the Walking Double-Double over the weekend, here's our best guess at the top five reasons Kevin would Love Boston.
5. Rajon Rondo's Assists
The Celtics point guard has been called a million different things throughout his career, but a bad point guard has never been one of them. Rondo has an otherworldly ability to fit passes through impossibly tight windows, often getting the ball to his teammates in the perfect position to go up with a shot. Rondo is a rare talent, and the pairing of the two is enough in itself to both turn the team around and lure in other star players who want to get in on the winning action.
The two have already gotten acquainted, with Rondo seeking out Love at a Red Sox game over the weekend. Rondo said the chat was brief, but oh heck, let's just go ahead and assume they quickly became best friends.
4. David Ortiz Wants To Be Your Friend
Even superstars can get starstruck, so if Kevin Love does push hard for a trade to Boston, David Ortiz deserves credit for an assist.
Ortiz, who has become a big-time Celtics fan during his decade living in Boston, took to Twitter after learning Love was in the building over the weekend
"Yo @kevinlove ," Ortiz tweeted. "If you need advice on moving from Minnesota to Boston just let me know #CityOfChamps"
Ortiz, of course, came to Boston via Minnesota, where he spent six seasons under the radar playing for the Twins. His arrival in Boston wasn't met with nearly the same type of fanfare that Love's would, but Ortiz is now one of the biggest stars in all of sports. Ortiz's reaching out to Love is something that no other city can offer.
(Love started following Ortiz on Twitter after that tweet. So again, they're pretty much best friends, too.)
3. History
The one thing we Bostonians tend to take for granted is the fact that amazing history surrounds us wherever we go. When out-of-towners visit, they are typically blown away by all of the historic sites and landmarks that sit on nearly every block in the city. Meanwhile, Minnesota has ... a giant shopping mall.
Advantage: Boston.
And the history here extends from the Pilgrims to Paul Revere and the Revolutionary War and all the way through the local sports teams. Love got a glimpse of baseball's oldest living ballpark, but it's the Celtics who are likely of much more interest to him. In that regard, no NBA team has a more storied history than the Celtics, and the fans are eager to welcome the next great member of Boston Celtics lore.
Say what you will, but looking up to the rafters, seeing all those retired numbers and championship banners and then picturing your own number one day hanging there is a moment that can be genuinely chills-inducing for a player.
P.S. -- No. 42 is available for you, Mr. Love.
BONUS: Boston Loves Beards
The Red Sox grew beards last year on their way to winning the World Series, and the city magically fell in love. So feel free to keep that beard!
2. The Weather Is ... Slightly Better Than Minnesota
Nobody in New England would ever use the local weather as a selling point ... unless you're talking to someone who's spent the past six years in Minnesota!
Minneapolis is so cold that people need tunnels to walk around in the winter. It may get nasty here in Boston, but it's not too much for the human body to handle like it is out in the heart of the Polar Vortex.
And for at least, like, 20 days a year, it's actually nice out here! OK, maybe it's more like 18 days. Let's round up. For Kevin.
1. The Road Less Traveled
Though Love grew up in Oregon, he was born in Santa Monica, Calif., and he went to college at UCLA. His father played for the Lakers. Many, many reports say that Love wants to return to L.A., and who could blame him? There's no city where basketball is more of a spectacle than Los Angeles, and the prospect of wearing shorts and T-shirts year-round instead of bundling up and cranking the snowblower is certainly an enticing one.
But there's something to be said about taking the long road. Paul Pierce grew up as a Lakers fan, and he admitted that getting drafted by the Celtics was at first a bit of a shock to his system. Yet he became one of the all-time Celtics greats, beloved in Boston for as long as he lives.
There's a lot to respect about a player willing to sacrifice comfort in order to achieve something great. Love can do that in Boston. If he does, he'll have the chance to become a Boston legend.
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