NBA Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn found a middle ground as time ticked down on a five-year extension. Love signed a four-year maximum extension yesterday worth more than $60 million that allows him to opt out after three years. The deal offers the financial flexibility and protection from injury the team was seeking while giving the 23-year-old Love the freedom to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015 . . . The Suns’ Robin Lopez was suspended one game by the NBA for improper conduct toward a game official. Lopez was ejected after a run-in with referee Rodney Mott and brushed him when he walked past in the second quarter of the Suns’ 99-96 home loss to the Raptors Tuesday . . . A person familiar with the negotiations said forward Danilo Gallinari and the Nuggets agreed to a four-year, roughly $42 million extension.
Love, Wolves reach 4-year extension
Sports Log
Lakers are league’s most valuable team
The Lakers surpassed the Knicks as the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Forbes’ annual report. The magazine said the Lakers’ value had increased 40 percent since last year to $900 million. The Knicks’ value increased 19 percent to $780 million. The Bulls, Mavericks, and Celtics round out the top five. The Bucks are the least valuable team at $268 million . . . Kings leading scorer Marcus Thornton is expected to be sidelined 1-2 weeks with a deep bruise in his left thigh after an MRI revealed a significant hematoma . . . Hornets guard Eric Gordon will miss at least another three weeks as he recovers from a bruised right knee . . . The Bobcats exercised the fourth-year option on guard/forward Gerald Henderson. Henderson has started all 18 games and is averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Jones, Yankees finalize $2m contract
Baseball Andruw Jones and the Yankees finalized a $2 million, one-year contract that keeps him in New York for a second season. The deal, agreed to last month, allows him to earn another $1.45 million in performance bonuses . . . The newest member of the Washington Nationals’ starting rotation, Gio Gonzalez, signed his $42 million, five-year contract . . . Major League Baseball has told teams that Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is eligible to be signed. Cespedes established legal residency in the Dominican Republic . . . Daryle Ward, an 11-season veteran who hasn’t played in the majors since 2008, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned amphetamine under the minor league testing program.
Paterno laid to rest in State College