Kevin Love Visits Boston

http://dirtywaternews.com/kevin-love-in-boston-all-weekend-love-it/



Kevin Love in Boston all weekend… LOVE IT!!!

May31st
2014 Posted by Sports Fanatic
Do you want to know what Kevin Love is up to this weekend?



Kevin LOVED The Greatest Bar!!!



Right off the plane he headed to The Greatest Bar for dinner up in the mezzanine. He sat in The Greatest Bar with his to buddies for a couple hours and then Rumor has it he headed over to Rumor for a night cap!

When asked why he was in town he responded ” I’m here to just check out the city and see what it’s like”… Tomorrow (actually today as it’s 2am) he will be walking around the city checking out all the sights . We hear he is headed to Del Frisco’s in this evening (Sat. Night). Sunday he will be going to the Red Sox game.

Someone has to get him to throw out the first pitch! Come on Jim Rooney (Baseball Tavern), John Higgins (Higs Tickets) or Billy Fairweather (The Greatest Bar)  Someone GET IT DONE!!!

Wow this is BIG NEWS for Boston Fans…



bob
MY NOTE:  Does this mean anything?  Well, just about the only thing it means, as far as I am concerned, is that he is open to coming to Boston.  That's all.  My guess is that he'll be doing a tour of all the cities that are pursuing him and we're just one of the stops.  Still, I wouldn't think Kevin Love would be coming here for a weekend just because he's always wanted to see The Old North Church and then he's ready to skedaddle, this is an unofficial blessing of the rumors/reports that said that Love was open to coming here.  There are are four weekends, including this one, to Draft Day.  Leading horses in the Kevin Love Sweepstakes are Boston, GSW, Phoenix, Houston (sorry, LAL and NYK, but I don't see where you have what it will take to make Minny happy).  Four teams.

btw, The Greatest Bar is just one block away from TD Banknorth Garden, where the Boston Celtics play.  A coincidence he went there when he has actually been to the Garden many times to play, but never hung around before or afterwards because he had to get on a team bus?  I don't believe in coincidences...Rumor is a dance club in the theater district, less than 2 miles from the Garden. Want to bet he gets a personal tour of the HOME locker room at the Garden today?



.

yikes!

Perhaps he likes the CHOWDAH, I do !!

beat

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/30/timberwolves-gm-says-they-are-going-slow-not-had-any-kevin-love-trade-talks-yet/

K Love throwing out the first pitch at the Sox game today.

beat

Beat, you read my mind. I was hoping they'd do that, but I assumed they wouldn't because that's usually the kind of thing they reserve for an athlete who has signed with a Boston-area team. I hope the crowd gives him a mighty ovation. It might not make any difference to the Celtics in the long run, but at least it will be yet another in a litany of episodes that underscore the unparalleled fan base of Boston area sports. Thanks for sharing that information.

Sam

dboss wrote:http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/30/timberwolves-gm-says-they-are-going-slow-not-had-any-kevin-love-trade-talks-yet/

Good. Take your time. Give Danny a chance to get a center first.


bob


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If they don't have to expend too many human assets on a center, I believe the addition of that center would be a primary inducement for Love to want to come to Boston.

Sam

Something must be in the works.

There is no way Love makes a visit to Boston at this time unless he was meeting with the Celtics brass.

The Celtics want to know if he is willing to resign with them before they commit to a trade.

The speculation is becoming a reality.

Dboss

dboss wrote:Something must be in the works.

There is no way Love makes a visit to Boston at this time unless he was meeting with the Celtics brass.

The Celtics want to know if he is willing to resign with them before they commit to a trade.

The speculation is becoming a reality.

Dboss

dboss,

Sure, there's some coordination here.  If Danny or anyone with the Celtics heard that Kevin Love was in town (I'm sure that, if they didn't get a call from Forsberg asking them for a comment they read his article today) and didn't know about it beforehand I'm sure they jumped on the blower and called his agent and asked "WTF!?  He comes to Boston and you don't tell us so we can at least give him a tour of the HOME locker room?".

He (Love) didn't want to make it a big deal by being shown around town by Rondo etc., but you just know there was a meal/meet/something.  Love gets a walk-through of the Celtics facilities (checks out the work-out room, the locker room, the video/film room, etc) and, "oh look who's here!  It's Rajon Rondo and Brad Stevens! Whaddya say we all sit down and talk about how we plan to win #18? Did we mention we have 9 or 10 first round picks over the next 5 years and the most wheeling-dealingest GM in the league?"

I still say this means nothing other than that he's open to Boston.  Watch, I'll bet he makes an appearance in San Francisco, Phoenix and Houston (minimum) over this coming month.


bob

Red Sox today. maybe not to throq oit the first pitch, but...why not invite Brady to sit with him and tell him how great Boston fans are?

Rosalie

Ace Gershfield is a Celtics season ticket holder AND a nightlife consultant (whatever that is), events coordinator and Marketing and Promotions guy.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/acegershfield


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Ace Gershfield
‏@Ace6one7
Brought @kevinlove by #StregaWaterfront. Trying to get him on the wall of fame with #nickyverano! @… http://instagram.com/p/osH10lRbRN/
from Boston, MA



and then there's this:





Just so we know in advance, Kevin Love is a big tease.



bob



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At a time like this, all I can think of are the potential pitfalls of such a trade....

Perhaps I am too much of a skeptic.


KJ

I am quite certain that if Boston officials met with Kevin Love and showed him around that would be tampering. I think you guys are reading way too much into Love's off-season trip to Boston.

108. What is tampering?

Tampering is when a player or team directly or indirectly entices, induces or persuades anybody (player, general manager, etc.) who is under contract with another team in order to negotiate for their services. The NBA may impose suspensions and/or fines up to $50,000 if tampering is discovered, however the league's practice has been to wait until a team lodges a complaint before investigating (but that's not to say they don't continue to monitor the league and won't take action independently if they discover that tampering has occurred).

tjmakz wrote:I am quite certain that if Boston officials met with Kevin Love and showed him around that would be tampering. I think you guys are reading way too much into Love's off-season trip to Boston.

108. What is tampering?

Tampering is when a player or team directly or indirectly entices, induces or persuades anybody (player, general manager, etc.) who is under contract with another team in order to negotiate for their services. The NBA may impose suspensions and/or fines up to $50,000 if tampering is discovered, however the league's practice has been to wait until a team lodges a complaint before investigating (but that's not to say they don't continue to monitor the league and won't take action independently if they discover that tampering has occurred).

exactly what I was thinking about all the talk of Love visiting the Celtics locker rooms and office and such...that would be a no-no. Much less have any types of meeting with Ainge or Stevens.

tjmakz wrote:I am quite certain that if Boston officials met with Kevin Love and showed him around that would be tampering. I think you guys are reading way too much into Love's off-season trip to Boston.

108. What is tampering?

Tampering is when a player or team directly or indirectly entices, induces or persuades anybody (player, general manager, etc.) who is under contract with another team in order to negotiate for their services. The NBA may impose suspensions and/or fines up to $50,000 if tampering is discovered, however the league's practice has been to wait until a team lodges a complaint before investigating (but that's not to say they don't continue to monitor the league and won't take action independently if they discover that tampering has occurred).

TJ,

This must be new since that is precisely what DWade did to get LBJ and Bosh to Miami.  Maybe this was included in the new CBA because of that.

One, nobody is saying the Celtics are inducing Love to come here.  Couldn't a player invite Kevin Love into the Celtics' facilities as a guest?  As far as enticing or persuading, maybe.  There is a rule against teams and other agents talking to players under contract, there is NO rule that says that players can't talk to players under contract with other teams, and they do it all the time.

Two, how do we know the Minny front office doesn't know about it?  Maybe the reason why we haven't heard word 1 about this coming out of Minny is because there is a tacit, albeit informal, wink-and-nod between front offices that Minny accepts the fait accompli that a trade with some team WILL happen and that Love making the rounds informally is the prelude?  A charge of "tampering" only makes sense if the team that owns that player wants you to keep away from their guy. As you pointed out, the league usually responds in response to a complaint filed by the team who has that player's contract.  If we don't hear anything out of the league office by Monday, then I'd say everything is copacetic with Minny, and no, I do not believe that Kevin Love would come to Boston just to go have a pint or two at the Sam Adams Brewery and not because he wants to see the Celtic facilities.  I'm not that gullible and naive and, quite frankly, I don't think you are either.

Three, Love is being chaufferred around by some Bostonians.  How'd that happen without coordination?  Could his agent have arranged that?  Absolutely, but after that everybody is on their own and, if the chauffers have an in with the Celtics, he could bring him in for a tour.

Four, the reports were that Love was seen hanging out at one of the bars with some Patriot players.  I will guarantee you some of them have the phone numbers of some Celtic players.

I don't think this visit, with or without tour of the Garden, means that he's coming here.  This is "due diligence" on his part, and I expect to see him do this in other cities this month too, but that doesn't mean it's just an idle weekend away either. He's leaving Minny, everybody knows it, and it makes no sense to Minny to play hardball here. They would gain nothing except a pissed off Kevin Love and he could make it very clear through his agent that any team Minny trades him to without his approval WILL NOT get him re-signed and that puts Minny in a significantly weaker position. It is in Minny's best interest to get everybody drooling over the prospect of Love coming there, not the fans so much as the front office and other players.

Suppose Minny is liking Boston's assets and is leaning towards any package we put together that includes Sully, a few draft picks and some other players to make the numbers work and wants Love to approve of Boston and plant the hook in Danny Ainge?



bob


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Bob,

You mentioned Danny or someone with the Celtics showing him the facility. The Tampering Rules are not new. Players of course can talk to other players about playing together.

Are you really expecting Minnesota to comment on Love visiting Boston? What do you think they should say about it? The league office of course is not going to say anything either. What is there to say? I would be shocked if Love visited the Celtics facilities or any Celtics officials. Until we hear otherwise, you are really making this into way more than it is.

All of this is supposition. Next thing you will hear is that Love is in Washington, or Chicago looking around. Hey, he is a young guy, has time on his hands and obviously is a teaser. He already knows what LA has to offer as far as location. Maybe his agent told him to do this, seems like a good idea to me. He is committing nothing to no one. Just don't let Gronk get a hold of him!

Rosalie

tjmakz wrote:Bob,

You mentioned Danny or someone with the Celtics showing him the facility. The Tampering Rules are not new. Players of course can talk to other players about playing together.

Are you really expecting Minnesota to comment on Love visiting Boston? What do you think they should say about it? The league office of course is not going to say anything either. What is there to say? I would be shocked if Love visited the Celtics facilities or any Celtics officials. Until we hear otherwise, you are really making this into way more than it is.

TJ,


I do not expect Minny or the league to comment on Love visiting Boston.  It is interesting that he went to several bars that are well-known hangouts for professional Boston athletes. I disagree with you that Love won't visit anything Celtic.  In fact, I'd be shocked if he didn't.  He won't be leading a parade to TD Banknorth with cameras rolling and Wyc Grousbeck standing at the front door with a wreath and key to the facility in his hand, that would force Minny and the League's hand, but I do expect him to get a tour.  It may be at 2 or 3 in the morning, after the clubs close and there aren't any reporters around, but professional basketball players are night owls.  They have to be since most of their games are played at night.  They don't go home and go right to sleep after the game because it's almost midnight, their lifestyles are very different than most of us.  The opportunity for that to happen without anybody knowing are numerous. I don't think Danny Ainge would sneak him into the facility without Minny's knowledge and consent, that WOULD be tampering, but given the reality of Minny's situation, I think they'd be inclined to let every team that has assets they covet be able to show themselves off to Love.

If you really wanted to hang out in a city and "get to know it" as Love has said he's there to do and you have time on your hands like Kevin Love does now over the summer and have the obvious disposable income that Love has, you don't go for just a weekend.  That's not much more than a glorified airline layover.  A flyby.  You do the tourist bit.  You see the sights, do the tours, enjoy the restaurants for 5 days or a week or so and Love has all the resources and time to do that and more.  There's also no reason why Love would make the trip NOW, versus in a month or two after he has been traded, unless there's a reason and there's even less reason for him to do it for only a weekend.

Once again, to be clear, I don't think this means he's coming here.  I also don't think this is just a summer lark for him either and that means focusing on the business side of things a bit too.  In fact, the more Love endears himself to the Celtics' front office and players the more motivated they'd be to make a better deal with Minny and that is in Minny's best interest.



bob



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Bob,

I don't agree with the point about how little one can get done in a Boston weekend. A pro athlete can learn about club culture, which he's apparently doing. He can learn about Boston sports crowds apart from his sparse visits as a player, which he's also doing. Rent a car, and Bostonians will introduce him to a completely different cultural and competitive experience. Just sit out in the sun at a café and people watch for a tutorial in Boston mannerisms. Take a few taxi rides and get a running commentary on what's happening in Boston and what Boston is like as a city.

As for a weekend being a "flyby," it can also be a determining factor as to whether he's intrigued enough to return for a longer look.

sam

Rondo and K Love at Fenway

Did not throw out the first pitch but when they showed him on the big screen place went NUTS



Guess the Red Sox are tampering not the C's

beat

Okay Sam, so which lovely Cape Cod town are you inviting Love to travel to?

Bob

Love is not a free agent and is under contract to Minnesota.

as free agent he can talk to any teams (depending on the rules for when).

but love cannot unless Minny allows him.

Free agents are one thing, player under contract are another.

kdp59 wrote:Bob

Love is not a free agent and is under contract to Minnesota.

as  free agent he can talk to any teams (depending on the rules for when).

but love cannot unless Minny allows him.

Free agents are one thing, player under contract are another.

I'm sure the current administration has the C's front office under surveillance.

beat

Rosalie,

If he likes oysters, he's welcome in Wellfleet. I think my wife and i are the only two residents who can't stan the thought of oysters in any form.

Sam