Kevin Love Minnesota long time!

Since Kevin Garnett was traded from the Timberwolves to the Celtics in the off-season of '07, basketball fans in Minnesota have had little to cheer for and have lacked a star player that could produce numbers remotely close to those of Garnett. And though the team has still had its struggles and are yet to fully recover since dealing their franchise player and former MVP, the Timberwolves are slowly making strides back to relevance. Led by All-Star Power Forward Kevin Love who was awarded as the NBA's Most Improved Player last season as well as be named to his first ever All-Star Game after averaging 20.2 Points Per Game and leading the league in Rebounds with 15.2, the then 22-year old would develop into a double-double threat on a nightly basis by logging 53 consecutive double-doubles, the longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Despite Love's remarkable season, the T-Wolves would see minimal improvement in the standings from the season before and lacked a decent supporting cast to surround Love with. But that didn't restrain the organization from signing Love who entered the season in the final year of his contract to a new deal.

The former Pac-10 Player of the Year out of UCLA agreed to a four-year, $60 Million maximum extension which allows him to opt out after the third year. While many would question why a player of his caliber would sign an extension with a small market team given he would've attracted a lucrative contract by numerous suitors had he tested the free-agent waters after the season, Love realized the fan base he has created in Minnesota as well as the young crop of talent the organization has brought in via the Draft in Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams is something he'd like to continue to be a part of. And with head coach Rick Adelman now at the helm who's been known to help turn around and steer teams into the right direction, the 65-year old will try to work his magic in Minnesota much like he did in Portland, Sacramento and Houston in effort to get Timberwolves franchise back to where they haven't been since 2004 -- the Playoffs.

With ten wins already in their first 21 games this year (10-11) in spite of the lockout-shortened season, the Timberwolves are only seven wins away from matching their win total from just a year ago when they finished with the worst record in the league at 17-65. Though I don't expect them to make a push for the Playoffs this year, I like the path the team is moving in and think they have a very bright future that Love and rookie Ricky Rubio hold the keys to. And as much as I would've loved to see Kevin Love donning a Lakers uni and playing for the team he grew up supporting, it's nice to see a small market team like the T-Wolves ink their franchise player to a multi-year extension considering it's become somewhat of a rarity with the large market teams playing the role of shot-caller nowadays. Not to mention him re-signing with Minnesota is a positive from a league standpoint.

At 6 ft 10 in, Love in my opinion is one of the few treasures in the league to watch granted you don't often come around a player of his size who can not only post up and rebound, but can do so in bunches as well as shoot from long range. He also brings an excitement to the court as well as maintain a very likable personality off the court which makes him one of my favorite players in the game today.