Kevin Love thanks Minnesota fans in personal essay

For athletes, penning soulful personal essays is pretty in vogue these days, and nascent Derek Jeter-helmed web publication The Players' Tribune provides athletes with a platform to make their voices heard. It's already bred a thoughtful treatise this month from Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin on the Donald Sterling saga.

The latest to offer up a personal perspective is Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who published a piece on Thursday about his rocky offseason, his departure from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and six up-and-down years with the franchise.

Love begins by empathizing with rookie Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick that Love was traded for:

I can imagine how he was feeling. From the excitement of being the No. 1 draft pick to the uncertainty of where he was headed, he was poised and impressive.

I know what it’s like to have your heart jump every time your phone buzzes. I know what it’s like to talk to your agent multiple times a day. I know what it’s like to read about your future from "sources" on Twitter.

I was on the other side of it. It was exhausting.

He goes on to express appreciation for his time in Minnesota and for the fans there, bemoaning the fact that he didn't get to say a proper goodbye on his way out the door:

Things were especially tough because for a month before the trade was finalized, Wiggins and I were caught in NBA purgatory. Is this happening, is this not happening? With everything up in the air, I felt like I couldn’t say a proper goodbye to Minnesota. And once the trade finally went through, everything happened quickly.

So I’d like to take a moment to thank the fans of Minnesota for six great years. ... There are so many people in Minnesota who helped to shape my game and mold me into the player I am today. I’ll always be fond of going to Manny’s Steakhouse, and the support I got from the entire Minnesota community - even in tough times - is something I’ll remember forever. (Seriously, thanks for not burning my jersey, you guys.)

I grew up a lot - personally and professionally - during my time with the Wolves. I’ll be the first to tell you that I didn’t always handle things perfectly. We are all unfinished products. It’s not easy to handle the disappointment of losing when you’re in your early twenties. There were times when I wasn’t easy to be around in the locker room. It’s hard to be a leader when you don’t have the model - and when you don’t have a blueprint for what winning in the NBA looks like. 

[...]

In the end, I was given the opportunity to move on, and I took it. My decision was about wanting to win. When I think back to being a kid shooting on an eight-foot hoop in my Shawn Kemp jersey, I never dreamed about putting up a triple-double or signing a max contract. I dreamed about holding up a championship trophy. In order to get to that place, I knew that I needed to move on.

The whole essay is well worth a read.

Sports fans always want to feel closer to athletes, and as comforting as projecting feelings onto them can be, in the end, there's no substitute for what they can say in their own words. A lot's been written about Love's trying final season in Minnesota, the way his relationship with the franchise slowly turned sour, and his ultimate decision to skip town.

It's nice to finally get Love's perspective on things.