Kevin Love Declares Himself the Best Rebounder in the NBA; Joins the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Tour

Yesterday afternoon, in the middle of Times Square in New York, NBA All-Star Kevin Love decided to play a little volleyball. Say what?!

Details:

In an effort to remain active during a time of uncertainty within his own league, Kevin Love sought out the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series and will compete in the $200,000 Manhattan Beach Open, arguably the best known and most historic beach volleyball tournament in the world, on August 26-28, 2011. Today, Kevin took part in his first public practice on a sand beach volleyball court constructed amidst New York City’s Times Square with pro beach volleyball players John Hyden, Sean Scott, Jess Gysin and Christal Engle.

That gives Kevin Love about a month to prepare for the Manhattan Beach Open. One month to compete with the best beach volleyball pros in the world. Better you that us, K-Love.

We had a chance to sit down and speak with Love at the event, which was filled with half-naked Cuervo girls. If that’s your scene. Check out our interview with Love, along with photos from the event, after the jump!

I guess what I first wanted to ask was, why beach volleyball?
It easily coexists with basketball, all the intangibles, the same technique–height, speed, coordination, agility, timing–those sort of things pertain to basketball as well. It kind of seemed like an easy transition for me.

What aspect of your volleyball game do you need to work on the most?
Just fine-tuning my game, really. Being able to serve a lot better, getting used to the game a little bit more — the more practice, the better I’m going to get. So over the next month I’ll be out in the sun as much as possible.

Is playing basketball overseas still an option?
Oh, yeah, especially in the lockout you see different guys doing it and different guys going over to make money and for the exposure. You definitely have to look at that and see what they’re doing. Opportunities have already presented itself for me and for other players. I think most of us are waiting for the right opportunity to make money and get exposure. If you look at a guy like Deron Williams, he paved the way for us [by signing with a Turkish team].

Was there anything you may have seen in the NFL and its players reaching an agreement this week that gave you a little bit of optimism that the NBA lockout might get lifted before the start of the season?
Yeah, absolutely. We’re going to look at the NFL. We’re on Day 26 right now. I think the NFL was locked out 132 days, so we’re really looking at that and hoping to see what they did to reach an agreement. We’re just hoping it happens swiftly and if we miss any time, not much at all.

You’ve got a coaching change coming for the Timberwolves. How much do you pay attention to all the rumors and check in to see who the team is interviewing?
Yeah, you have to pay attention to because it’s really going to affect my career and affect the team, no matter which way they decide to go. It definitely matters and you definitely have to pay attention as much as possible and hope for the best, hope they pick the right guy for the job.

Were you able to see Derrick Williams play much in college?
I think everybody watched him in the tournament. He can really shoot it, I don’t think people give him enough credit for how much he can shoot it. He can play multiple positions, and in that case I think he’s going to have a lot of success in the league.

What do you think about the Wolves going into a more uptempo style of ball next season?
I love it. For me, I might end up playing the ‘five.’ Get a rebound, outlet it to Ricky [Rubio], move the ball up the court, make a few passes, and therefore we’ll have  numbers on the other end. I’m looking forward to being in great shape and getting out on the run.

Are you the best rebounder in the game right now?
Yes.

Absolutely?
Yes

Is there really an art to rebounding?
Yeah. Bill Russell always said ’80 percent of rebounds are below the rim,’ and I always used to watch Dennis Rodman and how he rebounded. I like to study the game. My dad always had me studying the game, so tehrefore I think there is a art to it.

Your Topps rookie card has you in a Memphis Grizzlies hat with a Memphis Grizzlies ball — how weird is it to see your rookie card with a team you never actually played for?
It’s definitely a unique one. O.J. Mayo has the same thing, because we got traded on draft night. He has the Timberwolves hat on, I have the Memphis hat on–we both play for our respective teams now. It is interesting to see. I have that card at home. It is kind of funny to look at. I mean, looking at my family pictures from the draft, it’s me with a Memphis Grizzlies ball that says “’01″–as their first round pick–and it has me in a Memphis Grizzlies hat with my whole family. It’s pretty funny.

What was your state of mind like when you got traded to the Timberwolves?
Yeah, I had it squared away that I was going to be in Memphis for the time being and later that night I got a call that I was in Minnesota. I almost didn’t believe it at the time.