BOSTON -- Kevin Love has started to settle into the Cleveland Cavaliers' offense primarily as an outside shooter, but Friday he found himself shooting down rumors.
There were three things on the big man's agenda that he sought to clear up: a media report that stated he plans to opt out of his contract this summer in order to join the Los Angeles Lakers, that much-talked about celebratory handshake he shared with Kyrie Irving after the Cavs' win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, and his visit to Boston over the summer and what it meant to his interest (or lack thereof) in joining the Celtics.
On the first two, Love went ahead and killed two birds with one stone.
"Whatever [people assumed] we were doing with our hands was about as true as me going to the Lakers," Love said after shootaround in advance of the Cavaliers' game against the Boston Celtics. "I mean, I don't know why it was so hard for people to realize that we were actually curling our mustache. I guess because I had my fingers in the wrong place. Looking at the tape -- film don't lie -- it looks like we are doing something bad, but that wasn't the case."
Love has an early termination option in his contract that many assume he will exercise this summer in order to sign a new deal. But even if he goes that route, he wanted to be clear that he hasn't made his mind up about leaving the Cavs at this point.
"Going to the Lakers, no, that's not [true]," Love said. "I don't know where somebody got that."
And what about that clandestine meeting with Rajon Rondo at a Boston Red Sox game in June?
Love was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Cavs in August, but before that deal went through, there were reports the All-Star forward had interest in going anywhere from Boston to Chicago to the Golden State Warriors to the Lakers.
Love maintained his visit had nothing to do with trying to see if he'd enjoy life donning Celtics green.
"The fact is, my agent is a big Red Sox fan," Love said. "I'd been planning on that for a long time to come in and check out not only the city, but a Red Sox game, and we had a great time and we plan on coming back.
"It's tough because I wasn't a free agent last summer. I have potential to be a free agent this summer or next. It's just one of those things. It's obviously a tremendous city. People love it here. Basketball and sports in general are huge here, but it's been fantastic being a part of the Cavaliers now. We have a team that's formidable, has a big presence and we see a lot of you guys [in the media] on a daily basis."
Despite having to run through the rumor mill for the day, Love had an easygoing attitude about it all, at least outwardly.
"It's the world we live in now," Love said. "Stuff like that can happen."