Celtics Notebook: Love is in the air after all

http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2014/06/celtics_notebook_love_in_air_after_all_source_says



Celtics Notebook: Love in air after all, source says

Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Love dunks against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, March 16, 2014. (Marlin Levison/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT)
Thursday, June 5, 2014
By:  Mark Murphy



Flip Saunders has stated publicly that Kevin Love is not for sale, and the Minnesota Timberwolves general manager intends to have the meandering star on his roster next season.

Though suitors like the Celtics are nevertheless preparing to make pre-draft offers for Love, Saunders’ private actions are only now starting to separate from his public comments, and, according to a league source, the GM has slowly opened the window to start taking offers.

The Celtics, as of yesterday, had yet to make an offer, though they are prepared to do so in a package that will almost surely include the No. 6 pick in the June 26 NBA draft.

The source added that C’s president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and his staff are at least momentarily focused on investigating players who will be available at No. 6, with a series of high-profiled workouts scheduled for next Thursday and Friday.

Ainge reportedly also has contacted two unspecified teams in the five slots above his pick about trading up for the most intriguing prospects in the draft. He has also taken a marginal number of calls from teams interested in the sixth pick.

General managers are also attempting to interpret the point of Love’s visit to Boston last weekend, which included a Red Sox game. The Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are all interested.

“All I know is that Jeff Schwartz is a Red Sox fan,” the source said of Love’s agent.

Powering up

Aaron Gordon, the Arizona power forward who continues to shoot up the draft board, will be part of the group that will be worked out by the Celtics next week. Most, if not all, of the participants will be in consideration for selection at No. 6.

Michigan State power forward Adreian Payne, who worked out for the Celtics yesterday against Switzerland’s Clint Capela, Eric Moreland of Oregon State and South Florida’s Victor Rudd, confirmed that Spartans teammate Gary Harris, one of the best shooters in the draft, will be participate in next week’s sessions.

Gordon is intriguing on two fronts. He’s one of the most active power forwards in the draft, and maybe even its best athlete. His offense is also rudimentary. Should the C’s take him, they’ll have a scoring project on their hands.

But there is hope, according to his point guard at Arizona.

“He definitely needs to improve his shot, but he works really hard and I believe he’ll do that,” Nick Johnson, who worked out Monday for the Celtics, said. “About halfway through the season people started backing off of him, and it was hard for him in the first couple of games. It showed how crafty and creative he is offensively to still be able to score when people play off of him, and he still gets to the basket.

“That’s something not a lot of people see, but people who understand the game see that he has some creativity to him.”

The natural progression here is for a mature player to turn to make sagging defenders pay with his jumper. And if Gordon had that shot, he might be as highly regarded as Kentucky’s Julius Randle.

“He needed to be confident in his jumper,” Johnson said. “Don’t catch the ball and jab and jab and then shoot because he’s not on you. Have confidence in it. But going into the Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA tournament he started doing that, and he was hitting shots.”

Johnson is confident that Gordon’s other qualities more than fill out his appeal to teams like the Celtics.

“Just how smart he is,” Johnson said. “His basketball IQ in picking up plays, and picking up rotations on defense.”

Williams answers

Akeem Williams was at home Monday in Brockton watching television when he received a call from the Celtics. The team had power forwards showing up for a predraft workout, and there was a need for another point guard besides Memphis’ Michael Dixon to help run sets.

The 5-foot-10 UMass-Lowell product was suitably stunned.

“As soon as I got off the phone I went to the gym,” Williams said. “I honestly did (think it was a prank). I had to look at who was calling me. But once he told me the news, I was ready for it.

“I never envisioned getting this opportunity. . . . It’s a little shocking, honestly. I never really expected this. When I got the call I knew I wanted to continue playing.”




bob
MY NOTE:  I highlighted the part that grabbed me.


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Is there some way we can devote just one thread to Kevin Love. This forum seems inundated with more Love than the Summer of '67.

Sam

Danny is capable of anything. Don't be surprised if we're all surprised by what he does. And with whom he does it.

worcester wrote:Danny is capable of anything. Don't be surprised if we're all surprised by what he does. And with whom he does it.

W -

Is there some sort of double entendre here?

Regards

Even though Mormonism has polygamous roots, I'm sure he's faithful to his wife.

But he may get into a ménage a trois with Houston and Minny or some other bizarre combination.