I Heart KG

I Heart KG is moving

2007-08-30T23:25:00.000-05:00

I am now over at Twolves Blog. Please come check it out.

Wolves Updates 8/30

2007-08-30T02:18:00.000-05:00

The Timberwolves site on Al Jefferson and Randy Wittman hosting kids from the Minneapolis Waite House:
The 58 kids and two Waite House staff members in attendance at Wednesday's lunch-in at NBA City and shopping spree in the Target Center's media room were on a school bus when the I35W bridge collapsed...

Jefferson on why he decided to help out:
"Being a young guy, I was real shocked when (the trade) happened," Jefferson said Wednesday. "So I got through that. I got here and I realized this was the best situation for me.

"Then (the bridge collapse) happened and it was just like, 'Wow.' So it was a strange time for me. Then we had to come back and redo the press conference a week later. It was just bad for me. A lot of things were happening in a short period of time. So I knew I had to do something then."

WCCO has video of the event. Other players donated money to benefit the kids and there are also plans to them shopping for winter clothes.

Ted Silary/Philadelphia Daily News on Eddie Griffin's funeral.

From Matt Steinmetz/Examiner.com:
It will be a long season in Minneapolis. It is unrealistic to expect Minnesota will lose Kevin Garnett and get better. Ricky Davis, Al Jefferson and Mark Blount? That’s not good enough.

The Nuggets waived former Timberwolves player Anthony Carter.

Wolves assistant to Sacramento

2007-08-30T00:58:00.000-05:00

From the Sacramento Kings website:
The The Sacramento Kings today added Rex Kalamian to their coaching staff as an assistant coach, it was announced by Kings' President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

"Rex brings a lot of experience to the job," said Petrie. "Reggie intervied a lot of people and felt he would be the best fit for the remaining vacancy on his staff. We all look forward to working with him and the contribution he can make."

Kalamian, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, enters his first season with the Kings and 15th year overall in the NBA. He served as an assistant coach for player development for the Denver Nuggets in 2004-05.

Mark Cuban on KG

2007-08-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

From Mike Fisher/Dallas Blog:
“We went after KG hard. But – and maybe I shouldn’t say this – dealing with Minnesota was very tough. They didn’t want to trade him but they knew they had to. I guess we’ve been on the other side of that, with guys we had to trade that we didn’t want to trade. ...

“We thought we were very close on Draft Day. We were waiting for the phone to ring, we were waiting on a call from Minnesota. It was that close. But it never turned out that way. Our goal was to try to make a deal that wouldn’t hurt our roster as it was. You don’t want to go out there with Dirk and KG and three guys named Moe. You’ve got to have a team. We tried, but in the end, we didn’t offer as good a deal as Boston."

Miami turns down "overtures" from T-Hud

2007-08-29T13:05:00.000-05:00

From Barry Jackson/Miami Herald:
The Heat declined overtures from point guard Troy Hudson, a proven scorer.

Wolves Updates 8/29

2007-08-29T01:53:00.000-05:00

Al Jefferson and Coach Wittman are hosting lunch and providing school supplies for the kids from the Waite House, the program whose kids and staff were on the school bus on the I-35W bridge when it collapsed.

Kare 11 has video of Corey Brewer and Chris Richard at the Minnesota State Fair.

From Mike Max/WCCO:
The recently-acquired Wolves player, Al Jefferson has moved to the Twin Cities and is working out with coaches daily.

And did you know first round pick Cory Brewer was offered a scholarship by every SEC team coming out of high school but one? The only one not to offer him one was Kentucky, who then head coach Tubby Smith told Brewer he was not big enough.

Mike Trudell/Timberwolves site talks to Randy Foye about his offseason. On Brewer looking to him for leadership during the summer league, Foye said:
I've played against Corey before, and he knows that I'm quiet and humble, but I'm an assassin. I'm not the rowdy type that needs to tell everyone what I'm doing. I'm not the type to dunk and look in the crowd; if I dunk, I'll look at my teammates and say, "Good pass." I'm not playing for the crowd, I'm playing for my teammates. Hopefully the younger guys around me see how I act in that leadership role and can do the same thing.

Click here for info on the league's "official secondary ticketing partner" for the October preseason game between the Wolves and the Celtics.

Hassell and Hudson attend Griffin's funeral

2007-08-29T01:44:00.000-05:00

Along with Garnett, Troy Hudson and Trenton Hassell attended Eddie Griffin's funeral in Philadelphia.

Mike Jensen/Philadelphia Inquirer on the service for the player.

Gilbert Arenas on Griffin's death:
I heard about Eddie Griffin. Oh man. I didn’t know him personally, but for a guy who was in my draft, you just have to hope he rests in peace and give condolences to his family. When I found out I was like, “What?! Oh my God!” When I called other players it was all the same, everybody was going crazy and just like, “Damn. How’d he get hit by a train?”

Aschburner gives the team a "C-"

2007-08-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

Steve Aschburner/SI.com grades the teams in the Northwest Division and gives the Wolves a C-.

Griffin's funeral

2007-08-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

SI.com on Eddie Griffin's funeral:
Kevin Garnett, his former Timberwolves teammate, former Seton Hall coach Tommy Amaker and former NBA coach John Lucas were among the 200 friends, players and family members who attended the service at First African Baptist Church.

Also:
Griffin's sister, Marian Middleton, told the crowd to ignore stories that portrayed Griffin as troubled or spoiled, and that indicated there was anything suspicious about his death. Middleton said Griffin was excited about spending upcoming birthdays with his nieces and nephews and would never waste those opportunities because he loved his family.

"Everything you read, throw it in the trash, like he was so unhappy and it was all planned," she said.

Updates Part II

2007-08-28T12:32:00.000-05:00

From Britt Robson/On The Ball:
Anyone scanning Minnesota's roster will notice a void of veteran leadership, at a time when the post-KG wake promises to wash up all kinds of pecking order disputes, even as Randy Wittman implements the hard-ass discipline that has been the most frequent justification made for his rehiring. Bottom line, the Wolves need Howard's level head and mitigating demeanor, especially with clubhouse balm Mark Madsen waylaid by a watercraft incident. Too bad for Juwon, who isn't getting any younger and wants a shot at a ring-- or at least a chance to believe his role as lead babysitter will lead to tangible rewards before he retires.

Ryan Gomes "led his team to victory" in the 15th Annual Osgood Shootout.

On the NBA Live Summer Camp in Canada on Wednesday:
Along with Arenas, NBA stars Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks), Monta Ellis (Golden State Warriors), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns) and Randy Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves) will be on hand to have their go-to moves authentically represented in NBA LIVE through motion capture.

Wolves assistant Rex Kalamian is one of the coaches for the NBA Korea Development camp.

Wolves Updates 8/28

2007-08-28T02:07:00.000-05:00

Click here to watch Corey Brewer and Fred Hoiberg golfing with WCCO's Mark Rosen and hear the rookie talk briefly about his love for golf.

KFAN's Sludge and Lake talk to Brewer and Chris Richard at the Minnesota State Fair. Click here to listen.

Mike Trudell/Timberwolves site chats with assistant GM Rob Babcock about the Fiba America's Tournament.

Ryan/Hoops Addict interviews Ballhype's Jason Gurney about the site.

Wolves Updates 8/27

2007-08-27T01:35:00.000-05:00

From the Tatum Cadmus Blog, Chris Rock on the Garnett trade:
"It's like Dick Cheney and Halliburton,” Rock said. “It makes no sense (for the T'Wolves)…I almost expect to see Kevin McHale announced as the new coach of the Celtics.”

Shoals/Fanhouse- "There's a Logjam Up in Minny"

Click here for info on the 25th Anniversary of the song 'NBA Rap'

John Lucas on Eddie Griffin:
"He'd give you the shirt off his back," said John Lucas, the former NBA player and coach who has turned to counseling troubled athletes. "I had two friends put out of their house. Ed took them in. They slept on his sofa. He put blankets on them. A lot of ways, he was selfless to a fault."

From Shira Springer/The Boston Globe:
"When he gets back onto the court for a drill, the intensity level goes up about five notches," said former Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey of Garnett. "If a guy's slacking off, he'll tell a guy, but he leads by example. He'll embarrass guys. He's always the first one to dive on the floor.

"He can't stand young guys not giving their all and working as hard as he does. If a guy matches his intensity in practice, he'll love that."

Ben Bolch/LA Times on O.J. Mayo:
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard has also displayed his considerable skills in pickup games throughout the Southland against an impressive array of NBA players, including Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Sam Cassell and J.J. Redick.

Maurice Draine/Hibbing Daily News on the new Celtics

Wolves Updates 8/26

2007-08-26T02:26:00.001-05:00

Eddie Griffin's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.

Jerome Solomn/Houston Chronicle and Larry Mcshane/AP on Griffin's path to the NBA.

From Michael Cunningham/South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
Agent Bill Neff said he's been in contact with the Heat about guard Troy Hudson. The 10-year veteran played 34 games last season with Minnesota.

From Charley Walters/Pioneer Press:
The Timberwolves report that they have heard from fewer than 30 season-ticket holders who said they would drop their seats because of the trade of Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. The Wolves are trying to get them to reconsider.

Glen Taylor, who has vowed to become a hands-on owner of his Timberwolves this season, plans to accompany the team to training camp in Turkey and Great Britain this fall.

Stephen Litel/Hoopsworld- The Case For Starting Corey Brewer.

Bullets Forever lists Juwan Howard as the 15th best Bullets/Wizards player of all time.

HoopsAddict with "Celebrity-NBA Namealikes- The Musical."

UCLA's Kevin Love on playing against Garnett in pickup games.

Reggie Miller on why he's not making a comeback:
"Um . . . I don't know. I don't know. I've been wrestling with this all day. I'm sure I'll keep wrestling with it. I know I could have done it. And it would have been fun to play with KG (Kevin Garnett). It was hard telling him I wasn't going to do it. I don't know if Boston can win a championship, but I think they're going to be one of the best teams in the East, and they'll definitely have a chance to go a long way.''

Updates Part II

2007-08-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

Battle of the Bloggers No. 2 is up at Timberwolves.com.

From Dime Magazine:
The Wolves are going to try and grant Juwan Howard’s trade request. You know it’s a very real possibility that Juwan, C-Webb and Jalen could all end up on the same team? That’d be a perfect way for them to go out.

From My Fox Houston:
Former Houston Rockets star Calvin Murphy was trying to get ex-Rocket Eddie Griffin ready for an NBA comeback in recent weeks. Murphy now says he sensed something was wrong before the 25-year-old Griffin was killed when he drove around a train guard and crashed into a moving train last Friday...

Eddie Griffin's attorney on the player:
"I think it's always hard with anybody who has an alcohol problem, to tell if they turned the corner," Hollingsworth said. "But Eddie appeared to be in good shape, he was coherent, he made all of his appointments with me. Those are things that people who've turned the corner do.

"At the same time, when someone is suffering from alcoholism, it's always hard to tell what's going on in the dark hours of the night," he said.

Wolves Updates 8/24

2007-08-24T02:32:00.000-05:00

From Judd Zulgad/Star Tribune:
The Timberwolves have reached a multiyear agreement with MNN to continue serving as distributor for the 30-plus-station radio network.

John Lucas talks about Eddie Griffin.

From Sid Hartman:
This is the story of the two Leiweke brothers, Tim and Tod, who respectively played a big part in getting the expansion Timberwolves and Wild started and now have two of the biggest jobs in professional sports...

From Greg Lee/Boston Globe:
Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has been playing pickup ball against current and former NBA players, Los Angeles standouts and college players at UCLA this week. Word is Garnett's team did not lose one game on Wednesday. Several attendees raved about how he dominated easily. On one play, he caught an offensive rebound on the block and jumped and dunked without taking a step.

From Bill Ingram/Hoopsworld:
It appears the San Antonio Spurs are on the verge of signing Troy Hudson, representing their last move of the 2007 offseason. The team had just one roster spot left open after signing Ime Udoka and waiving Vassilis Spanoulis last week, and it seems the Spurs had their sights set on Hudson before he was even waived by the Timberwolves. They were looking for one more back-up point guard, and for whatever reason Hudson fits the bill.

Thanks to Natalie/Need4Sheed for posting the video of Mad Dog dancing during the Lakers championship celebration.

From Charlie Walters/Pioneer Press:
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, who repeatedly tried to assist troubled Eddie Griffin, on the ex-Wolf's tragic death at age 25: "You see the potential and you want to help, and you feel so helpless."

From The Star Tribune:
The Seattle SuperSonics added former Timberwolves guard Scott Brooks, Mark Bryant and Ralph Lewis to the coaching staff of P.J. Carlesimo. Brooks, 42, was an assistant coach for Sacramento last season.

Updates Part II

2007-08-23T13:21:00.000-05:00

From PRWeb.com:
During the 1995 NBA Draft Kevin Garnett became the first player since Moses Malone in 1974 to jump from high school to the pros. He was the 5th pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves. KG now wears the No. 5 for the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Garnett wore the No. 21 for 12 seasons for Minnesota. The numbers 21+12=33. Larry Bird wore the No. 33 for the Boston Celtics. KG and Bird are the only 2 players in NBA history to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists for 5 straight seasons.

KG will wear the No. 5 for Boston. His No. 21 in Minnesota minus his No. 5 in Boston comes to 16. 16 is the number of NBA Championships won by the Celtics an NBA record. In 1986 Bill Walton wore the same No. 5 for Boston. The Celtics won their last NBA Championship in 1986 21 years ago. KG wore the No. 21 for Minnesota.

From Scott Stump/NJ.Digitalsports.com:
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Randy Foye, a new Rumson resident, has been working out at Rumson-Fair Haven this summer and helping some of the Bulldogs' players, particularly junior guard Matt Blumel, improve during the process.

From Ted Silary/Philadelphia Daily News:
Though thirdhand, information provided yesterday by one of Griffin's Houston-based lawyers, Derek Hollingsworth, also appears to indicate the crash was accidental.

Hollingsworth said he spoke Tuesday with Queen, Eddie's mother. In turn, he said, she'd received info from the mother of Eddie's daughter.

"Queen indicated the word from Jessica was that she was on the cell phone with Eddie shortly before the time he crashed," Hollingsworth said. "He said he was trying to get home, but was lost. The phone then went dead."

Phil Sheridan/Philadelphia Inquirer on Griffin.

Flea on the Garnett trade (via the Basketball Jones).

Wolves Updates 8/23

2007-08-23T01:15:00.000-05:00

From Garnett Tribute, a great video of highlights from KG's career thus far.

From Charley Walters/Pioneer Press:
After receiving what was described as a dignified trade request from Juwan Howard, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said he will try to accommodate the power forward, who was acquired in June as part of a three-team deal. Howard initially made the request to Wolves vice president Kevin McHale.

The Wolves are talking to three teams about potential trades in an attempt to deal players with longer-term contracts. But because of contract complexities, a deal could take until training camp in October.

Also from Walters:
With Mark Madsen sidelined after shoulder surgery, look for the Wolves to sign second-round draft pick Chris Richard to a guaranteed contract soon rather than wait and see how he performs in training camp...

Click here for info on Ricky Davis's official YouTube channel.

Meet the new Timberwolves Dance Team. No sign of my favorite, Ginger, but hopefully she's involved in some capacity.

Chris Sheridan/ESPN on Saturday's scrimmage between the national team and Al Jefferson and the select team.

McHale and Griffin's agent on the player

2007-08-23T00:22:00.001-05:00

Steve Aschburner/SI.com with a detailed history of Eddie Griffin's stint with the Wolves.

From Roman Augostovic/Star Tribune:
Eddie Griffin was starting to drink again before the Timberwolves waived him March 13, Kevin McHale said during a conference call Wednesday.

At that time the troubled 6-10 forward needed help best available at a rehabilitation center near his home in Houston, said the Wolves vice president of basketball operations. "He was cycling down into a bad, bad spot," McHale said. "In one of the last conversations I had with Eddie, he said, 'I got to go. It's unhealthy for me here.' "

Click here for excerpts from Wednesday's press conference.

From Rick Alonzo/Pioneer Press:
A civil suit filed against Griffin stemming from a March 2006 car crash in Minneapolis remains pending, and Griffin's camp is still involved in arbitration with the Wolves regarding the final season of his contract, Wernick said.

From Howard Beck/New York Times:
Wary of restarting his career under the N.B.A. microscope, Griffin had asked his agent, Jeff Wernick, to find him an opportunity overseas. Wernick had an offer from a Serbian team but never got the chance to present it to him.

Wernick spoke with Griffin last week and said he “was in good spirits, looking forward to trying to reestablish himself.” Griffin leaves a 3-year-old daughter, Amaree, who lives in Houston with her mother.

Contrary to Griffin’s public image, Wernick described him as warm and caring — “a very misunderstood and complex person” who never got over the death of his older brother in 2001.

Moroni at Canis Hoopus and Jon Krawczynski/AP Sports on the player's death.

Agent doesn't expect T-Hud to sign with Spurs

2007-08-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

From WOAI.com:
That is true, the Spurs had Hudson here last week, but his agent told News 4, Tuesday, that he does not expect Hudson to sign with the Spurs. Hudson is looking to play a lot and that won't happen with Tony Parker here. He said it was not an ideal situation for either side.

More on Eddie Griffin

2007-08-22T12:40:00.000-05:00

From Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo Sports:
From someone who knew him well Tuesday night, his was a belief there was a "strong possibility" that this was exactly how poor, tortured Eddie Griffin chose to end it all.

From J.A. Adande/ESPN:
But what we do know of Griffin is this: The stream of incidents, arrests and unsuccessful stints in rehabilitation centers allows us to list him as Exhibit A in the argument that just because you can enter the NBA, that doesn't mean you should.

Henry at True Hoop wonders "who's to blame for the sad misdirection of Eddie Griffin?" Henry also talks to Michael Ray Richardson about the player.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Dennis Seddon, Roman's coach, said of Griffin: "This is so sad. I'm really hurting right now . . . If you're trying to play Monday morning quarterback, you'd probably say Eddie's story was too much too soon with too little guidance" in later years.

From NY Daily News:
"It's just terrible," said Nets president Rod Thorn, who drafted Griffin for the Rockets in a deal arranged with Houston GM Carroll Dawson before the 2001 draft. "Eddie obviously had a lot of talent and should have had a tremendous NBA career. He could have had an outstanding career. He was a tremendous shot-blocker. But, obviously, there were things that he could never get control of. You really never knew what was going on in his mind. It's just a very unfortunate thing."

Sam Rubenstein/SLAM Online on the player's death.

Bill Ingram/Hoopsworld on Griffin.

"Milwaukee's Best" repossessed

2007-08-22T02:32:00.000-05:00

From Rick Romell/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Former professional basketball star Latrell Sprewell, who three years ago rejected a $21 million contract offer, calling it insulting and saying he had a family to feed, had his 70-foot, $1.5 million, Italian-built yacht repossessed Tuesday.

Armed with an order from U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Callahan Jr., a federal marshal seized the vessel in Manitowoc, where it sat in storage.

Callahan is presiding in a court case filed by a New York bank that claims the yacht's owner, a company run by Sprewell, has defaulted on a mortgage loan...

On Eddie Griffin

2007-08-22T02:08:00.000-05:00

Don Shelby/WCCO with a (video) report of the crash.

From Rick Alonzo/Pioneer Press:
Griffin was living with his girlfriend and daughter in Houston, Lucas said. Lucas had heard that Griffin had begun to work out in hopes of playing basketball again, perhaps in Europe.

From Britt Robson/On The Ball:
Despite all the stupid, wrong-headed things Griffin did to sabotage his basketball career, not to mention his life, over and over again, I never heard one of his teammates or basketball bosses speak of him in anger, only sadness and concern, or, when he was really going well a couple years back, guarded optimism and a sense of quiet but fierce protection.

Jonathan Feigen/Houston Chronicle comments on Griffin's death.

Click here for Kevin McHale's statement.

Mark Madsen and Trenton Hassell talk about the player.

Dwane Casey on Griffin:
"Everybody tried to help him from the top to the bottom of the organization," said Casey, who coached Griffin for 1 1/2 seasons. "He just couldn't get it straight. It's a tragic ending for a beautiful kid. He had a beautiful heart."

A Philadelphia high school coach on Griffin:
"He was one of the best to ever play in Philadelphia. I'd have to put him up there with the great players in high school basketball history. But he got into so many things. Something had to be wrong for him to do what he did. I feel sorry for his family."

Shoals/Free Darko on the player:
Len Bias is a tragedy because of what he could've been; Griffin, on the other hand, was doomed from the beginning. In some ways, he might as well have never been an NBA player. His demons were going to run him down sooner or later, and that wondrous game of his? In the end, it existed only to remind us all how little it actually mattered.

Eddie Griffin dies in crash

2007-08-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

From Lindsay Wise/Houston Chronicle:
The Harris County Medical Examiner's office has identified former Rockets power forward Eddie Griffin as the man who died when the SUV he was driving plowed into a moving train in southeast Houston last week.

Officials said Griffin, 25, drove his SUV through a railroad crossing barrier, past flashing warning lights and into a moving train in the 5300 block of Lawndale about 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 17.

Griffin's vehicle burst into flames on impact, burning his body so badly that investigators had to use dental records to confirm his identity Tuesday.

Chris Duncan/AP sports also has an article on the accident.

Update: Stephen Litel/Hoopsworld on Griffin's death.

My thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.

Craig Smith interview

2007-08-21T14:05:00.000-05:00

Mike Trudell/Timberwolves site talks to Craig Smith about the dance team auditions, pilates, and his new teammates.

Wolves Updates 8/21

2007-08-21T01:26:00.000-05:00

Steve at Taking It To The Rack hosts Crashing the Party, Carnival of the NBA #48.

From CelticsBlog, a note from ESPN The Magazine:
Trading Kevin Garnett and his monster contract should have at least earned some financial freedom for the Wolves. But no. Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, the two key pieces in the swap, will be restricted free agents next summer and VP Kevin McHale had better keep them if he hopes to salvage any face. That gives both players huge leverage. "It's a killer," says a rival GM.

Agence France Press on the league's new London office:
It is planning to run several events in the coming months, the first one dubbed "NBA Madness", set for the first week of September in southeast London's O2 Arena -- the site of an October 28 pre-season game between Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves, a game which Goldschmidt said sold out before marketing even got under way.

"We were very pleasantly surprised ourselves, and that really underlined the potential of even the popularity that's already here that people aren't aware of," she said.

From Dime Magazine:
So what makes guys like Damon and Juwan Howard and Marko Jaric feel like they should be publicly calling for trades? It’s a little different with someone like KG (who never actually said he wanted to leave Minnesota), who’s given a lot to the franchise and could never get over the hump due to bad management (and, to be fair, his huge contract). What have Damon, Juwan and Marko done to where the Grizzlies/Wolves owe them? You have your team, so play for that team.

Corey Brewer and Chris Richard will be signing autographs at the Wolves booth at the MN State Fair.

Stephen Litel and Jessica Camerato/Hoopsworld discuss the players acquired in the Garnett trade.

From Charley Walters/Pioneer Press:
Troy Hudson, whose Timberwolves contract was bought out for $10 million, the other day worked out for the San Antonio Spurs, who were the first to call after the point guard became a free agent.

Former Timberwolf and Gopher Walter Bond has been a big hit as a motivational speaker for the Gophers football team in training camp.

Brad Rock/Deseret Morning News on Mad Dog's jet ski accident:
Official reports say he had to dive off the craft into the water, injuring himself in the process. But Rock On sources say he actually got hurt trying to groove his way through K.C. and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way I Like It."