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Wolves Updates 3/1

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Antoine Walker also is seeking a buyout agreement by tonight's deadline and a chance at a fresh start. But considering the Wolves already made an offer that was rejected, don't count on Walker getting his wish.
 
McHale said there haven't been further negotiations.
 
"There was an offer made to Antoine, and they said they weren't comfortable with that, and that's kind of where it is," McHale said.
    
 
 
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on Theo Ratliff's buyout: 
The move saves the Wolves money, grants Ratliff's request and theoretically creates more playing time for rookie Chris Richard and Craig Smith. Ratliff is expected to sign with title contender Detroit when he clears waivers. All of Ratliff's big salary slot still comes off the Wolves' books this summer.
 
   
 
Broadcaster Tom Hanneman talks to Wolves owner Glen Taylor about this season, the players acquired in the KG trade, Randy Wittman as coach, and the future of the team. On Kevin McHale:
My thoughts are when I look back at when we first started this team and Kevin and I and some others put together a plan and for eight years we went with that plan and we got better and better each year. We got in the playoffs five years. We did everything we said we would and then we had a couple really bad years that did not meet my expectation, nor Kevin's expectations, and we get criticized for that. But when I look at Kevin McHale, I look at all the good things he does and how he was helped young players, how he's willing to do things to help this team and he'll be out on the floor if that's what it takes. I just think he's a very good influence on this team. But on the other hand I would say we've changed some things. We have added staff around Kevin to give him more scouting, more people to help in that area. Probably Kevin didn't ask for it before and maybe that's my fault. I probably should have given him some more help to do that job better. We've been doing that this year. We have a lot more scouting. We're over in Europe more. We're out watching all kinds of college games. That makes Kevin's job easier because he has more information.
   
 
 
 
The Target Center roof may soon be growing green.
 
The Minneapolis City Council Friday authorized taking bids for three differing configurations of vegetation atop the city-owned arena.
 
At 115,000 square feet, the arena would have the second-largest green roof in the state, according to the Minnesota Green Roofs Council.
 
 
 
The Minnesota Timberwolves, KSTC.TV Channel 45, FSN North and Charter Communications today announced that they have partnered together to broadcast Timberwolves games aired on KSTC.TV Channel 45, in the Mankato, Minn. market.
 
   

Wolves 84, Cavaliers 92

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From the AP recap: 
LeBron James had 30 points and 13 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 92-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
James was a game-time decision after spraining his right ankle in Wednesday night's loss to Boston.
 
Also from the recap: 
The Timberwolves have lost nine of 11 and are 2-25 on the road. 
 
 
 
 
Wolves record: 12-45
 
 
 
 
Timberwolves center Al Jefferson lit up the Cavs' interior defense in the first half, scoring 18 points with seven rebounds. But the Cavs used better help defense in the second half, and he was held to four points and three rebounds. 
 
 
 
The Wolves certainly are going young. Except for Marko Jaric, 29, who played six minutes, every Wolf who hit the court against Cleveland was born in the 1980s.
 
"Real young," coach Randy Wittman said. "That's who we are right now."
 
Despite that youth and inexperience, they played well enough defensively to keep the game close until the last five minutes, when the Wolves made too many mistakes, and Cleveland pulled away.

 
 
This time, James led a team remade after last week's trading-deadline deal sent away four players and brought back big Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak in return. This time, James provided 19 of his 30 points after halftime with an exhibition of soaring dunks and baseline drives, on some of which Brewer tried to obstruct around the big fellow's path to an easy basket and still got brushed simply aside.
 
   
 
The Timberwolves had 16 offensive rebounds in the first half. They had four in the second.
Minnesota, a team with only 12 wins, trailed, 79-75, with 4:44 left. The inside defense of Ilgauskas and Wallace got tougher, but the Cavs' offense, led by James, also picked up.
 

 

From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
4 Minutes played by Wolves rookie Chris Richard, the intended beneficiary for playing time after the team waived Theo Ratliff on Friday.
 

On Ratliff's buyout

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"Theo indicated to us that he wasn't sure of his plans in the future - whether he was going to play or not - and there was an indication that he would not re-sign with us if he did choose to continue playing," said Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. "This provides us an opportunity to play our younger post players - Craig Smith and Chris Richard - and give us more time to continue to evaluate them. I cannot say enough about Theo's professionalism throughout the entire season and we wish him the best of luck in the future."
 
 
 
Wolves VP of basketball operations Kevin McHale said the buyout discussions for Theo Ratliff started a few weeks ago when Ratliff's agent approached the Wolves about such a move. McHale said Ratliff and his agent were professional in the way they handled it.
 
"There are some pros and cons, no question," McHale said. But in the end, "It was a win-win situation for everyone." 
 
    
 
The positives:
A) The Wolves get to see more of their young guys, like Chris Richard and Craig Smith, on the basketball floor.
B) The Wolves save some money.
C) Ratliff has the chance to sign with a contender in order to make a playoff run.
 

The only negative noted by McHale was that the Wolves won't get to watch Ratliff play alongside Al Jefferson.
 
 
 
The Wolves opted not to trade Ratliff because they had what they wanted: salary-cap flexibility. A $11.66 million slot is infinitely more valuable to Minnesota than a (for instance) player with a fat, multi-season contract. Rebuilding teams generally look to horde salary-cap flexibility unless a perfect, young piece to the puzzle falls into their lap. Last month, no available player fit that mold.
 
 
 
Ratliff and Wittman said good-bye to each other last night. Ratliff was not at shootaround this morning because he already had left town, according to Wittman.
Concerning why this move made sense now, Wittman said, "I think it was kind of indications being that this was it for him. If he did decide to try to play another year, it was going to have to be for a championship-caliber team." 
 
 
 
“We put an offer out there and I wasn’t sure they’d accept it, but they did,” McHale said. “And here we are.”
 
The buyout made sense to McHale and the Wolves because Ratliff was willing to give up a chunk of the $3.7 million still owed him and because it was obvious that, if he does decide to try to play again next season (a reasonably good-sized if) it won’t be in Minnesota. This saves the team money, presumably allows them to give Chris Richard and Craig Smith more playing time and makes Ratliff happy.
 
 
 
 
 

Wolves Updates 2/29 Part 2

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In short, the Wolves made a buyout offer to Walker and his agent, and "they said they weren't comfortable with that," said McHale of Walker's negotiating party. McHale expects Walker to remain with the team for the remainder of the season.
 
 
 
Doug Smith/Toronto Star on the Raptors TJ Ford: 
It was Madsen who collided with Ford during a game in February 2004 that caused the first – and most serious – injury to Ford's spinal column. He ended up missing almost a season and a half after that collision and had surgery to fuse two vertebrae.
 
Ford and Madsen didn't know each other before that incident but have become friends.
 
 
 
Previews of tonight's game at Cleveland:
 
 
The last time Gomes and the Wolves faced James, the Wolves accomplished their objective, forcing James to beat them with the least accomplished of all his skills, his outside shooting. James simply made six three-pointers and scored 45 points in an 11-point victory at Target Center.
 
 "I don't know how you defend him," Gomes said. "We wanted to make him beat us from the outside, and he did."

Wolves Updates 2/29

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The Detroit Pistons are poised to sign the shot-blocker for the stretch run if he clears waivers within 48 hours, which is expected given that a team taking him off waivers would have to pay $3.7 million. Ratliff would be returning to his first team. The Pistons drafted him 18th overall in 1995, and he played two seasons there.
 
 
 
Ratliff is in the last year of his contract and is due to make $11.6 million this season. If the Wolves buy out that deal, and it appears they will, he would be eligible to sign a new contract with the Pistons and be on their playoff roster as long as the buyout is completed by Saturday.
 
    
 
The Pistons expect to sign center Theo Ratliff for a prorated portion of the $1.3 million veteran's minimum after he clears waivers Saturday. He can then sign early next week.
 
 
 
It's almost sad to see Theo Ratliff, a Sixers All-Star in 2000-01, trying to hang in with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The power forward/center who developed as an outstanding weakside shot-blocker has fought his way through a series of back and knee surgeries.
 
"I'm still chasing the same thing everybody else is chasing, trying to get on a winning team, on a championship team, possibly having a chance to win," he said.
 
 
 
Rick Alonzo/Pioneer Press on Rashad McCants:
He has been effective, too, averaging 18.6 points while shooting 50 percent in five games since the NBA all-star break. But that doesn't mean he thinks his role as a reserve who provides scoring punch is working out well.
 
"No," McCants said. "I'd rather be a starter, play more minutes, get more production. But whatever Coach (Randy Wittman) wants me to do, I'm going to do. The role he's giving me, I can accept it regardless if I like it or not. I really do feel like I'd be more effective in the starting lineup, playing 40-something minutes. But that's not my role."
 
 
     
Preview of tonight's game at Cleveland:
 
Click here for the forum's game thread.  
 
 
 
10,000 Takes wants you to vote for the best anagram from Ryan Gomes' name.
 
 
 
It should be easier to hear Timberwolves broadcasts in the southeast and southern metro beginning tonight when its games begin airing on KGBY (107.5 FM) as well as BOB 106. Both stations are owned by Dennis Carpenter.
 
KGBY, which also is known as La Mera Buena and carries several hours of Spanish-speaking programming a day, had aired select Wolves games in Spanish the past three years. This move means those broadcasts will stop.
 
Instead, Alfonso Fernandez will host a half-hour pregame show in Spanish on KGBY that will begin an hour before tipoff.
 
 
 
The team is also trying to entice early buyers in a campaign called "Let's Build It" that begins Saturday by offering significant discounts on full season tickets. That includes a limited-time offer of a $25 per-game, per-seat charge for a spot in Target Center's lower bowl. Seats in the upper deck, with a single-game value of $20, are being offered for $9 per game through a season ticket.
 

Wolves to buyout Ratliff's contract

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The Pistons are about to land the veteran big man they've coveted -- and his name isn't Dale Davis.
 
The Minnesota Timberwolves placed veteran center Theo Ratliff on waivers Thursday night and have agreed to buy out the remainder of his $11.6 million contract.
 
 
 
The word from the Wolves was that they wanted to keep Theo Ratliff around to work with Al Jefferson, but owner Glen Taylor said the team worked out a buyout with Ratliff on Thursday and he will be in another uniform soon. Taylor also said that he read in the paper about Antoine Walker wanting a buyout but said he hasn't heard from the veteran forward.
 
 
 
The Wolves settled with Ratliff because it will save Taylor a chunk of the remaining $3.7 million left this season on his annual $11.66 salary and presumably allow Ratliff, once waived, to join another team willing to take a chance on a shot blocker for the stretch run toward the playoffs. It puts some money back in the owner’s pocket while also serving as a gesture for a veteran who, given his age, his iffy health and his playing resume, would have played his final games with the Wolves in the ensuing weeks anyway.
 
 
 
For the Wolves, the move would save the team some cash by agreeing to an amount less than he was owed the rest of the season.
 
But perhaps more importantly, Ratliff’s departure frees up playing time for other players on a team that’s rebuilding and needs to evaluate talent. Rookie Chris Richard might be among those who would benefit most with 26 games remaining this season, including tonight’s game at Cleveland. 
 
 

Wolves Updates 2/28 Part 2

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Matt Bertz/Inked Magazine talks to Rashad McCants about the player's tattoos, life in the league, the Garnett trade, and NBA groupies:
I don’t know about groupies showing up at the hotel, but they know who you are when you go out. They attach themselves to you. A lot of them are pretty good and know what they are doing. They want to be associated with the players. They never come up to you. A lot of times they try to dance in your vision to get your attention, or they will holler at your boy or have one of their friends go up to your boys and introduce them. They get pretty creative.
 
 
 
I did watch the first 1 and a half quarters, saw Foye's boomlet of points that contributed to the quick start. I also note that Bosh went off for 28 a game after Boozer's 34--slippage for Jefferson? Frankly, I didn't think Jefferson played that badly on D vs. Boozer. And watching Bosh nail that well-guarded trey as the first quarter was ending was an omen that even good defense wasn't going to stop him tonight.
 
 
 
From B92.net (in reference to this article ): 
Serbian basketball player Marko Jarić, who plays in the U.S., has apparently been punished for this criticism of that country's position in his country's affairs: "NBA scandal – Jarić benched because of Kosovo!!!"  
 
 
 
Al Jefferson does some things incredibly well. His touch is as good as any big man's in the NBA. I can't really think of one better. I mean, Dwight Howard might be a better finisher, but that's because he dunks everything. But as far as scoring from a variety of angles and always getting a nice, high, soft shot up? Who's better? Gasol maybe? Bosh is up there. But Jefferson might be the best...
 
 
 
Austin Burton/Dime Magazine on Antoine Walker: 
Third, why does it seem like every NBA veteran who’s so much as sniffed an All-Star Game once in their career feels like they’re entitled to a roster spot on a contending team? Granted, every one of us has at one time or another worked in a crappy situation and longed for something better, but even if you’re playing for the 12-44 T’wolves, it’s still a pretty good place to be.
 
 
 
Asked if Brewer has hit the proverbial wall for a rookie not used to such a long season, Wittman said, “Could be, I can’t answer that. Yeah, he has gone through ups and down, which rookies do. He has played pretty good and then he has had his tough moments. It is a learning process for him. Eighty-two is just a number when you tell a guy that the first time, but until you play 82, you really have no idea what a grind it is. I think he’s learning that. He will get stronger because he works hard at. This will be beneficial for him.”
 
 
 
Frank Zicarelli/Sun Media on assistant coach Ed Pinckney:
A member of the expansion Raptors and the team's first captain, Pinckney was holding court as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves conducted their pre-game routine. 
 
 
 
Postgame quotes from last night's game at Toronto.  
 
 
From Charles Moore/BCHeights.com - "Minnesota: The Farm System for Boston Sports Dominance 
 

Wolves Updates 2/28

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Walker doesn't need a passport to travel to Cleveland, where the Wolves play Friday, but it's questionable whether he will be there for that game. Wittman said it would depend on the status of forward Craig Smith, who's nursing a sore hamstring.
 
If Smith feels healthy today, Walker would not be asked to go to Cleveland, Wittman said. Walker probably would be on the inactive list again if Smith is healthy, Wittman said. Walker has been on the inactive list the past four games, including the Toronto game.
 
  
 
Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein, called Walker's passport issues a "miscommunication" and said there was "nothing new to report" about a contract settlement for Walker, who has one year at $9.3 million remaining after this season.
 
Asked to handicap the chances of an agreement with the Wolves by Saturday, Bartelstein said, "I don't do those things because you never know."
 
 
 
It has been a long season and there are still seven weeks to go. However, the evaluations have gone well to this point and there is still work to be done for the Timberwolves. The team deserves a lot of credit at this time, but the fans do as well...
 
 
 
Mike Trudell/Timberwolves site talked to Kirk Snyder after Tuesday's win over Utah (audio). 
 
 
 
Rick Alonzo/Pioneer Press on the Utah game: 
It’s just the second time in the past 10 years the Wolves have had four players score at least 20 points in a game and the 10th time in team history. Here’s a look at the nine other games...
 
 
 
But I did ask some other NBA folks about the Wolves, and here’s the overwhelming consensus: They are lottery fodder for at least another two or three years and probably will lose Jefferson by then because he will grow tired of a management team that has a poor track record since breaking up the conference finals team it had.
 
Ryan Gomes is OK, but I have yet to see anything out of Corey Brewer to suggest he is any sort of answer. And Sebastian Telfair is a heartbreaker from way back. 
 
 

The Wolves on Saturday will launch a season-ticket renewal campaign (branded Let's Build It) that team officials say will keep base ticket prices the same for what team president Chris Wright calls "99.5 percent" of all seats.
 
 
 
The Timberwolves, who gave up on the season when they traded Kevin Garnett to Boston last summer to start a rebuilding process, have played better than their record might indicate, losing 11 games by four or fewer points.
 
"You can't really look at a team's record because on any given night, teams can play the right way or teams can play a lot harder," said Toronto's Ford. "Probably that was the case last night, the guys probably played the way they should be playing.
 
     
 
Randy Foye played 35 1/2 minutes Tuesday as the Wolves upset the Jazz 111-100. It was without a doubt his best game since he came back after sitting out 43 games because of a stress reaction in his left kneecap. 
 
Foye hit eight of 16 shots, two of four three-point shots and had 20 points and two assists. 
 
 
 
The Timberwolves couldn't play harder than they have of late under coach Randy Wittman.
 
 
 

Mailbag Time Again!

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mailbag.jpg 

M M M M M M Mailbag Time!!!

Time for the next TWolvesblog Open Mailbag for anyone that is interested in sending any questions and/or thoughts, and I'll anwer them as soon as I get a sufficient amount of submissions. Don't be afraid to send stuff in (I don't want to have to make stuff up!) Heck, I promise that I'll even answer them all... I'm like an Equal Opportunity Employer.

There's tons of things to talk about at this point in the season:  The Wolves roster, our awesome record, the Head Coach/Front Office situation, any previous or upcoming games, what you like or don't like, nights out on the town, random crap... the possibilities are endless!

Or you can just email me and tell me that I suck.  It's all good.

Email all inquiries/Mail Bag questions/comments/hate mail to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Wolves 85, Raptors 107

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From the AP recap:
Still buzzing from a 111-100 home win over Utah the night before, Minnesota looked good early, taking a 10-point lead midway through the first quarter. Six minutes later, the lead was all but gone and the Timberwolves were headed for another dispiriting defeat.
 
Wittman scolded his team for failing to match the effort it showed against Utah.
 
Also from recap:
Toronto hasn't lost to Minnesota since a 108-97 defeat on Jan. 21, 2004.
 
  
 
 
Wolves record: 12-44
 
 
 
 

  
 
 
The Wolves struggled with turnovers — 20 that led to 30 points for the Raptors — and played especially poorly on defense when the outcome of the game was still in doubt in the third quarter. Toronto shot 15 for 22 from the floor in the third.
 
Wittman's club did plenty of things well in a 111-100 win over the Jazz at home Tuesday, including matching Utah's physical intensity. But that didn't carry.
 
Minnesota's 14 first-half turnovers were a big problem. The Raptors converted them into 18 points, which helped them take a 51-43 lead at the break despite being outshot.
 
 
 
 
The Wolves, who just played 10 of 11 games at home, now are 2-24 away from Target Center and 1-12 on the second night of back-to-back games.
 
"It's just being consistent, especially in back-to-back situations," Wolves forward Al Jefferson said. "That's what makes a great team, a great playoff team. You have to be consistent, no matter how tired and sore you might be some nights."
 
 
 
New Wolves swingman Kirk Snyder was ejected tonight in just his second game with the team during the fourth quarter of a 107-85 loss at Toronto. It also marked the first ejection by a Wolves player this season. Snyder said he wasn't aware of the NBA rule that a player must automatically be assessed a technical foul for throwing the ball against the stanchion. That's what caused him to get tossed in the fourth quarter.
 
 
 
Despite having one of the worst records in the NBA this season the Timberwolves locker room was a great environment. Veteran guard Greg Buckner was mentoring young players like Rashad McCants, Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes while Michael Doleac and Theo Ratliff were doing the strong silent thing.
 
Before the game Doleac was working on this three-point shot and Gomes and Mark Madsen were giving their teammate a hard time and told him to stick to shooting in the paint.  
 
 
 
 
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