Ricky Rubio questions Kevin Love as Timberwolves leader

The Kevin Love trade speculation has heated up over the past few days after a report surfaced claiming the three-time All-Star has informed the Minnesota Timberwolves that he will leave via free agency next year if they don’t trade him. Love has wanted out of Minnesota for a while, and Ricky Rubio wonders if Love’s desire to leave has compromised his ability to lead.

In a recent interview with BasketballAmericano.com, Rubio questioned if Love is the true leader of the Timberwolves. A translation was posted on Reddit:

“He is a special player, his numbers are unbelievable but maybe our leader must be other player,” Rubio said. “He is our leader in points and another things but he can’t be or he doesn’t want to be our ‘voice’ leader. … Perhaps he shouldn’t have been our leader, perhaps Kevin Martin could have been our leader because he had more experience, perhaps I could take a step ahead to be the definitive leader.”

Love has remained loyal to the Timberwolves since he was drafted, despite the fact that the front office has not assembled a playoff team. Love went public with concerns over his contract a while back, but others in his situation would have become much more of a problem by now.

Like the rest of us, Rubio knows Love is as good as gone. He probably wants it to happen sooner rather than later. If Love is intent on leaving, there’s no sense wasting an entire season with a frustrated superstar who has no interest in being with the team.