The Warriors announced yesterday that they have signed Troy Hudson (Click on the link to see a pic of T-Hud outfitted in a Golden State jersey)

 

“We’re excited to add a player of Troy’s caliber to our team,” said Mullin. “He’s had a productive NBA career and, most importantly, will provide us with additional depth in the backcourt. He has the ability to run a team and some of his other strengths – such as three-point shooting – will fit in well with our style of play.”

 

   

 

Stephen Litel/Downtown Journal is starting a regular column and forum at the paper called The Exchange.

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Chisolm/TSN.ca with a season preview of the team.  

But all of those are issues to come. Right now this team has to be applauded to some degree for fast tracking their future. One need only look to teams like New Jersey, Indiana or Sacramento as examples of teams who can't or couldn't let go of the past and are now mired in mediocrity with little hope of promise. Minnesota may have waited a year or two too long to make that connection, but at least the synapses fired before they lost Garnett for nothing, either via free agency soon or retirement later. If there was one thing that this management team has proven for the last twelve years is that they were utterly incapable of building a supporting cast around KG. Now they just have to avoid making the same mistakes with Al Jefferson. 

From the Timberwolves site on new assistant Ed Pinckney:

As well as his duties as an assistant with the Wolves, Pinckney will also head up the Timberwolves NBA Player Development Program.

 

 

 

Marc Stein/ESPN ranks the Wolves last among Western Conference teams in terms of offseason moves.

1. They waited at least a year too long to trade Kevin Garnett.

2. Owner Glen Taylor should have used his considerable financial might to clean house two or three years ago and then go outside the Wolves' sphere to find a new front-office chief from a successful franchise, long before the Wolves wound up in a crisis summer like this one.

3. When they finally did trade KG, they got back five players and two future first-round picks ... but only one out of the seven players (Al Jefferson) would automatically command minutes with a quality team. The rest are all maybes.

 

 

From Mark Murphy/Boston Herald:

Each day, despite the renaissance on his former Celtics team - thanks mainly to his inclusion in a huge trade package for Kevin Garnett in late July - Jefferson tells himself that it’s great to be a T’Wolf.

 

“Ah, no way, man - no way I’m thinking it would be great to be back there right now with everything they have,” Johnson said Thursday following his daily morning workout. “The only thing in the back of my mind right now is that I want to beat them.”

 

 

Jefferson on McHale:

“Kevin McHale comes down every day, almost, and helps me out,” he said. “It’s amazing. He’s not selfish - he just wants to help. More than anything he’s teaching me to understand why I do certain moves.

   

Jefferson on the the current Celtics roster: 

“Oh, man, I think the sky’s the limit for them now,” he said. “They’ll be the best team in the NBA until they play us...

 

Jefferson on Mark Blount:

“From my point of view Blount is cool,” he said. “Actually, he was one of the guys I looked up to as a rookie. It’s about getting together now.

 

 

From Geoff Lepper/Mercury News:

Two people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed Friday that the Warriors have agreed in principle with veteran point guard Troy Hudson on a one-year contract. Hudson became a free agent in August after the Timberwolves -- their roster bloated by the five-for-one Garnett trade -- agreed to buy out the last two years of his contract at a cost of approximately $10 million.

From KSTP.com:

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that the team has hired Ed Pinckney as an assistant coach on Randy Wittman's staff on Friday.

 

Coach Wittman on the hiring:

"We are very lucky to have the opportunity to add a coach who I think will have a great rapport with our big men as they develop in this league," Wittman said. "Ed brings with him great experience working with younger players from his years at Villanova which will benefit the younger talent on our current roster."  

 

From Sid Hartman:

From Mike Trudell/Timberwolves site:

Want to know what was cool to wear when he was in high school at L.A.'s Fairfax High? How about middle school? What about the things people wear that tick him off? Also, from where his slime-green outfit come? ... And who's the best dressed Timberwolf?

 

CLICK HERE to watch Craig pontificate

 

Coach Randy Wittman was on WCCO Radio last night discussing the team. 

 

On the preseason:

The team plans to practice the morning of September 29 before leaving for Istanbul. In Turkey, they'll have 12 practices in about 8 days of training camp and will then face a Turkish team. They'll return to the U.S. on Oct 11, the day after the exhibition game against the Celtics in London. 

 

On potential moves:

With 16 guaranteed contracts, Wittman said the team was still in a position to do different things to clear up the roster.  

 

On Chris Richard:

The team likes Chris Richard and he's a good young kid with a pedigree of a champion. The coach said that as far as he knows, Richard will be with the team this season. The second-round pick will in Turkey for training camp.

 

On Garnett:

KG called Wittman to wish him good luck a couple days ago when he was leaving Minnesota to head to Boston for the season.

 

On Juwan Howard:

A class guy. If a situation that makes sense arises, they'll trade him. For now he's on the team and will also be in Turkey for training camp.  

 

Steve Greenberg/Sporting News with some observations after watching informal workouts at the Target Center that included Al Jefferson, Ricky Davis, Corey Brewer, Sebastian Telfair, Rashad McCants, Ryan Gomes and Chris Richard:

 

The first thing that struck me: Well, the NBA's forgotten team is soldiering on without Kevin Garnett. And: Al Jefferson -- the all-but-forgotten main piece in the trade that sent away Garnett, the heart and soul of the franchise -- is a beast.