The Man, The Machine, The Grasshopper
Asked about KG, Robert Pollard (formerly of Guided By Voices) had only this to say: The man, the machine, the grasshopper- Kevin Garnett.
Eddie Griffin was cited for inattentive driving and failure to have a driver's license after hitting a parked car early Wednesday morning. Both the
Star Tribune and the
Pioneer Press have articles on McCants today:
"One thing Kevin Garnett told me was, 'Be yourself. Do what got you here,' " McCants said Thursday, "and definitely, being a nice guy didn't get me here. It was going out and being an animal and playing with a chip on my shoulder.""He's a great draft pick," Wolves coach Dwane Casey said. "The key thing is his maturation is on target. That's one of the key things we wanted to accomplish this year. A lot of times that doesn't equate to winning because of so many mistakes. But he is growing, and I think he's going to be a solid piece to this franchise for a long time."From the Pioneer Press:Kevin McHale sounds as if he plans to return next season as vice president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, but he isn't ready to say it's definite.
"Glen and I will sit down after the season and talk," said McHale, referring to Wolves owner Glen Taylor.
McHale plans to attend the camp in Portsmouth, Va., preceding the NBA draft.The Wolves face the Nuggets in Denver tonight.
No More Tights For Rashad
From ESPN:League and team sources have told ESPN.com that the NBA, starting next season, intends to ban the tights sported at various points this season by several players, including three MVP candidates: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.Although NBA officials are not publicly commenting on the issue, sources say that the league simply does not like the look of players wearing visible hose. It's believed that the league office, which already has regulations in place to curtail short lengths, can unilaterally outlaw tights by simply amending its uniform code before the 2006-07 season.Sources say that the NBA informed its 30 teams at last month's competition committee meeting in Houston that tights would be banned immediately after All-Star Weekend. But the league wound up holding off on that ban, perhaps to avoid a new controversy after the initial furor sparked by the off-court dress code faded quickly and quietly.Players who wish to wear tights are required to send the league a written request from a team doctor detailing a "medical need" for the leggings. That's because the league, according to sources, believes that some players are merely wearing them because they like the look.More than five percent of the league's players (including McCants)
have worn tights at some stage during the season, including five of its top 10 leading scorers.
KG Not Pushing For A Trade
From the Pioneer Press:Garnett bemoaned the state of the Timberwolves on Sunday and all but publicly begged owner Glen Taylor to get him the help he needs to compete for an NBA title. But Garnett said Wednesday he is not trying to push a trade, and Taylor said he wouldn't do it anyway.Also from the Pioneer Press:"It's the NBA; everything's fair," Casey said Wednesday. "If (the trade) doesn't work, it's on my shoulders. I take that responsibility, against a short amount of practice time. But it's the job of myself and my coaching staff to make it work."
Garnett disagreed.
"It's not fair at all," he said. "You have to understand, he's a first-year coach coming into his own, and you make some midseason acquisitions. It makes it difficult not only for him but for his staff."
Wally Szczerbiak on reuniting KG and Stephon Marbury:"Yeah, you might as well try," Szczerbiak said of the pairing. "Right now their teams aren't doing too well, so you might as well try pairing them back up together. Maybe it could work, who knows?"KG's 28th consecutive double-double last night is the most since Charles Barkley's 28 in the 1986-1987 season. The recently released Richie Frahm had 16 points in the Rockets win over the Sonics on Wednesday night. (The pic above has nothing to do with the Wolves. It's just an awesome photo.)
T-Hud and Ice Cube!
Thanks to
City Pages for the link to this incredible pic and story of
Ice Cube with T-Hud and Griffin.It was smiles all around as actor/director/rapper Ice Cube joined Wolves players Troy Hudson and Eddie Griffin for a grand entrance to the kitchen of the Cookie Cart, a non-profit bakery dedicated to serving at-risk youth in north Minneapolis.“This is the most fun I’ve had all day,” said Cube, before joking that he may be headed for a supervisor position with the bakery after establishing his cookie-making prowess. “This is what it’s all about,” he added, saying he very much enjoyed the opportunity to interact with kids he would never normally get to see.The Wolves are donating $10,000 to a local charity chosen by the fans as part of its April Fan Appreciation events. You can vote on the charity at the
Timberwolves site or at the home games.
No summer league games at the Target Center this year. Casey said the team is going to send an entry to join the Las Vegas summer league. That's going to make it a long post season for Wolves fans.
Taylor: Trading KG Is Not A Possibility
Glen Taylor on trading Garnett:"I do not see that as a possibility," Taylor said Wednesday night before the Timberwolves played the Orlando Magic. "As I stand here, I just don't see a possibility that makes sense.""He is very, very competitive and wants to win," Taylor said."It makes it difficult, but no more difficult than it has been in the past," Taylor said. "It won't make it impossible."Taylor said he welcomed the input, but said it was nothing new.
"Privately he had done this before," the owner said. "We met last summer. We met about the players. I have asked him his opinion. Do I run it the way Kevin says? No, I don't and I won't, and he knows that.
The Wolves beat the Magic tonight, 103-91.
I did learn the following at the game:
Mad Dog loved Scooby Doo, The A-Team, and Brady Bunch as a kid
McCants was into Martin
Banks dug Saved By The Bell
T-Hud watched a lot of Good Times and Sanford & Son
Hassell was not as into tv as he was into Nintendo
That segment and seeing the dude who wrote "Funkytown" were the most exciting parts of the game though the crowd reaction to Garnett was somewhat amusing. With the cheers he elicited tonight in relation to previous games you'd think it was his last season with the team.
The Team Reacts To KG's Comments
From the Pioneer Press:"K.G., he's a winner, but we all are here," guard Marko Jaric said. "We're all frustrated. Nobody wants to go through a rebuilding season.""I think the win-loss record has been a frustration for everyone," forward Mark Madsen said. "Every single one of us expects more in terms of the individual play and in terms of winning games. I think everyone wants to win very badly, and I think everyone is very frustrated that we haven't been better."From ESPN:"Kevin has opinions and is frustrated," first-year coach Dwane Casey said Tuesday after practice. "We're all frustrated. We're not happy with where we are. Nobody wants to not be fighting for the division lead. I think he just spoke his mind on the feeling of everyone, from [owner] Glen Taylor all the way down to our trainer. We're not happy, our fans our not happy. It is frustrating to be in this situation, but it's something we have to build on."Coach Casey on Glen Taylor:"He's never said anything less than talking about next year and what we need to do to get better, to improve the situation," Casey said. "I don't need a vote of confidence. It's his prerogative. If he doesn't want me here tomorrow, it's his decision to clean house. If he feels that way, I'll thank him for the opportunity and keep going, but Glen has talked nothing but about what we want to do next year to get better and improve our situation."Madsen on Casey:"We've had some tough losses. We've had some injuries," forward Mark Madsen said. "I've never had a coach who works as hard as coach Casey. Who breaks things down and does everything in his power to win games."The Wolves face the Magic at home tonight.
Wolves Links
ESPN has an article titled "Searching For Sprewell." The writer goes to vist Spree and has the unemployed player tell him to "get off my property right now or I'll send someone out there to take your head off!"
From
YaySports!, a link to NBA.com's
"Behind The Numbers", a feature profiling players on the reasons for selecting their jersey number.
For guard Marcus Banks, January’s trade to the Timberwolves reunited him with an old friend, his jersey number 3. “I’d worn 3 all through my career, basically all my life,” Banks told us.
In Boston, number 3 is retired for Dennis Johnson, so Banks wore number 11. “Because that was the smallest number they had", says Banks.Number 3 is special to Banks because of its significance to his family. “It’s a spiritual thing that me and my mother had.” Banks said that the spiritual meaning of number 3 was, “the son, the father, and the holy ghost,” which is also a prayer ritual he goes through before each game.The SBNation Blogs are hosting a bracket to decide the best NBA sneaker ad of the year. KG's "What's Inside" Adidas commercial is up against Amare's Nike commercial in the first round.
Click here to view and vote.
Seriously, Mr. Taylor. Just fire McHale!
Mrs. Garnett is number 5 in the list of the
"Top 28 Sexiest NBA Wifeys."(Thanks to
JJ for the link.)
From Charley Walters/Pioneer Press:Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor plans to work with frustrated franchise player Kevin Garnett to improve the faltering team during the offseason.
First-year coach Dwane Casey's future will be determined after the season.
And indications are that vice president Kevin McHale will return next season.
As for Garnett's frustration with the Wolves' advancing past the first round of the playoffs just once in his 11 seasons in Minnesota, he's not alone.
"I'm just as frustrated," Taylor said Monday.
Taylor said financial investment in his team, which lost $17 million two years ago and another $12 million last season, won't be a factor in finding players to help Garnett next season. The Wolves are expected to lose money again this year, but nothing of the magnitude of the previous two years.
Taylor said Garnett, who has not asked to be traded, would have input on next season's product.
"I would work with him," he said. "It's finding the right guys. We'll work at it."
Pic taken by Bill Alkofer. The following links were found on
KFAN's Rube Chat.Below is an excerpt from a story by some Seattle djs whose persistent and harassing requests for a pic with KG while he's hanging at a restaurant are politely declined (scroll down to Day 49 of the link to read the entire post):As we were preparing to leave, we decide that we should try one more time...we see them getting up to move to a bigger table since more of their teammates showed up...there were probably 10 of them by this point. So Double R approaches him and asks one more time if he could get a pic...Kevin snaps "Hey man I told you already...no pictures"...he then sits down and starts looking the other way & ignores Double R. Dub tries to explain to him that he was the reason why Kevin & his buds were even seated. Kevin just ignores him...so Double R drops a bomb that stopped the room: "Hey man...why you gotta be a punk." Kevin turns around jumps up & says "What the F**K did you say?" Double R once again states that he's a punk & that if it wasn't for us he wouldn't even be in JOEY'S. Kevin politely replied "I didn't ask you to F**king get us in." Now at this point one of the idiots on the team is playing on his Blackberry yelling "no photos," while Rashad "Fiddy" McCants was just giving me the hairy eyeball...I thought for sure that he was gonna jump up and either go for me or Double R, so I just locked eyes and pretended to act tough which I am sure must have been a funny site...maybe he was biting his lip to try and not laugh at me for looking so stupid. At this point Double R is chest to chest with Kevin...uh...actually I mean he was chest to Kevin's stomach (the dude is tall), and Double R keeps saying choice things about him until a waitress gets in between us and then some other employees jump in and kick us out...as they are kicking us out they make a detour to the cash register so we can pay for those drinks that we ordered them. Talk about insult to injury. The funny thing is that as we shared this story we got a few calls from people that have had a horrible experience with Kevin Garnett...all of the calls started just like this: "I was a huge fan of Garnett until I met him..." Needless to say, the T-Wolves suck & I hope the Sonics humiliate both Kevin Garnett & Rashad McCants.(If you need more info as to what these djs are like, check out Day 54 where you'll find a pic of a woman with a KG doll in her pants beneath some mud wrestling pics.)This woman, though ballsy, knows how to get a pic with Ticket. The clip is from Sunday's win over the Knicks.
Fire McHale!
I should have known today was going to be crazy: Starbury was in town and rumors about a reunion between him and KG were circulating like mad, the Wolves came close to "its biggest collapse in franchise history" in their narrow margin win over the Knicks, and the movie "Crash" received its own Twolves jersey (it even said "Crash" on the back) at the start of the game.
Then Garnett came as close as he has all season to publicly acknowledging that being traded is an option:
"I've always said I'll be in Minnesota as long as they want me here," he said. "I don't think I can take another one of these rebuilding stages. I've always said that I think I'm worth not only being listened to but I think I'm definitely in a position where I (should) have a team and I do have a chance to win a ring and I do have an opportunity. So I think, at the end of the day, they should at least give me that. If it's anything different from that, then it's a discussion we have to talk about.
"I don't want to go through this no more," Garnett said. "I think I'm more deserving of a better team and I think the city's more deserving of a better team, coming in here having something that's going to be competitive and having us getting back to the Western Conference finals. But I do know you just can't blink and it's going to happen; you have to actually spend the time and effort, so we'll see."
So Garnett awaits the summer and the Wolves' next move, saying, "I have faith in Glen that he'll do the right thing."
But according to the New York Daily news, a source close to Glen Taylor says that "Taylor is dead-set against trading Garnett."
And the New York Times has an article in which they ask KG about playing with Marbury again and Garnett responds:"I've never been opposed to a reunion," he said, "but I've always let him know that I'm going to be in 'Sota, he's always let me know that he's going to be in New York. So I guess we got a problem.
Who the fucks knows. True, it's difficult to feel at ease when Ticket talks so openly about wanting a ring and losing patience with the team though both thoughts are completely merited. Regardless, I'm not changing the name of this site unless something actually happens.
Sam Mitchell- "I feel for Kevin..."
The pic is from Globetrotter. Last night's loss in Toronto left Raptors' fans with plenty to say about Garnett's future with the team.
J.E. Skeets/The Basketball Jones wants to launch a "Free Garnett" movement and
Sam Mitchell also expressed some thoughts on the matter. "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got traded. Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) left," said Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, who played with Garnett in Minnesota for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2002. "Anybody can get traded. It wouldn't surprise me this year if Brett Favre played for another team in the NFL. It's sports."But I feel for Kevin, I tell him that all the time, except for two games out of the year (when they play the Raptors)," Mitchell said. "But it's the NBA. That's why when you have a chance to win it all, you have to seize the moment because the very next year, with trades and injuries, you could be out of the picture."
KG's 26 consecutive double-doubles is the longest single season streak in the league in 19 years. KG on NCAA fans vs. NBA fans:"There have been more situations in the NBA than in college with players going into the stands. The fans get pretty brutal, because they expect the professionals to be able to take it more."
Happy Birthday, Chris Bosh!
"It's not over til it's over," Garnett said. "They say it's not over until the fat girl sings, and she might be back there warming up but she's still not singing. So at this case we're going to play these games out. These are not giveaway games, we don't get paid to play 80-some games or 70 or 60 games."
"We're going to finish it out and if you don't want to, you can sit in here and watch, but we have a lot of pride. We're men before anything, so we're going to play with that. But anything can happen."Thursday- Wolves lose to the Nets on Jason Kidd's birthday.
Friday-
Wolves lose to the Raptors on Chris Bosh's birthday, 97-77.Sunday-
Thankfully it's a day on which no Knicks have a birthday.Garnett on losing to the Raptors:"This is probably a test more than anything for everybody, to see who is going to give up and who is going to pack it up and go home," Garnett said.While I'm bummed the game wasn't broadcast locally, it was probably a good thing.
The loss in Toronto extended our road losing streak and brings our overall record to 28-41.Asked if this has been Garnett's most frustrating year he's had, he replied: "No, no. I've had a rookie year that was pretty difficult. You live and learn and you go through different things. This is a big transition, it's been a long time since I've lost like this but with the year coming and the changes and stuff you've got to kind of anticipate this.
Wolves GM Jim Stack is in D.C. this weekend watching the NCAA tournament.
The Bombers Love KG
The Cannon Falls Girls Basketball Team won MN's Class 2A Championship:"It was exciting because our locker room was across from the Timberwolves locker room, and we were waiting to see if a Timberwolves player would come by and we saw Kevin Garnett," (player) Korie said. "He said something as he walked by and we were taking as many pictures as we could. After that we were all excited and ready to play!""Kevin Garnett is one of my basketball idols," (tournament MVP) Cory Montgomery explained. "So it was really fun to play on the Timberwolves floor."
Happy Birthday, Jason Kidd!
Pic from
Sumiko's Playground courtesy of
Deadspin.
The Wolves get their 8th consecutive road loss in New Jersey last night. Final score: Wolves 82, Nets 86. "Can't put it into words, because it is frustrating," forward Kevin Garnett said. "We have to hold on to our leads better than that. We're giving them away like a kid giving away candy or something."
In the postgame news conference, Garnett said "he has used meditation to help him cope with this season's struggles."KG on whether he thinks about playing in NY or NJ:
"No," Garnett said. "Not at all."Casey On KG:"It's always been about improving, getting better and that type of thing," Casey said, referring to what Garnett has told him. "It's never been anything about, 'I got to get out of here,' or anything like that."
McCants got his first start last night in place of the injured Hassell:
"I thought McCants came out a little tight tonight, a little excited," Casey said. "He got some quick fouls, and they did a good job of going at him. That's something he's going to learn from."
KG and Oprah are planning next week to visit the houses that Garnett's contributions to Winfrey's Katrina relief fund built in New Orleans.
Garnett said, "I just got to thinking, 'OK, really, Kevin, what do you spend money on?' ... I got to thinking about the things I spend money on, and I was like, 'Pffttt ... If you can spend money on that, you can spend money on this.' ... It just came to me: 'I'm gonna build a house every month for the next two years.' Because I knew that this [relief effort] was going to be bigger than a Monday and a Wednesday and a Thursday. It was going to be every day these people are going to have to deal with this."
Why so many? "I just thought back again to how I grew up and I thought, 'I want to make a whole neighborhood,'" Garnett said with a slight smile. "Twenty-four just sounded just about right."
Wolves Eke Out Win Over Heat Minus Shaq
The lovely Amy and Cassie were the winners of Qwest's ultimate Twolves fan challenge (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you must have missed the countless bus shelters and other places signs for this contest were posted).
Click here to see their entry. Part of their prize were seats at last night's game that were practically on the Wolves' bench.
No Shaq last night ("sprained thumb") but still an eventful game. Hassell sprained his ankle, McCants and Gary Payton got into it and both received technicals, the Heat narrowed the Wolves' lead late in the 4th quarter, and the refs restarted the clock after the game ended adding an extra 2 seconds to an already very long game. Regardless, the Wolves came out with the victory with a final score of 100-96.
"It was an accumulation," said coach Dwane Casey, who agonized and gyrated through the final minutes on the sideline. "Everybody had their moment in the barrel. Everybody had their mistakes. But again, we were able to overcome it.""Our team's probably not a team that has the chemistry yet to finish out games. We don't know each other that well," Garnett said. "We're just finishing games off of pure talent, not knowledge."(Seriously- how long is it going to take? Isn't two months sufficient time in which to get to know your teammates?)
McCants on his scuffle with Payton:"I don't really remember what he said -- it just happened real fast."
While I appreciated the fact that Stevie Wonder was added to the game's playlist while some of the TV theme songs were thankfully left out (no Purple Rain tonight, either), whoever came up with the idea of pairing the Twolves dancers and the U Of MN drum line should be reprimanded. I can't recall a more awkward, non-game performance at the Target Center.
For the last six seasons KG averaged 20 pts, 10 reb, and 5 assts but will more than likely not achieve that feat this year.
Jaric is featured in a fashion spread in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine.
The Rockets picked up the recently released Richie Frahm off the waivers.
Rockets' coach Jeff Van Gundy called Sprewell to see if he'd be interested in joining the team but didn't receive a call back.
Mad Dog finally updates his blog. Our condolences to him on the death of his grandfather.
Wolves Over The Weekend
Updating this site while seeing 10-15 bands daily for the last four days has proven to be more difficult than staying sober during a Robert Pollard show. Sunday's win over the Kings inspired me to stay in the hotel room and work on it while everyone else is celebrating our last night in Austin. It's also an excuse to avoid the sympathetic looks and barrage of questions regarding KG trade rumors that I face when people find out I'm a Wolves fan. Though why Rockets and Knicks fans would talk shit about my team is beyond me.
The win over Sacramento and KG's season high 37 points halted a 7 game losing streak which included a
loss to Golden State on Friday.
KG's 22 consecutive double-doubles is a franchise record.
Richie Frahm was waived on Thursday but the Houston Rockets are reportedly interested in signing him.
Fred Hoiberg was inducted into the Iowa High School Hall of Fame. Despite meetings with the Pistons and the Suns, Hoiberg has decided not to make a return this season. He has been in talks with people at Iowa State about about a coaching position at his alma mater.
Kevin McHale was in Jacksonville on Saturday watching Joakim Noah and the Gators' win over UW Milwaukee.I've seen the KG Gatorade commercial only once but my first impression is that's it's pretty fucking weird.
KG Loves The Sopranos And Daunte
I'm out of town for work so posts will be sporadic and not as comprehensive as they could be til Monday. My apologies.
My friend and I were watching the Flaming Lips last night (my "work" trip is essentially an excuse to see lots of bands) so I wasn't watching/listening to the game. But as soon as she told me we were tied in the 4th quarter with under 6 minutes left to go, I knew we didn't stand a chance and, though I'm not psychic, I was right. That made me extra crabby because I hate the Flaming Lips almost as much as I hate Kobe.
Final score:Lakers 92, Wolves 89.Griffin's sore right wrist and
not the fact that he can't see will most likely keep him out of tonight's game against Golden State.
Garnett was "bugging out over" the Sopranos so wasn't aware of the Culpepper trade til informed of it by a reporter. His response:"But I've got a friend in life with him and Randy. I just hope this is what he wants. I know he's from Florida, or at least from the area. So I wish him the best. I hate to see that. Damn! Wow."Click here for some info on the Wolves first round draft pick for this year. Flip Saunders says he's "eager" to sign Hoiberg but the team would need an insurance waiver to do so given Hoiberg's medical condition. YaySports has a funny pic of McCants.
Wolves Updates
The Wolves lose to the Clippers, 95-87.The Wolves dance team loses to the Clippers dance team, 65%-35%. On KG's scolding of teammates after the loss to the Suns:"It was great coming from Kevin; he really wants to win," guard Ricky Davis said. "If Mark Blount would have come in and said something, it probably would have happened again. Coming from Ticket, the leader of the team, it's great.""We have to have a sense of urgency, not only for this year but to build for the rest of your career," Casey said. "It's not about just the last game we lost, it's about creating an outlook, a culture, a seriousness, a sense of urgency about your game, about your play. You should be sitting there thinking, 'What could I have done to help this team? What did I do wrong in this game?' Instead of laughing and [goofing off].""I don't want to call it babysitting, but I don't like always having to 'go there,' " Garnett said. "We're all professionals and we're all men. It was only a select few, but we're a team."Garnett attended a private memorial for Kirby Puckett on Sunday. Garnett:
"We don't know where we're going to be next. And who's to say that the next place we go is greater or lesser than where we are (now). But we're just happy with the current state and not knowing the unknown. For me, it did a lot psychologically."Saunders on Puckett:"Puck used to come to all the Timberwolves games, and when I got the job, he always called me Skip instead of Flip. For a while, I thought he didn't know my name. Then I found out he called all coaches and managers Skip or Skipper," Saunders said.Casey seems doubtful that T-Hud will make a return before the end of the season. Hoiberg won't be joining the Pistons this season. Sugar Ray Leonard shows Mad Dog a few moves.
Wolves Updates
Vote today for the Timberwolves Dancers in the NBA's Dance Team Bracket. They're up against the Clippers dance team which is currently ahead of our ladies in the poll.
The Wolves face the Clippers in LA tonight. KG on Sam Cassell:"We miss Sam a lot, not just Sam, but his leadership, the fact that he is a competitor," Garnett said last month during all-star weekend. "The fact that he's a joy in the locker room. He's a voice. We miss him a lot."
Wolves Updates
Losses to the
Sonics and the
Suns made it a dismal weekend to be a Wolves fan.
Garnett was pissed that his teammates weren't as upset as he was about the loss in Phoenix:"I really hate ... I try to keep things in house, but there's a certain tone [we need] in there, man, and we're going to keep that. And if you can't [abide] by the tone, you won't be here. You won't play. I don't sign nobody's checks, but you've got to be prepared and ready to play, man. I don't know, as a team every night, whether we're ready to do that. The focus is, it's got to hurt when you lose. I don't know if it's like that."On Friday, Anthony Carter pleaded not guilty via his lawyer to drunken driving charges. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 27. Casey on Banks:"Right now, Marcus is our point guard," Wolves coach Dwane Casey said. "Marko continues to work. I think that competition makes your team better. Right now, Marcus is doing a good job and has done nothing wrong to lose his position."Casey on his coaching staff:"I think our guys have worked hard. They've put a lot of long hours in. I would question saying we're not as prepared as any coaching staff in the league."Kevin McHale was scouting players at the ACC tournament on Friday. McHale on the rule against talking to underclassmen:
"It's going to be pretty hard to say what impact the rule is going to have," McHale said. "We're not supposed to talk about the draft anyway. I'm not sure who's going to come out and who's going to stay. So, we'll see. Whoever comes out, comes out."Forbes lists Wolves owner Glen Taylor as the 365th richest person in the world.The Kirby Puckett memorial is at the Metrodome tonight at 7pm.
Wolves Updates
The Wolves lose to a T-Macless Rockets, 93-87. Garnett on Kirby Puckett:"He was one of the very few people that I enjoyed being around, to tell you the truth, because he was just himself," said Garnett, who wrote KP 34 in honor of Puckett on his sneakers for Tuesday night's game, a 93-87 loss to the Houston Rockets at Target Center. "I had a lot of private conversations about being who we are, being people, not being afraid of making mistakes."Madsen on Puckett:"I have a lot of admiration for Kirby, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I was an A's fan, and he used to destroy the A's. That was frustrating, but you came here and you met him, and you realized how nice of a human being he was."
Waiving Fred Hoiberg didn't save the Wolves on the luxury tax, the main reason for doing so, as the team payroll is under the tax threshold. Glen Taylor says that waiving him also seemed to ensure that he didn't rush back to the court too soon after his surgery. Despite this, Hoiberg has been in talks with the Pistons.
"We're going to invite Freddie in and visit with him to see where he is," Dumars (Pistons president) said. "He's in a situation now where he's got enough information from his doctors and that he feels pretty comfortable, whether he makes a decision to play this year or its next year," said Saunders (Pistons coach), who has kept in touch with Hoiberg. The Wolves play the Jazz in Utah tonight.
Wolves Updates
Hoiberg is going to Detroit to talk to the Pistons about possibly playing with them for the remainder of the season."I'm going to meet with Flip and [Pistons president] Joe Dumars," Hoiberg said. "Nothing's for sure. I want to find out if it's a situation that would make sense."Griffin's got eye problems"My eyes ... it's a little bit of fuzziness. Close, distance," Griffin said, gazing across at the team's practice gym. "I can't wear glasses because it bothers my face, and I can't wear contacts because it bothers my eyes. So laser surgery is probably the best thing for me."Casey on Griffin:"Eddie had a nice week," the coach said. "Again, I don't have a doghouse. There's no such thing. If you want to play and work your way in, I'm going to play whoever is going to help the Timberwolves win. Doesn't matter who he is, how many years he's got in the league ... it's a democracy."Fanball selected McCants as their fantasy pickup of the week. NBA.com has launched a Big Dance Bracket where you can vote for your favorite dance team, including the Timberwolves dancers. The Wolves face the Rockets at home tonight.
Kirby Puckett 1960-2006, RIP
Wolves Updates
Wolves win over Golden State yesterday gives them their second consecutive win. "Our inspiration was coming out and knowing how we played against them in (California)," Garnett said of a 109-77 setback Feb. 4. "We didn't play our best game, and we were more enthused than anything to get a little payback, if you want to call it that. The fourth quarter was a lot more energetic."
Sugar Ray Leonard attended the game and was presented with a Wolves jersey. He sat next to KG's wife in the second half of the game.
Fred Hoiberg says it will be some time before he plays this year if he does decide to play.
Garnett on McCants:"With 50-plus, 60-plus games under his belt, he understands a lot of things that are going to be expected of him," Garnett said. "You can't ask young fellas to come in and do the things you expect without knowing our game. The league is full of a lot of tricks and surprises, and he's come into his own a little bit.Casey on KG trade rumors:"People can want and wish all they want to," Casey said. "Kevin Garnett is our guy. We don't plan on him going anywhere. There's no talks about him going anywhere. All those people that are hoping, wishing, wanting, tampering, writing, dreaming — there's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."
KG's agent Andy Miller on trade rumors:
"Everything that Kevin has been focused in on from day one has remained the same throughout, regardless of the analysis from the outside looking in or all the so-called experts weighing in on what they think would be best for Kevin and the Timberwolves," Miller said.
People close to Kevin McHale say the Timberwolves vice president is too competitive to resign even though his team is struggling.Glen Taylor on Rex Chapman:
"I think Rex's friendship with Kevin [McHale] only on that sense that Rex came in as a scout," Taylor said. "And that's what our intention was to use him as. And I think just because we're having a difficult year that Kevin has probably pulled him in and asked him to be around more and to spend more time helping to analyze that, so I think that Rex has been down watching more of our team playing and trying to advise Kevin and through Kevin help the coach. So in that sense his job has probably changed a little bit this year, just in that Kevin has asked him to be around here more rather than out scouting, but he's still out scouting." Our thoughts are with Kirby Puckett and his family.
"Kirbs is like my older brother," Garnett said after Sunday's Wolves victory over Golden State at Target Center. "I got the message after the game that he had had an unfortunate incident. ... I'm going to call to see if he's OK, or get an update. But my heart goes out not only to him but to his family. I know he's got kids. I hope he's doing well."
Wolves Updates
From the Star Tribune:Anthony Carter was released from jail Friday afternoon after being arrested for drunk driving and was at practice on Saturday morning. His court date is set for March 10.
"I came in and apologized to [team vice president] Kevin McHale, to the coaching staff and the players, for the situation I put the team through," Carter said after the Wolves' workout at the Target Center health club. "I'll apologize to [owner] Glen Taylor when I see him. I want to apologize to all my fans and Timberwolves fans."T-Hud returned from Chicago where he was seeing a specialist about his ankle. He'll continue rehab but no date has been set for his return to the court.
The Lakers are rumored to be interested in Sprewell. The Wolves face Golden State at home tomorrow afternoon.
Taste Of The Timberwolves
A friend and I were lucky enough to attend Taste of the Timberwolves, a fundraiser for the
FastBreak Foundation, on Friday night. The event consisted of live auctions (game of horse with Ricky D and a trip on the team plane to see the Wolves play the Nuggets were two of the items), silent auctions (Steve Nash jersey, KG autographed memorabilia, and more), great food, poker tables, and lots and lots of alcohol. Unfortunately, I took full advantage of the latter which made for an interesting though somewhat embarrassing evening.
Playing poker with Hassell. Thanks to the dealer, I beat him in two games but, alas, we weren't playing for money. He spent a lot of time talking to my friend about Three Six Mafia.
I told Casey that "I defend you to everyone I know." Fortunately, he took the mixed compliment in stride.
McCants graciously posing with me after I knocked him over giving him bunny ears while he was taking another picture.
KG says- Didn't I already get my pic taken with you?
I told the dance team that while their job was demeaning, I really respect what they do. I also talked about the number of "dancers of color" on the squad. That conversation wasn't as short as it could have been and didn't come across as I'd intended which made for some awkward moments. Nevertheless, they were excellent sports. Uncomfortable moments for my date aside, it was an awesome night. (Thanks to Kate for help with the pics.)
More Wolves News
KFAN just reported that Antony Carter was jailed for receiving a DWI last night. Coach Casey acknowledged on air that he was aware of the situation. According to the report, AC was taken to Hennepin County jail where they have til Monday to charge him.
UPDATE:
From WCCO:Minneapolis Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Carter was arrested overnight in Minneapolis on suspicion of drunk driving, police said.Carter, 30, was stopped by police just after 2:15 a.m. Friday on the 600 block of 7th Street North, police said.Police said they observed several driving violations before stopping Carter. Police also said Carter showed several different signs of intoxication, which they did not detail pending a formal complaint. Carter's blood alcohol level at the scene was .20, and a second test put his BAC at .17, police said. The legal limit in Minnesota is .08.Carter was arrested and is being held in a Hennepin County jail without bail, where police say he is awaiting charges.A police spokesperson said Carter has a previous drunk driving violation in California.
Wolves Updates
Hassell signing and listening to
Crime Mob while leaving the Target Center after
Wednesday's win over the Nets.
Update: I was wrong. He was actually listening to Three Six Mafia.
Fred Hoiberg is ready to become the first NBA player to play with a pacemaker. According to the Star Tribune, his agent has been in touch with four or five teams, including Denver.
"I'll play if it makes sense," Hoiberg said. "There is still a good chance I don't play this season."Hoiberg says that if he does sign with a team this season, he wants to return to the Wolves for the next.
Nets Vince Carter on Garnett:"He might be frustrated, but the passion? No, he loves to play."
The experts at Fanball list Marcus Banks as one of the "hot pickups" for fantasy leagues this week. From the Pioneer Press:One person near the Timberwolves fan who was hit in the face by a basketball tossed by Kevin Garnett during the game against Memphis on Sunday overheard the fan say, "I can't walk" when asked to go to the medical area at Target Center.
Wolves Updates
"I've never been scared of difficult times," said Garnett, who has advanced past the first round of the playoffs once in his 11 seasons. "I like the challenge of fighting through them just by putting my hard hat on every night and giving it my all.
"I'm never going to give up on something just because times are tough. That's [being] a coward. That's not even in me." Rex Chapman is not interested in becoming the next Phoenix Suns GM and President:"Even though (Suns all-star point guard) Steve Nash and I are the best of friends and I maintain a residence here in Phoenix, I'm just not interested at this time and would not be interested in leaving the Timberwolves," Chapman said by telephone.
The Nuggets have expressed interest in acquiring Hoiberg.
Wolves rookie Rashad McCants was involved in a second-quarter tussle after he stood by injured Bulls guard Chris Duhon and shouted at him. Chicago's Othella Harrington came over and shoved McCants.
Duhon was face down on the court in pain after he aggravated his bruised jaw when he collided with Minnesota's Justin Reed.
"I was just asking if (Duhon) was all right. That was it," McCants said.
Wolves teammate Kevin Garnett, who got involved in the scrum to defend McCants, said Harrington misunderstood McCants' intentions.Davis on last night's loss to Chicago:"They just outplayed us, beat us on every scheme, a lot of pick and rolls," Wolves swingman Ricky Davis said.A preview of tonight's game at home against the Nets.
Asked about KG, Robert Pollard (formerly of Guided By Voices) had only this to say: The man, the machine, the grasshopper- Kevin Garnett.
