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From Don Seeholzer/Pioneer Press:
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Today is a day off for the Wolves, who went down to their first loss of the exhibition season Friday night in Denver.
The Wolves (2-1) return to practice Sunday and play Tuesday at Chicago.
While Love thinks 30 or more wins is attainable, Foye set the bar even higher.
"I'm saying 40 (wins) is reasonable. I feel as though we can play with anybody. We can win a lot of games. Last year we could have won a lot of games, but we lost it at the buzzer. It just takes that extra push, that extra stop, that extra rebound. We'll be able to get some wins.
A season ago, Brewer shot 37 percent from the field and averaged 5.8 points a game in his rookie season. On Friday, in a preseason game whose outcome was both meaningless and already decided, he practically oozed offensive confidence, a quality that abandoned him all last season...
"Last year, I lost my confidence," Brewer said. "I worked real hard this summer. I shot the ball a lot, so I could get my stroke back."
From Sid Hartman:
Corey Brewer, who shot 37.4 percent from the floor as a Timberwolves rookie last season, has shot 51.7 percent in three preseason games.
Kevin Love and Fred Hoiberg of the Timberwolves headline the Twin Cities Dunkers breakfast Oct. 21 at the Minneapolis Club.
It's unclear whether Polaroid, which has been owned by Tom Petters, will continue as a corporate sponsor for the Timberwolves amid his alleged fraud scandal.
As for all of the talk about Love's weight, he admitted he has put on a few pounds since the draft. However, he said he has taken steps to make sure he keeps his weight in-check to ensure he maximizes his potential at the NBA level.
"I'm going to cut that weight," Love asserted. "It's just investing in myself. I've gotten a chef. It's about getting out there everyday and working hard."
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on David Harrison:
He said he turned down European teams and nonguaranteed contract possibilities with Chicago and Dallas to sign with the Wolves because he was impressed with Kevin McHale. McHale's friendship with former Celtics teammate Larry Bird, the Pacers executive for whom Harrison played for four seasons, didn't hurt, either.
"McHale's a great man," Harrison said. "From our conversations, I can tell he cares a lot about the game and his players. He just gave me a general sense of well-being. I have to prove to the owners, the fans, my teammates that I am someone who can be depended upon to play both ends of the court and that I'll be ready for 82 games."
Harrison, who averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in four seasons with the Pacers, didn't play in Friday night's exhibition game at Denver and won't practice with the Wolves until he passes his physical examination.
He said he expects to do that by Monday and that the calf injury he suffered while working out for the Wolves a couple of weeks ago won't keep him out long.
As for the Wolves, this is a very confident group. Randy Foye told me he thinks 40 wins is a reasonable goal, while rookie Kevin Love chimed in and said he thinks 30 is a mark Minnesota should surpass.
Talking to Mike Miller, it's clear he's genuinely happy to be in Minnesota. After all of the trade rumors in Memphis, he's just happy to be with a team that he believes plans on holding on to him. He also told me he used to root for the Wolves growing up in South Dakota, so it was kind of like a childhood dream of sorts for him to return "home."
Wolves preseason record: 2-1
Al Jefferson grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 10 points for Minnesota (2-1), while Corey Brewer had 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Brewer said he spent the majority of the summer working on getting his shooting touch back. This was a step in the right direction.
"I should get a lot of open shots this year and I have got to knock them down,'' he said.
Rookie Kevin Love turned in a nine-point, 11-rebound game, while reserve Blake Ahearn finished with 17 points and Randy Foye chipped in 16.
Love couldn't keep Denver's Kenyon Martin from scoring eight points in the game's first seven minutes. He found his famed outlet passes might not always work in this league when J.R. Smith intercepted a long one. He was smacked in the mouth in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game...
"Fatigue," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said of his team and Love, who hadn't had a day off since training camp began 11 days earlier. "He [Love] was dead. Both those guys [Jefferson and Love] ... they need to get in better shape."
When was the last time you saw this?: Corey Brewer clapping his hands and demanding the ball behind the three-point line. Never as a Wolf, that’s for sure. With his team down big in the second half, Brewer started firing and his confidence practically oozed. He made four of five three-point attempts and scored 18. In the three preseason games, he has made five threes, or two fewer than he made all last season. Guess what was the first word he used after the game: You got it, confidence.
Rashad McCants played just four minutes after hyperextending his elbow. No immediate word on how serious, or not, the injury is.
Craig Smith didn’t play for the second consecutive game because there’s still some swelling in that surgically repaired knee and it was deemed best to give him a couple days to recover.
no commentsTonight the Minnesota Timberwolves continue their preseason road trip at the Pepsi Center in Denver as they square off against the Nuggets.
Minnesota improved to 2-0 in the preseason after knocking off the Okalahoma City Thunder Wed 88-82 in Billings Montana. That win came on the heels of the Wolves 117-79 win at Milwaukee Monday to open the preseason.
From the Associated Press:
The Denver Nuggets upgraded Carmelo Anthony's availability to questionable for Friday night's opener against Minnesota. Anthony had the ball slapped out of his hand during practice Thursday, injuring his left ring finger. He had the hand wrapped up Friday at practice but X-rays were negative.
Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale made a cameo appearance at the McCain rally in Lakeville today.
From Steve Aschburner/SI.com writes a Wolves season preview.
The Wolves start this season with a much cleaner slate and talent where there was baggage a year ago. Jefferson is ready to be an All-Star and Foye would love to close the gap with 2006 draft-night rival Brandon Roy. A gain of 10-12 victories would be admirable, given the competition out West. More than that? October daydreaming.
From KBLG:
CERTAINLY, ALL EYES WERE ON THE THUNDER’S NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR KEVIN DURANT, BUT THE TIMBERWOLVES HAVE A PRETTY NICE MARQUEE DRAFT PICK OF THEIR OWN IN ROOKIE KEVIN LOVE OF UCLA FAME. LOVE HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE FIGURES IN BOTH PRESEASON GAMES THIS SEASON, BOTH TIMBERWOLF VICTORIES, BUT ADMITS THE PRO GAME CALLS FOR A MAJOR ADJUSTMENT.
Snyder's agent told the Reno Gazette-Journal that his client is considering offers from one team in Europe and two in Asia, in addition to an unidentified NBA club, and expects to make a decision next week.
no commentsClick here for the forum's game thread.
Off to a 2-0 start, the Wolves will get their biggest test of the exhibition season Friday night at Denver.
The Nuggets swept last season’s four-game series and are 10-3 in their last 13 games against Minnesota...
The game can be heard in the Twin Cities on KFAN/1130 beginning at 8 p.m. and Kevin Lynch will make his debut as the team’s radio analyst.
Craig Smith practiced Thursday after most of the swelling in his knee went down. The forward didn't play Wednesday because that knee, surgically repaired in August, swelled during the flight to Montana. He will be re-evaluated before tonight's game against the Nuggets.
no commentsInjured center Jason Collins rejoined the team after visiting his own doctor in California on Wednesday to have his healing elbow checked again.
From Jay Weiner/MinnPost:
Of the other area pro franchises, only the Timberwolves have been below their respective league's average ticket price.
The Vikings and Wild have been consistently above their leagues' ticket average; the Vikings this season are at $73 per ticket, and the Wild average ticket tops $60 per game.
About half of the Wolves' season's tickets cost $20 or less per game. (For single-game tickets, about one-third of all Target Center seats cost $20 or less.)
But when the $90 and $175 tickets are factored in, the Wolves average this season still reaches past $49 per game.
Timberwolves.com interviews new radio analyst Kevin Lynch.
TW.com: For fans who aren't fully aware of your illustrious high school career in Minnesota, tell us a bit about what it was like to win two state titles with Bloomington Jefferson and how it felt to be named Minnesota's Mr. Basketball your senior year...
Lynch: Wow, well we can rewind back to when I was a seventh grader… I had two brothers on the Bloomington Jefferson team that won the 1982 State Championship. It was a lot of fun to be around that team and I think it prepared me well for my future time as a Jaguar. Obviously winning two state titles is something that I will never forget, especially my senior year when we went undefeated. Mr. Basketball was a huge honor for me. To be selected from a very talented pool of players was a significant accomplishment for me. There were a few other players who played Division I college ball in my class.
The Wolves will tip off their 20th season in Minnesota with 20 days of events throughout the Twin Cities.
More than 100 members of the team's staff will get things started today with a volunteer day at The City, Inc., school in North Minneapolis.
Ben Pherson and Jason Feldman/Rochester Post-Bulletin on the team's offseason moves and how they'll perform this season.
no commentsThe Timberwolves announced the signing of free-agent center David Harrison, bringing the team's training camp roster to 19 players.
Harrison averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in four seasons with the Indiana Pacers, who elected not to sign him after last season.
From the Associated Press:
The move bolsters depth in the front court for the Timberwolves, who have suffered several injuries to veterans acquired in the offseason. Jason Collins is still recovering from an elbow injury suffered in a freak golf cart accident and Calvin Booth has been bothered by back problems. So the team is looking for some extra balk and height next to Al Jefferson. Harris provides both of those qualities.
New center David Harrison joined the team in Denver on Thursday and walked through some plays because he still has a strained calf suffered in a free-agent workout at Target Center last month and hasn't yet taken his physical. He signed his one-year, nonguaranteed contract after practice.
Update:
I’ll bet the Wolves give Harrison a good long look, which means I’m guessing he sticks with the team into the regular season for sure. Randy Wittman said he envisions Harrison playing well with Al Jefferson if opponents defend Jefferson with their centers, thus putting a smaller player against Harrison, who instantly and easily became the Wolves’ biggest player when he signed, in the post.
From Mike Wells/IndyStar:
"I want to thank the entire Minnesota staff for the opportunity to play for the Timberwolves," Harrison wrote in a text message Thursday. "I will do my best to take advantage of this blessing."
Harrison, an athletic big man, worked out for several NBA teams. Last month, he told the Rocky Mountain News in Denver that if he wasn't offered guaranteed money, he would play overseas.
"If he can get his head together, he's a talented kid," Wolves general manager Jim Stack told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We've told him to toe the line. We'll see how it goes."
no commentsAs first reported by the Rocky Mountain News, Harrison will sign a one-year contract with the Wolves when they visit Denver on Friday for an exhibition game against the Nuggets.
Harrison, a former University of Colorado star, averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in four seasons with the Pacers, who elected not to sign him after last season.
He also served a five-game suspension last season for violating the NBA's drug policy.
Signing the 7-footer is a low-risk move for the Wolves, who are lacking center size with Jason Collins and Calvin Booth injured and Rafael Araujo perhaps headed for Europe...
-Booth, who has been sidelined all of the preseason so far because of back spasms, participated in the team's morning shootaround. Booth, 32, said he injured his back playing pickup games a week before training camp began.
Both the Thunder and the Nuggets like to push the ball, a trait that troubled the Wolves in a season when they won 22 games. On Monday, the Wolves held the undermanned Bucks to 79 points and 33.8 percent shooting in a 38-point victory.
Now, the pace of play picks up.
"Transition defense, that's a point of emphasis whether we're playing Oklahoma City, Denver or Detroit, who walks it up," Wittman said. "We've got to get better there..."
That was former Timberwolves guard Troy Hudson sinking five consecutive three-point shots and playing pickup basketball Monday at Life Time Fitness Crosstown in Eden Prairie.
Ex-Timberwolf Trenton Hassell has sold his Eden Prairie home for $835,000, the Business Journal reports.
no commentsPreseason record: 2-0
Rashad McCants scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and Rodney Carney and Ryan Gomes hit consecutive 3s to help Minnesota spoil the Oklahoma City Thunder’s preseason debut with an 88-82 victory Wednesday night.
The game was the Thunder’s first since the team moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City during the offseason.
The Thunder led 71-62 with 9:54 remaining, but McCants scored 11 of Minnesota’s next 14 points, tying the score at 76 with a dunk with 4:45 remaining.
Rodney Carney played 26 minutes and showed what we know he can do: Run and dunk (he also had a nice double-clutch baseline layup). But he made his only three of the night (he missed three other tries) when it counted most, when Sebastian Telfair found him all alone in the corner with the shot clock running down with 3:04 left. He is intrguing, but he and Corey Brewer seem awfully similar: Great athletes in the open floor, great hops, inconsistent shooter.
Kevin Love matched up against Johan Petro and Nick Collison, among others, and the first two preseason games showed he’s going to get outreached and outjumped under the basket. But he also has held his own through sheer scrappiness. He had eight of his 10 points in the 4:36 he played in the first quarter and played 27:37 total.
The Wolves made seven of 24 three-point shots two nights after shooting 58 percent from the field in Monday's runaway victory at Milwaukee...
Wittman was encouraged that his team's defensive intensity seldom wavered if its offensive execution did. A big difference in this game from last season: The Wolves got into the free-throw bonus in the fourth quarter and made nine of 10. The Thunder never did and shot only one free throw in the fourth.
...center Al Jefferson had 13 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Rookie forward Kevin Love, with 10 points, was one of three other players in double figures for Minnesota, along with forward Corey Brewer (11) and guard Rodney Carney (10).
Forward Craig Smith didn't play because of swelling in his knee.
no commentsThe Minnesota Timberwolves are coming to Denver, and center David Harrison will be with them.
A source said Wednesday that Harrison, a former University of Colorado star, will sign a one-year contract with the Timberwolves. But Harrison, a free agent who played the past four seasons with Indiana, won’t play in Friday’s preseason game against the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.
The source said Harrison will meet the Timberwolves in Denver. Harrison worked out two weeks ago with the team.
Update:
Harrison, a former Colorado University star, averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in four seasons with the Pacers, who elected not to sign him after last season.
He also served a five-game suspension last season for violating the NBA’s drug policy...
The Wolves are short on depth at center, with Calvin Booth (back) and Jason Collins (elbow) sidelined by injuries.
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