Wolves Updates 9/30
Rashad McCants is going to be on
KFAN with Sludge & Lake from 7pm-8pm tonight.
From Rocky Mountain News:The Nuggets also are on the verge of signing point guard Anthony Carter, a seven-year veteran who played the past two seasons for Minnesota, to a nonguaranteed deal.Marty Burns/SI.com takes a look at the issues facing the Wolves this season:
1. Is Mike James the answer?Seeking to upgrade at point guard, the T'Wolves signed veteran Mike James (Raptors) to a four-year $23.4 million deal. They're hoping the 31-year-old veteran can provided some scoring pop and pressure defense. He'll get his first chance to show it in training camp.
2. Where's the beef?With the likes of Mark Blount, Eddie Griffin and Mark Madsen penciled in as Kevin Garnett's main sidekicks in the front court, Minnesota is thin in terms of big man depth. They can only hope everybody stays healthy in camp or they could be in trouble when the real games begin.
3. Is Randy Foye for real?The T'Wolves parlayed the No. 6 pick in last June's draft for the rights to Foye, the former Villanova standout. The 6-4 combo guard dazzled during summer league play and could battle Marko Jaric, Trenton Hassell and Troy Hudson for backcourt minutes right away.
Sporting News ranks the offseason and the Wolves come in at #9.
...The downside of all this backcourt improvement is that the Timberwolves did nothing to help Garnett inside. He'll still be looking at Mark Blount, Eddie Griffin and Mark Madsen as his fellow frontcourtmen. I don't know about you, but that would be enough to make me demand a trade.
Chad Hartman Interviews Coach Casey
KFAN had Coach Casey fielding questions on the air this afternoon.
Update: You can hear the audio
here.
Casey talked about holding training camp in Mankato and said he felt that getting away for a bit with the team and hanging out at the Holiday Inn would be good for team chemistry.
On KG:
Casey was asked a couple times about the
SLAM interview in which Garnett indicated he needs help asap. While he said he'd only heard about but not read the article, Casey stated that Garnett has shown only that he's on board and in step with the team and the organization. He said Garnett was excited about the changes and, in particular, that Ticket likes Mike James' bravado.
Garnett, Casey said, is in great shape and his knees are fine. He's spent most of the summer in town and, along with Trent Hassell, has been helping organize team workouts and pickup games.
On Rashad McCants:
McCants has been working on his legs, upper body, doing pool work and looks to be ahead of schedule. Though some have been saying Dec or Jan is feasible for McCants' return, Casey didn't want to commit to any specific time frame. He said his main goal is not to bring him back before he's ready.
On Eddie Griffin:
Casey referred to Griffin as "the biggest surprise of the summer." He's been in the gym everyday and seems very committed to the team. According to Casey, the doctor performing Griffin's eye surgery this summer was surprised that, because of his eye sight, Griffin had even been driving...
On Randy Foye:
Casey didn't want to pigeonhole him into a point guard or off-guard. The coach did say he wants to put Foye into the fire pretty quickly and that the rookie shows more command of the game coming into the season than McCants did last year.
On Troy Hudson:
He's a full-go, is showing "speedy quickness," and his three-point shooting looks good. Casey said the competition among T-Hud, James, and Foye is going to be intense.
As for the glut at guard and lack of a big man, Casey says the team will have to use some "innovative" lineups to make up for those things.
Wolves Updates 9/28
Steve Kerr/Yahoo previews the Western Conference and has the Wolves finishing first in the division, sixth in the conference.
Randy Foye and Mike James will add some much needed fire to the Wolves. They could be just what Kevin Garnett needs to help turn around this team's fortunes.The Wolves site takes a "backward glance" at the team's summer league roster, specifically Foye and Bracey Wright.
I honestly have no idea what this means or if the
Pioneer Press is implying something with this statement:
Some people believe former Gopher Kris Humphries, now with the Toronto Raptors, could be the player the Timberwolves need in their frontcourt.
Casey On KFAN Tomorrow
Coach Casey is scheduled to be
on-air at KFAN tomorrow from 2-3pm.
Babcock On The Frontcourt
The Wolves site has posted a
Q&A with Rob Babcock on the frontcourt. Below are excerpts.
Trudell: Towards that end, do you feel that as a personnel staff you have put enough players around Kevin to succeed as a basketball squad?
Babcock: ... I think at this point, where we are right now with the flexibility we have, the cap situation, and what is available, we've done everything we can with this basketball team to prepare and get ready for this season...We're continuing to look, and I know that Kevin and Jim Stack are on the phones talking to other teams...
Trudell: Do you feel it necessary to bring in additional bodies to add depth to the frontcourt?
Babcock: We definitely could use a little bit more depth up front. We're OK with what we have as long as people don't get hurt, but people do get hurt...
Trudell: Fair enough. Changing tunes here, another player you have seen before in Minnesota is Mark Madson. Talk about all of the different things he does to help your team win.
Babcock: I know Mark well, and understand what he can do for a basketball team. He does a lot of intangible things that the average fan might not pick up on...
Trudell: You've been watching many of the Wolves work out in the last month or so. What can you tell us about Eddie Griffin?
Babcock: I've been watching Eddie work out for the last month, and what I've seen is that he is really working hard. Each week, he's in better shape...
Wolves Over The Weekend
Both the
Pioneer Press and
Sid Hartman say the Wolves won't be looking for an available addition to the frontcourt until training camp and the exhibition games so they can wait and see how the team shapes up. That means no Bonzi Wells.
The Pioneer Press has an article about Hoiberg in which he discusses running a 1-miler in conjunction with the Twin Cities Marathon next weekend. The new assistant GM also talks about not wanting to play even pickup games anymore.
"That would just frustrate me, because I think I could still play professionally," he explained. "If I got out there to play, I'd probably play too hard."
Hoiberg is also speaking at the first "Iowa Higher Education Summit" this week.
According to Glen Taylor, KG has"displayed a positive attitude, is eager to get the season started and has been working with the team's new players" at the Target Center. He also says that there probably won't be any changes in the current ownership
If you have any questions you want to ask Taylor, someone at
this forum is soliciting them to use in an upcoming interview with the owner.
Garnett is ranked at number 4 in the
NBA Live 07 player rankings.
Twelve home Wolves games will be
broadcast exclusively in Spanish this season.
Happy Birthday to Ricky Davis (9/23) and team poet laureate Rashad McCants (9/25).
SLAM Asks KG If He Gets Direct Deposit
Lang at
SLAM Online poses a few questions to KG regarding what's he'd do if he were commissioner, what he can cook, if he gets direct deposit, and his favorite non-basketball sports team. Thankfully they provide the audio.
Wolves Updates 9/22
Because it's so crappy out and this topic never gets old,
click here to watch a few priceless seconds of Mad Dog dancing.
A video of training camp invitee
Daniel Santiago. From
The Pioneer Press:A little birdie says a California friend of Taylor's who has been interested in buying as much as 30 percent of the Timberwolves has gone into a wait-and-see mode while talks continue. That's not to say a deal couldn't be struck next year.Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor's priority these days is to return his team to contending status. But if the Wild were to become available for sale — and that could happen within a year or two — and double-billionaire Taylor were to buy the NHL team, it wouldn't be surprising if he made the Wolves a co-tenant at Xcel Energy Center.
As for the Wolves' lease at Target Center, a move probably would require a buyout by Taylor.My initial thought was that there are few things more depressing than having to go to downtown St Paul 40+ times a year to watch the Wolves play. Then I realized I could be watching the team in the depths of that city sans Garnett. If that ever happened, I might trade in my season tickets to watch
Joe Mauer at the new downtown Minneapolis stadium instead.
Notes From Sid Hartman
It's not much but at least it's "good news":Good news for the Timberwolves: Point guard Troy Hudson continues to work out at Target Center with other players on a regular basis and seems to be healthy and ready to go. The other good news is that forward Eddie Griffin seems to be a new player on the court.
Q&A With Rob Babcock
The Wolves site has posted a
Q&A with Rob Babcock regarding the team's backcourt. Click on the link for the full session. Below are a few of the questions.
Trudell: You've talked about the fact that neither James nor Foye are of the "pure" point guard breed. How do you see the newest Timberwolves working together on the court?Babcock:They both can score and pass, particularly when they put the ball on the floor, drive and kick it out. They can certainly play together, and are both strong enough to defend the two guard position. There is always the question you ask that isn't so much offensively, but how versatile is the player, and whom can he guard? If you are playing two "point guards" together at the same time, can one of those guys guard a two? The answer is, both of our guys can guard a two, and that's really important. If you throw two point guards on the court at the same time and neither one of them can guard a two, then that guy is just going to get posted up like crazy and you're going to have problems.Trudell: OK, cool. We'll get you out of here with a final thought on what Timberwolves fans can expect from their guards for the 2006-07 season.Babcock: I think the coaches are going to be able to get just about everything that they need out of our guards. There isn't that "true" point guard, and if you look at that group, it's the one thing that you might question. But the answer is, if you design your system appropriately, you don't have to have a true point guard. The Dallas Mavericks went to the finals last season and had a great year, without a true point guard on their team. Jason Terry and Devin Harris aren't true point guards. It certainly can be done. So take that out, and I think at the guard position we have just about everything that we need. We have shooters, finishers, size, quickness, transition scorers, guys that can post up, put the ball on the floor, and good defenders. With Mike James and Troy Hudson healthy, the three-point capability of our team goes way up. If you have both of those guys on the court at the same time, you better get out and cover them, because they can knock it down. That's the variety of what you need, and it's exciting.
Wolves Updates 9/21
WCCO has a short segment discussing Sam at
SLAM Online declaring the Wolves' front office to be the worst in the league.
Wolves aficionado Dr. Boss compiles a list of songs and videos from various NBA rappers including T-Hud. Skeets at
the Basketball Jones also has one to add to the list.
In
Mad Dog's latest blog posting, he talks about
Rookie Transition camp.Rookie Transition camp was a very interesting experience for me. Every single incoming rookie in the NBA has to attend or get fined $10,000.00. When I was there, they brought in accountants, image consultants, financial advisors, and conflict resolution people who try to teach us how to stay calm when things get heated. Overall it was good. I remember when David Stern came in to talk to us about the NBA. He was really cool to all of the guys and actually gave out his email address to all of us and said that if we ever had any concerns, complaints, or questions, to email him directly. Madsen also says that Daniel Santiago has been working out with the team and that "he's been looking pretty good" and thinks that he'd bring "a very intelligent, and tough big guy to mix."
McCants' Poetry
Via
FreeDarko, a link to
Rashad McCants paying tribute to KG from a book of poetry which the player wants to have finished by midseason.
he came to me with open arms, like a hawk embracing his young,and he fed me food out his mouth but I was starving for knowledge.the type of knowledge that can't be fed by hand or voice, but by heart.so when he spoke he touched my soul, and my soul would smack me if I didn't listenthe words he spoke weren't for the ears to hear.because his words were real, it's hard to hear the truth when lies are so loud.I put my earphones on so I can hear nothing and see everything.lies could never steal my attention when he …he … spoke.The eyes never lie. and when he spoke he wore no glasses.he wanted me to see the truth, which was? that everyone wears glasses to protect lies,truth? glasses? lies?sounds like earth, sounds like humans, sounds like America.but if that's so where is he from? not from here, he has no glasses!there was an aura, a light, a truth, about him.special? never. different? maybe. human? impossible. so I asked him one question to expect one answerwhen you walk and talk and teach how come everyone can stare at your light, your aura, your truth?because we are the same.
Wolves Updates 9/20
Need4Sheed has posted a new Adidas commercial featuring KG, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, Chauncey Billups and Tim Duncan.
Sid Hartman calls a Minnesota Daily writer
"a nothing."CBS Sportsline ranks the league's top point guards and Mike James comes in at #17.
Although his shot selection was often questioned, James was one of last season's breakout performers. He'll be asked to provide offense in his new home, and won't have to be asked twice.TSN.ca previews the team's upcoming season.
Wolves Updates 9/19
Anthony Carter is working out for the Trail Blazers and the free agent could get an invite to their training camp.
Via
HoopsHype: Second round pick
Loukas Mavrokefalidis just signed a three-year contract with Virtus Roma from Italy.
Wolves Updates 9/18
Inspired by the hiring of Rob Babcock as the team's assistant GM, Sam at
SLAM Online ranks the worst front offices in the league. The Wolves top the list:
They’ve ruined Kevin Garnett’s career. Sure, they gave him a hundered mill, so that was nice of them, but in all of those first round playoff losses the T-Wolves were almost never the better team. Maybe never. How do you have one of the most talented players in NBA history and barely make it out of the first round over a decade? ESPN asks some NBA writers which of the current worst teams will win a championship in the near future and a couple of them believe it'll be the Wolves. Click on the link to read the whole thing but below are a few highlights of their reasoning.
David Thorpe, Pro Training Center
Mark Blount had his two best rebounding months in March and April last year. KG will continue to influence him toward playing to his potential. The Wolves need some additional help inside, and they need Foye to develop rapidly, so a trade involving Ricky Davis could help on both accounts.
Now, if Coach Dwane Casey can go to school as fast as Coach Van Gundy did in Miami, and Foye can "be like Dwayne," the Wolves just may pull a Miami and contend for the title in 2008. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon Journal
So the challenge at hand is to create a package involving one or more of the following: Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Marko Jaric, Trenton Hassell and Troy Hudson. All are semi-talented players with somewhat burdensome contracts who have value to someone.
The other big issue is the head coach. If the Wolves don't get off to a good start, every insider in the league feels Dwane Casey will be on the hot seat. Getting behind Casey or making a prudent switch will be vital.
Carnival Of The NBA #36
The Nugg Doctor presents the 36th Carnival Of The NBA. If you're looking to be amused and entertained during the offseason, check out the link.
Wolves Over The Weekend
Rakim, though a Knicks fan, couldn't stop repeating "that's my boy KG!" when he saw the claws.
According to
Sid Hartman, the people involved with the lawsuit against Eddie Griffin have been asking the player's lawyer and the team for up to $250,000 to dismiss the suit.
Griffin also says he's working on making next season a better one.
"I'm out there every day working with the coaches ... and I'm trying to eat right, trying to lose 10-15 pounds, and then I should be all right," he said.
Center
Daniel Santiago is taking part in the team's training camp.
Craig Smith has recovered from his wrist injury and is working out daily at the Target Center.
Hartman says that Smith has " impressed coaches with his ability to rebound."
Marc Stein has an offseason preview of the Wolves:
McHale actually added two guards who can score -- don't forget rookie Randy Foye -- and those are the best kind to put next to the unselfish KG. However … none of the above offsets the reality that the Wolves have serious, serious issues in the frontcourt and precious few assets to get Garnett some rebounding and defensive help. Even if it goes small and deploys KG as a crunch-time center, a role he doesn't enjoy, Minnesota sorely needs another quality big to compete in the West.Inside Hoops ranks Foye third on their list of Rookie of the Year favorites.
Skita says he's going to sign with the Sonics.
Built To Spill Loves KG
Doug Martsch from Built To Spill was very eager to pose with the claws and talk Wolves.
Upon seeing the claws, Martsch remarked, "the Timberwolves. Ah, the monumental underachievers."
After his bandmates' laughter had subsided, Martsch felt compelled to add, "I love KG, though. It's not his fault."
If you're not a BTS fan, keep in mind this is a band who had to postpone and reschedule an entire tour because of a pick up game. Martsch suffered a detached retina playing hoops, was told he'd probably be blind in one eye, and underwent some major though successful surgery to fix it.
Wolves Updates 9/15
Sid Hartman thinks the Wolves should pursue Bonzi Wells.
Wells made $8 million last season, the final year of his three-year contract. That is a lot of money, but Wolves owner Glen Taylor has a way of working with players who have had problems with other teams. Wells would cost some money but he might be the guy to help turn this franchise around.The Star Tribune has more info on Brian Sieman, the Wolves new play-by-play voice.
Randy Foye on posing for his first trading card:"I used to collect baseball, basketball, and football cards," says the kid most likely to be Rookie of the Year, Randy Foye. "I used to have a Michael Jordan rookie card, a Derek Jeter too. I just hope someone gets excited when they get one of my cards."CBS Sportsline give a very lukewarm preview of the team's season and speculates about the length of Casey's tenure with the Wolves.
That's why insiders expect the Wolves to struggle early in their schedule, and that's why people wonder about Casey's job security past, oh, Thanksgiving. The situation is compounded, too, by the return of Randy Wittman, the longtime Minnesota assistant coach who spent last season in Orlando. Wittman gained head coaching experience in Cleveland in the pre-LeBron James era, so he would be capable of shifting over on the bench. Along those same lines, the Wolves have also
hired veteran NBA assistant Bob Ociepka to the coaching staff.
Hoiberg and Babcock Named Assistant GMs
The Wolves today
hired Fred Hoiberg and ex-Raptors GM Rob Babcock as assistant GM's for the team.
"For Fred, he is doing a tremendous job in transitioning from being a player to a front office executive. Hopefully, he will continue to grow and learn in this new role," vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said in a statement. "Rob is someone who is very knowledgeable about the NBA, and has been here before so he knows what we do. Both of them were a great help in our preparations for this year's draft."If something happens to McHale, I can only hope that Hoiberg is the first-runner up.
Sam at
SLAM Online thinks this move is a sign that "the T-Wolves want to lose."
Update:
The Star Tribune has more on the hirings.
Both Hoiberg and Babcock will be heavily involved in scouting and draft preparation...Hoiberg's mandate back in April was to learn both the basketball and business side of the operation. Most of his job will focus on basketball operations.
Wolves Updates 9/14
Brian Sieman is replacing Chad Hartman as the Wolves play-by-play radio voice. Sieman will also continue to call Lynx games.
Chris at
End Of The Bench talks about a well-meaning Mad Dog stalker.
Via
MNSportsFans.com/Timberwolves Central, a link to a
Lil Jon mixtape hosted by Ricky Davis.
KG along with Prince and Dylan was one of the "main attractions" at a
body art show downtown.
Stephon Marbury On Garnett
Marbury spent some time with local media while in town to promote his new shoe line.
Rick Alonzo/Pioneer Press talked to Marbury about
playing with KG:
"I would love to play with Kevin," Marbury said. "We would love for him to come to New York. If he wants to play with me in New York, that would be great. That's the only way it's going to happen, because I'm in New York."the possibility of having to return to the Wolves:
"Minnesota's good to me," Marbury said. "The fans there are great. When I left, it wasn't for basketball reasons. It was for living reasons. I just felt like I didn't want to commit seven years of my life to living in Minnesota. It was really cold. There was a lot of snow."
his relationship with KG:
Marbury described their infrequent conversations as "brief.""I wouldn't say we have a bad relationship," Marbury said.Marbury also talked to
Chad Hartman on KFAN yesterday afternoon. The interview briefly touched upon speculation that Marbury's jealousy of Garnett was one of the reasons for him leaving. Marbury's response was, "Why would I be jealous of another man? That's not my even my style or my character."
In what he seemed to think was a magnanimous gesture, Marbury also told Hartman that he wasn't mad at KG for being mad at him for leaving Minnesota.
Wolves Updates 9/13
Click here for an ESPN chat with Randy Foye.
ESPN also has an article about Foye and the other rookies hanging out on a bus before a photo shoot.
The Wolves will hold
training camp in Mankato from Oct 3-7.
Wolves Updates 9/12
Mad Dog has high praise for Randy Foye:
I have been very impressed with our new draft choice Randy Foye!!! You are going to like what you see out there! The last two days a big group of us have been playing pickup ball at the target center. This is the first time I had met or played with Randy. I am going to tell you right now that Randy Foye is going to excite the fans at the Target Center a lot. He is a very good shooter, but most importantly, he has a floater that he seems to be able to shoot over anyone. CBS Sportsline ranks KG as the second best power forward in the league for next season behind Dirk Nowitzki.
I can only defend placing Garnett anywhere but first on this list with the standard "his excellence hasn't delivered a Finals" response. The Timberwolves are likely to be mediocre again this coming year, though K.G. will have more help. It's a shame his career is shaping up this way, because his legacy deserves better. Garnett has consistently excelled defensively as well as offensively throughout his career, but he has only a few years left at his peak. Stephon Marbury is scheduled to be on
KFAN on Wednesday and at some
local malls on Thursday promoting his shoes/clothing line.
Hudson is "close to 100 percent"
From Sid Hartman:Timberwolves point guard Troy Hudson, who has been sidelined by an ankle problem since the middle of last year, showed that he is close to 100 percent as he took part in a scrimmage Monday of signed players and free agents. "Hudson looks as good as I have seen him," said teammate Trenton Hassell. "Watching Hudson shoot the ball, he didn't look any different than he was last year when he was healthy." Hudson has been rehabilitating on his own, and until he recently showed up at Target Center, his status for the 2006-07 season was a question.
Wolves first-round draft choice Randy Foye. second-round choice Craig Smith and veterans Hassell, Ricky Davis and Mike James are among the players working out on a regular basis at Target Center. Kevin Garnett has also shown up regularly.
The Other Wilson Brother
Andrew Wilson (brother of Luke and Owen) was in town for some comedy show this weekend. I asked him to pose with the Twolves claws because
1) He was in Bottle Rocket
2) He shares some of the same DNA as Luke
3) He said he liked KG
We started talking about the Mavs because dude's a fan but he seemed surprised and slightly disgusted when he found out
Dirk shaves his armpits.
Wolves Over The Weekend
Mad Dog blogs about Coach K, the NBA age restriction, and international basketball rules :I think in the late 1990's the NBA game was truly a physical, gritty, and very punishing league in terms of physical contact. Granted I was at home in college watching the games from the sofa with a bag of potato chips, but that's my view. Sometime in the early 2000's the philosophy of the NBA rules committee changed to promote more scoring. The end result is that in some ways, high school and college basketball are more physical than the NBA. You might think I am joking or that I don't know what I'm talking about, but I can tell you that when I first played in the Long Beach Summer League with NBA rules for the first time, I almost fouled out in the first game. I still remember Kevin McHale telling me two years ago about how "if you so much as tough a guy with your hand on the perimeter, it's a foul," whereas, "you can absolutely tackle a guy away from the ball in the paint and there's no foul." Perhaps the NBA should re-evaluate the direction of the physical contact rules so that we are more prepared for international competition.The Pioneer Press on Rex Chapman going to Denver:
Chapman officially was a scout during his only season with the Wolves, but he wielded more influence than that title would suggest... But with the addition of Rob Babcock and Fred Hoiberg to the Wolves' management team, Chapman might have had to share or possibly give up some of that influence... The roles for Hoiberg and Babcock aren't yet official, but an announcement defining their positions could come in the next couple of weeks. Stack said their responsibilities will be wide-ranging. According to the
Pioneer Press, Glen Taylor could have some interest in the Minnesota Wild if the team is put up for sale.
Some people believe Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor could become a suitor, in part because he could eliminate intense concert competition between his Target Center and the Wild's Xcel Energy Center. But Taylor is determined to resurrect his NBA team first before considering other ventures, which eventually also could include the Twins.A profile of Mike James' high school team, the Amityville Warriors.
Officer In Eddie Griffin's Case Gets DUI
According to
WCCO (complete with video), Dan Anderson, one of the police officers under investigation for possible mishandling of Eddie Griffin's infamous car accident, was arrested for a DUI early on Friday.
Brooklyn Center police arrested Anderson right on the police station property. He'd had a minor accident. He ran his car into a fence in the back of the parking lot.Investigators said Anderson was drunk. They said he wasn't hurt and was cooperative and polite at the scene.As to why a cop was driving drunk at a police station:
Brooklyn Center Police said it looks like just a coincidence. That somehow Anderson turned off the road at the police station and hit the fence. We don't know if he was heading there for some reason, or if in fact it was just where he happened to end up.
Wolves Updates 9/7
Timberwolves scout
Rex Chapman is leaving the organization to become vice president of player personnel for the Denver Nuggets.
Fred Hoiberg is speaking at an American Heart Association luncheon in Ames, IA tomorrow.
Timberwolves Central looks better than ever as they've revamped and expanded into
MNSportsFans.com.
Wolves Offer Contract To Greek Center
From The Pioneer Press:Pssst: With little chance left to sign 6-foot-8, 245-pound free agent Reggie Evans, the Timberwolves have offered 7-foot-1, 275-pound free agent Andreas Glyniadakis a contract. But Glyniadakis, who is from Greece, also has offers from Atlanta, Toronto and New Jersey.Glyniadakis was selected by Detroit in the final pick of the 2003 draft and
played in the NBDL last season.
The Albuquerque D-League coach was really excited to have the center on his team:
Glyniadakis' soft scoring touch and smart play prompted Thunderbirds coach Michael Cooper to make a trade with Roanoke earlier this month to acquire the big man.
"I was about to pee-pee in my pants when I found out he would be available," Cooper said. "Now we're glad to have the big Greek. Andreas is doing exactly what we need him to. He can hit the 15-, 16-foot jumper and is a big presence."
T-Hud Is Finally Ready
(Perhaps not coincidentally) on the same day as registration for
American Idol auditions, Troy Hudson made his long-awaited return to the Target Center. After a period of no communication with the team,
Hudson met with the coaches and said that his troublesome ankle was fine and he could begin working out for them.
"We're real pleased with how his ankle looks. We got good reports from the doctor that he was working with," Wolves General Manager Jim Stack said. "At least for now, everything seems to be going in a real good direction with him. He is going to start playing with our guys."Troy says he's been doing his thing. I think it's going to be one of those, hopefully, all's well that ends well. You know, it hit some snags during the summer, there's no doubt about it, but we gave him some leeway. I think he did what he needed to do. He's going to be ready to play, according to him. Proof will be in the pudding. We'll see."
More Wolves News
From The Pioneer Press:It appears Reggie Evans, who has received a free-agent offer from the Timberwolves, is waiting to sign with the Denver Nuggets instead. Evans hasn't responded to the Wolves, who have decided to wait until near the start of the season to try to acquire another pivot player.Timberwolves guard Troy Hudson has arrived in town and is working out, but not in informal workouts with teammates. Eddie Griffin has been practicing with teammates virtually daily and behaving, the team says.Click
here for a short video of Isaiah Rider highlights.
Wolves Updates 9/6
Steve Aschburner/Star Tribune on whether KG will spend the entirety of his career with the Timberwolves:
The Wolves don't "owe" Garnett a chance to win elsewhere. But they do owe their fans hope, and the team's best chance to rebuild -- if this summer's blueprint fails -- would be to trade its superstar. Not only might it bring back young talent, draft picks and expiring contracts (for cap space), it could give the Wolves a chance to unload past mistakes in the deal ("You want KG, you gotta take Troy Hudson").Rashad McCants has started "light workouts" but the timing of his return is still uncertain.
It appears that
Reggie Evans isn't going to be any help to the team next season as he's expected to re-sign with Denver.
Both
Randy Foye and Ricky Davis have been regular participants at the team's voluntary workouts.
CBS Sportsline ranks Davis as the 17th top small forward for next season.
Wolves Over The Weekend
From JJ at
Still Listen To Gangsta Music, a link to the new Lloyd Banks song in which he name drops KG.
KG was at Tryst in Vegas last week along with Drew Gooden and Tyronn Lue.
Garnett was also scheduled to take part in a celebrity basketball game as part of
Luda Day Weekend in Atlanta. The teams were led by Ludacris and 50 Cent/G-Unit.
From the Pioneer Press:The Californian who is expected to buy an interest in the Timberwolves by November is a friend of owner Glen Taylor. No price has been set because it is unclear how many of Taylor's 14 limited partners might accept an offer to sell their shares. The team Taylor bought for $89 million 11 years ago could be worth more than $300 million.
Taylor is willing to sell as much as 30 percent of the team if that many shares become available.
Hartman Leaves The Wolves
Chad Hartman has given up his position as a play-by-play announcer with the Wolves in order to keep his show on KFAN.
When the team left KFAN to partner with BOB 106, Clear Channel exec Mick Anselmo decided it would be a conflict of interest for Hartman to continue to host his radio show while while working for the Wolves on another station.
"I've worked for both places since 1990, and both have been very fair to me and I've enjoyed it and have friends at both places," Hartman said. "I still enjoy play-by-play an awful lot and think the NBA is a great product. I will miss it, no doubt, but this makes the most sense professionally and personally. I have three sons who are 11, soon to be 10 and 5. My youngest has had health issues, and when you're gone as much as we are with the Wolves that certainly makes things complicated."The Wolves, anticipating this was coming, have been talking to a short list of potential candidates that is believed to include Brian Sieman, Andrew Monaco and Craig Ackerman. All three do play-by-play of WNBA teams. The team hope to come to a decision on Hartman's replacement in the next couple weeks.
