It’s only Love (Kevin Love, that is)

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Phoned my old friend Jerry Zgoda from the Minneapolis Star Tribune the other day to find out how Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love (late of UCLA) was doing in Love’s first NBA training camp in bucolic Mankato, Minn.

Zgoda said the organization is raving about Love’s considerable ‘basketball IQ’ and the upside of the kid who turned 20 on Sept. 7. The Timberwolves were so enamored that they traded for Love on draft day after Memphis took him with the fifth pick.

Nevertheless, there are going to be tough days along the rookie road, even for someone of Love’s considerable skills, and Friday was one of those times.

Zgoda said Love was tough on himself after practice and said he felt ‘lost’ on a couple of plays. ‘I was missing defensive switches,’ he said. ‘ ... I’m tired, but that’s not an excuse.’

That and an injured finger topped off a miserable session. Then Love had to carry out a dreary duty often left to rookies ... picking up the sneakers of his teammates. ‘This is the worst,’ he said.

Love may well have had one of the better quotes of this first week. He put on weight this summer and has been interviewing chefs to fix his meals. Zgoda said Love was asked about the expense of such a move.

‘I’m only 20 years old, but I’m learning what you can write off on your taxes,’ Love told reporters. ‘I only went to UCLA for three-fourths of a year, but I did learn a couple of things.’

-- Lisa Dillman