When the Timberwolves traded Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins in August, you could envision the deal looking good in, say, two years, or four years. But this soon?
Only the power of Wolves fans' schadenfreude can explain the exchange of a star for a prospect looking this hopeful this quickly. Or maybe the demons who haunt Target Center got bored and decided to momentarily raise the locals' morale, like Stephen King writing a comedy.
One month into the season, Wiggins is displaying the tenacity and athletic ability that made him worth pursuing, and Love is displaying the social awkwardness that made the trade of an All-Star, for Wolves fans, feel more like exorcism than sacrifice.
Love has performed as only his worst enemies could have envisioned. He has not only been unproductive, he has complained about his role in the offense and generally avoided eye contact with teammates and coaches.
We knew Love hated David Kahn. We knew he hated being a Wolf. We didn't know he'd act the same way while playing with LeBron and for a championship.
Meanwhile, in the low-pressure center of Minneapolis, Wiggins, fresh off a 29-point effort, laughed with teammates and coaches on Wednesday while different Wolves tried to dunk an oversized medicine ball. Wiggins even laughed at himself as his legs grew weary and he struggled to get the ball to the rim.
"That's my guy, man," point guard Zach LaVine said. "A lot of people say he's soft-spoken, but once you get to know him, he's a funny dude, a funny character.
"He's cool. He cracks up the whole team. He's goofy. He's funny."
