On Tuesday's press conference
Click here for a transcript of yesterday's press conference.Mike Trudell/Timberwolves site has a follow-up with Kevin McHale.
From Brandt Williams/MPR:
Timberwolves Vice President Kevin McHale says it was a hard decision to trade Garnett, but he says it was apparent that the team and Garnett were going in different directions.
"He really wanted to play -- at this stage in his career -- with older guys that had a chance to win a championship. So if we were going young I'm not sure our paths were on the same path."
From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
"When people say young, they mean we're supposed to lose," said Al Jefferson, the fourth-year power forward who was the centerpiece of the trade. "I don't agree with that at all."
A report out of Boston when the trade was finalized suggested Jefferson was devastated that day.
"It wasn't that I took it hard," he said. "I just had never been traded before. The trade was more of a shock, but now I think it's a great opportunity for all of us. ... It's a compliment for all of us to be traded for KG, one of the best players in the league. I don't feel any pressure."
From Jon Krawczynski/AP Sports:
The word "potential" was thrown around plenty on Tuesday, par for the course when four of the five players acquired for the franchise icon are 25 or younger.
"Potential doesn't mean much until you realize it," McHale said. "These guys all can play, but can they win? Can they go out and help the team win, that's what our league's all about. They have a lot of challenges ahead of them."
From Todd Sikorski/AHN:
The man who gave the thumbs up on the deal brushed aside the questions reporters asked about the Boston connection.
"If all these guys had played in New Orleans and were the same type of players, it would have been the same thing," McHale said. "It's the players you're getting and not where they played. That has no bearing whatsoever."
From Rick Alonzo/Pioneer Press:
Forward/center Theo Ratliff said his surgically repaired back is feeling well and that he's looking forward to contributing to the Wolves next season. Ratliff was limited to two games last season because of a bulging disk...
-Jefferson will wear No. 25, Sebastian Telfair No. 3, Ryan Gomes No. 8, Gerald Green No. 15 and Ratliff No. 42.
Jim Souhan/Star Tribune writes that Sebastian Telfair made a "good first impression" at the press conference.
I asked him about being stopped with an expired driver's license and a firearm he didn't own being found in the car, and about the time he carried a loaded firearm onto a Blazers charter.
"I have not been charged with anything," he said. "I've been in some unfortunate situations where I've been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I fully take responsibility for that. I grew up learning how not to be in those situations ... and now I've taken myself out of New York City and moved to Vegas so I can concentrate on basketball."
posted by Lil Dice @ 8/08/2007 01:14:00 AM
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