Love ready to play

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Love has used the extra offseason time created by the lockout to reshape his body, a grueling regimen that will have him reporting to training camp 25 pounds lighter than he was last season.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, his bank account is poised to get a lot heavier.

Love worked out at the Minnesota Timberwolves facility on Sunday for the first time since NBA owners and players reached a tentative labor agreement, and he said he was encouraged by the changes the Wolves have made as he prepares to enter into talks on a contract extension.

“I love Minneapolis, I love the Twin Cities,” Love said when asked if he hoped to sign a deal that would keep him here for the long term. “Really this is all I know. It’s the first NBA city I fell in love with. This is all I know. Maybe we’ll keep it that way, maybe we won’t.”

It’s no secret that the All-Star forward, who led the NBA in rebounding last season and has emerged as the face of the franchise in the post-Kevin Garnett era, did not always see eye-to-eye with former head coach Kurt Rambis. The two clashed occasionally and Love was growing frustrated with his system, especially as the team lost 132 games over the past two seasons.

Team president David Kahn fired Rambis this summer and replaced him with Rick Adelman, an accomplished veteran coach with a history of winning and maximizing the talents of versatile big men such as Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Jerome Kersey. Love certainly fits that mold, and the Wolves also added pass-first point guard Ricky Rubio and No. 2 overall draft pick Derrick Williams to a very young, but intriguing core.

“We were fortunate to get Ricky over here and fortunate to get Derrick Williams,” said Love, who averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds last season. “But we have a young, youthful group. There’s an electricity with this unit. We’re definitely going to be able to coexist on the floor and grow together. We’re looking forward to building this team from now on and I think Rick (Adelman) was also a big step in doing that.”

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