Kevin Love is standing by remarks that criticized the Minnesota Timberwolves for the team’s apparent lack of direction and commitment to winning.
Love made the remarks in an interview with Yahoo! Sports, saying that team president David Kahn didn’t seem to have interest in buidling a team around him and hinting that the Wolves were favoring Ricky Rubio in long-term plans. Love also complained about getting a four-year deal last season instead of a five-year extension.
“You walk into the locker room every year, and it’s completely turned over,” Love told Yahoo! Sports. “There’s new guys everywhere. And then it happens again and again. You start to wonder: Is there really a plan here? Is there really any kind of a … plan?”
Love seemed to imply that he would leave for a contending team if the Wolves didn’t show more commitment to winning.
“I haven’t been in the playoffs yet. I’m looking at my contract in the eye of two years from now, and if I haven’t been to the playoffs — or it’s been one playoff berth — well, it’s going to be tough to say, ‘Oh well, I’m going to stay here and continue to rebuild,’ ” he told Yahoo! Sports .
Returning to his remarks on Wednesday, Kevin Love said he stands by the sentiment but wished he had expressed it differently, ESPN reported .
“I meant what I said, I told David there’s nothing to apologize about,” Love said. “The only thing I was sorry about is that I did it in public, and if there’s a learning experience from that, it’s not to do that again.”
Love said he would not be hesitant in criticizing the organization in the future, however:
“A lot of athletes these days say the right thing and aren’t outspoken. I happen to be in (the Yahoo! Sports ) article. I’m not going to go forward and say I have anything to apologize about. I said what I felt. I didn’t mean to alienate my team, my coaches, the organization or more importantly the fans … I said a lot of things about the team and where we’re at this point and I’ll continue to say it throughout the year because that’s how I feel.”
For Wolves fans, the Kevin Love remarks evoke memories of Kevin Garnett. Once the face of the franchise, Garnett grew publicly tired of the team’s perpetual struggle to compete before leaving for the Boston Celtics.
