During a weekend trip to Boston, All-Star forward Kevin Love has been taking pictures with fans and seeing the sight

During a weekend trip to Boston, All-Star forward Kevin Love has been taking pictures with fans and seeing the sights, leading Celtics fans to speculate that hes going to follow in the footsteps of Kevin Garnett as the next Minnesota star to come to town and turn around a struggling franchise. Allen Robinson Jersey . Not so fast, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said. "The last I knew Kevin was under contract with us, and I expect him to be playing for us next year," Saunders said Sunday after a workout of draft prospects. "I dont really dictate where guys go on vacation or what they do. They can go wherever they want to go." Love can opt out of his contract after next season, and the three-time All-Star has yet to make the playoffs in six years with the Timberwolves. He was also angered when former executive David Kahn refused to give him a full, five-year extension and instead gave him a four-year deal with a player option after three. Thats led many to believe that he will leave next summer to play for a contender in a bigger market. "Yo (at)kevinlove if you need advice on moving from Minnesota to Boston just let me know .CityOfChamps," tweeted Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who spent six years with the Minnesota Twins before signing with the Red Sox as a free agent and winning three World Series titles. The situation has prompted the Timberwolves to consider a trade to avoid losing Love without compensation. But Saunders has made it clear that he doesnt feel as though he has to make a move this summer. He views Love as one of the top offensive players in the league, a 25-year-old who has improved his game every off-season. So if other teams do want to get their hands on one of the NBAs top power forwards, it wont be easy. "I know theres a feeding frenzy out there from a lot of teams," Saunders said. "Unfortunately, they have no say. I plan on Kevin being here." If Saunders was posturing, he has good reason. The draft isnt until June 26, and the best offers from teams desperate to land Love dont figure to start rolling in until the week of the draft, or perhaps not even until draft night, and Saunders has plenty of options. He could move him right around draft time for what is expected to be a package that includes high picks and a veteran player or two. He could wait for July 1 and look to build a package around more established, veteran talent. Or he could hold on to Love, try to add a few pieces to a team that finished 10th in the West, and hire the right coach to replace the retired Rick Adelman and show Love that the team is headed in the right direction. It worked for the Portland Trail Blazers with LaMarcus Aldridge, and it worked years ago for the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. The Wolves can also pay Love about $26.5 million more than any other team. And if Love still does depart after next summer, the Wolves wont be left empty-handed. Theyll have about $17 million in extra salary cap room to attack the free agent market, though luring stars to a wintry climate to play for a team that hasnt made the playoffs since 2004 has always proved to be a challenge. The next big step will be hiring a coach. The Wolves had discussions with Memphis Dave Joerger over Memorial Day weekend, but Joerger stayed with the Grizzlies, who sweetened his contract to remain with the 50-win team. Saunders said he will meet with Wolves owner Glen Taylor this week to evaluate the search, which has been influenced some by the uncertainty surrounding Love. When asked if he would have a coach in place by the June 26 draft, Saunders said "theres probably a better chance that we would than we wouldnt. Were not going to put a time frame on it." As for those excited Celtics fans, Saunders said they should calm down. But he knows they wont. "Theyre the same fans who thought they had Tim Duncan," he joked. "They still think they got Tim Duncan in the draft. Im not really sure, but the last I looked he was playing for San Antonio, Old Man Riverwalk." Roquan Smith Bears Jersey . The American secured his first back-to-back ATP match wins since June to leave Tsonga relying on his performance at next weeks Paris Masters to clinch one of the final three places for the season-ending event in London. Tsonga would have moved up one spot to No. 6 with a win over Querrey at the City of Arts and Sciences, but his serve deserted him in the second set as the 116th-ranked American broke twice to reach the quarter-finals. James Daniels Jersey . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Aaron-Lynch-Jersey/ . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues won a franchise record 52 games this season and general manager Doug Armstrong cant help but sum it up as a disappointment. "Were in the winning business and were not winning at the appropriate time of the year," Armstrong said Tuesday. "We have to fix that." The past two playoffs have been a carbon copy for the Blues. In 2013, St. Louis won the first two games against Los Angeles at home and then dropped the next four to the then-defending Stanley Cup champions. This season, St. Louis got the jump on defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago, then again lost four straight to end the season. Armstrong said that this years loss to the Blackhawks was worse. "I felt last year that we were coming off of a year where no one expected us to be good the year before and we wanted to prove that we were a good team," Armstrong said. "I expected us to take it to a higher level this year and the higher level was going to be a consistent regular season followed by a longer playoff run. So, this year, theres a true sense that we have squandered an opportunity and opportunities dont come a lot in this league." While the Blues have been one of the best teams each of the past three regular seasons -- St. Louis had 60 points in a lockout shortened 2012-13 campaign and 109 points in 2011-12 -- it has been a different story in April. Armstrong and coach Ken Hitchcock said that the Blues need to develop a killer instinct if they are to get over their post-season hump. "We werent able to create the gap in Games 3 and 4 and win on the road, which you have to do in the playoffs," Hitchcock said. "Thats the killer instinct that you need to have. We werent able to do it in either series, aand