Kevin Love is an All-Star

We -- mostly me -- can stop being whiny little babies about it. Kevin Love has made the All-Star team.

He had to make it as an injury replacement, as both the voters and coaches dropped the ball in adding him full stop, but he's made it. He'll play 13 minutes in a meaningless game on a Sunday in February, and we (read: again, me) can stop acting a churlish child over the snub.

The news came down on Friday night, before Minnesota's loss in Toronto to the Raptors (who had previously lost 13 straight). NBA commish David Stern added the league's rebounding leader (who also happens to average over 21 points per game, making over 40 percent of his three-pointers) as an injury replacement.

Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis dropped the ball, er, "word."

Soon after, Timberwolves' writer/editor/all-around Minny beast Jonah Ballow spoke with Love about his well-deserve ascension to the ranks of the NBA's elite:

"Coach kind of stopped us and he said, ‘Hey, can you guys quiet down, I have something to say before you go.' "And he just said, ‘We got a call from the league office,' and my stomach dropped," Love explained. "He said, ‘Kevin Love will be representing us at All-Star Weekend in the All-Star game.'

NBA commissioner David Stern faced a difficult decision to pick from a group of All-Star worthy candidates as an injury replacement for Rockets center Yao Ming. Stern needed little time, selecting the Wolves double-double machine and granting the third-year rising star a life-changing opportunity on the grand stage.

"I'm very humbled and I was extremely surprised," Love smiled. "I didn't know what to think, I was just kind of sitting there and he stuck out his hand. I was like, is he for real? I didn't know because I didn't know when the announcement was going to be made; I had no texts on my phone - nothing. Like I said, truly humbled."

He should be humbled. To the point where he, and hopefully the NBA fandom (and the assistant coaches that follow this league) realize that Kevin Love has put together a season that has only been topped by the likes of your usual MVP candidates, so far in 2010-11.

Here's Jonah's full interview with the NBA All-Star:

John Havlicek Elvin Hayes Magic Johnson Sam Jones Michael Jordan