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Danny Picard: Celtics should steer clear of Kevin Love in free agency – Metro US
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Danny Picard: Celtics should steer clear of Kevin Love in free agency

Danny Picard: Celtics should steer clear of Kevin Love in free agency
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I’m not going to lie. Last year at this time, I was begging the Boston Celtics to acquire Kevin Love in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

My, what a difference a year makes. And it has absolutely nothing to do with his on-court talent.

Kevin Love can opt-out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer. His team has advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but his season is over after having successful surgery to repair a dislocated left shoulder that he suffered in Game 4 of the Cavs’ first-round series with the C’s.

Love’s on-court reaction to the injury was normal. Shoulder pops out of socket after getting tangled up with Kelly Olynyk, he realizes such, and sprints directly back to the locker room while holding his dangling left arm in place.

But off-the-court was a different story. Love accused Olynyk of dislocating his arm on purpose. And while there’s no question that Olynyk intentionally got tangled up with Love by grabbing his arm, by no means did Olynyk set out to take Love out of the game and out of the entire playoffs on purpose.

Those postgame comments were just another example as to why I’ve grown to despise Love’s personality over the past year.

Take it back to February, when Lebron James called out Love via Twitter, saying, “Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be a part of something special! Just my thoughts.”

He was referring to Love’s “fit-out” comments during the preseason, when he tried to describe how he could be himself and still help the team. But James tweeted this in February, a day after Love questioned his role in the team’s offense following a loss to the Indiana Pacers, in which Love had only five points for the second time in three games.

Agree with James’ tweet or not, it worked. Because Love had his best game of the year the night after that tweet, scoring a season-high 32 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Love then went on a “Chocolate Milk” promotional tour in March, and was asked several questions about James. Love’s answers were brutal.

When asked about James’ Instagram picture of Cavs players that didn’t include Love, with the caption “Clique Up,” Love said that he and James “were not best friends.” Love then was asked whether he’d vote for James or his former UCLA teammate Russell Westbrook for MVP. Love chose Westbrook.

I mean, come on man.

Love is a serious 3-point threat and a rebounding machine. But after listening to the things that have come out of his mouth since joining the Cavaliers, I don’t want him.

If Love wants to win and win now, he’ll stay in Cleveland. He’ll fit-in, instead of opting-out. If he chooses to become a free agent, he’ll come off as sensitive, soft, and not wanting to be part of a championship contender for the next handful of years.

Should the Celtics give a max contract to that guy? I sure hope not.

Listen to “The Danny Picard Show” every weekday at dannypicard.com. Danny can also be heard weekends on WEEI 93.7 FM and seen on Comcast SportsNet New England.