Wolves Press Clippings

Wolves Press Clippings

The Timberwolves bought out Andre Miller’s expiring contract and waived the veteran guard Thursday, the same day team owner Glen Taylor said he’d be “open” to doing the same with Kevin Martin.

Miller’s one-year contract he signed for the NBA’s veteran minimum $1.5 million salary will expire this summer, so the transaction allows the 39-year-old to join a team aimed at the playoffs if he clears waivers Saturday.

Players must be waived by 11 p.m. Central time Tuesday in order for them to play for another team in the playoffs.

Miller’s release leaves the Wolves with 14 players under contract and creates a roster spot should they decide to sign a player. If they do so, that player probably will be a forward or center because the Wolves remain without injured forwards Nemanja Bjelica, Kevin Garnett and center Nikola Pekovic heading into Saturday’s game at New Orleans.

Taylor said his team hasn’t approached Martin’s side about a contract buyout but said he’d be “open” if Martin’s agent makes a proposal so his client can sign with a playoff-bound team.

“I’m not pursuing that,” said Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune. “You always need some guys with experience who can shoot threes.”

Martin played only four minutes in Wednesday’s loss at Toronto and has played a reduced role much of this season because of a wrist injury on his shooting arm. Interim coach Sam Mitchell has also been committed all season to playing the team’s young players.

Last week’s trade deadline passed without Martin being dealt. A buyout agreement by Tuesday would take Martin’s summertime option out of play and guarantee the Wolves $7.4 million more to spend on at least one free agent this summer when the salary cap balloons because of the NBA’s new $24 billion television deal.

Miller and Tayshaun Prince both signed one-year contracts for that $1.5 million vet’s minimum last summer. They did so believing they’d play for coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders, who died in October at age 60 less than five months after he was diagnosed with cancer. Miller, in particular, signed intending to play a bigger role in his 17th NBA season than he has.

Timberwolves General Manager Milt Newton called Miller a “consummate professional” who set a “good example for our younger players on what it takes to be a pro in this league.”

Sale stalled

Taylor said the process to sell 30 percent of the franchise to Los Angeles private-equity investor Steve Kaplan’s group is at a “standstill” while Kaplan pursues selling his minority portion of the Memphis Grizzlies. NBA rules prohibit owning parts of two teams.

Taylor said he believes the transaction still will be completed.

Taylor said he has no set no deadline to complete the sale and said the process likely will take months and “not weeks.”

“We can’t do anything until he works a deal in Memphis,” Taylor said.

When asked if there could be complications with Kaplan selling his portion of the Grizzlies, Taylor said, “He hasn’t told me that.”

Wolves Press Clippings

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said the process to sell 30 percent of the team to Los Angeles private equity investor Steve Kaplan's group is at a "standstill" while Kaplan pursues selling his minority portion of the Memphis Grizzlies. NBA rules prohibit a person from owning parts of two teams.

"We can't do anything until he works a deal in Memphis," Taylor said.

Taylor said he has no set no deadline to complete the sale and said the process likely will take months and "not weeks."

Taylor said he believes the transaction still will be completed.

When asked if there could be complications with Kaplan selling his portion of the Grizzlies, Taylor said, "He hasn't told me that."

From earlier:

Taylor said his team isn't seeking a contract buyout with Kevin Martin by next Tuesday's 11 p.m. deadline (Central time) for players to be waived so they can be eligible for the playoffs with another team.

That doesn't mean it won't happen, though.

Taylor also indicated the team will work a deal with 39-year-old guard Andre Miller so he can join a playoff team. 

(UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.: The Wolves announced Miller's buyout late this afternoon. The move leaves the Wolves with 14 players under contract and opens up a roster spot to sign someone now that Miller is gone and Nemanja Bjelica, Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic all our out injured.

In a team release, Wolves GM Milt Newton called Miller "a consumate professional" and said he "set a good example for our younger players on what it takes to be a pro in this league. We wish him the best."

Miller played 26 games for the Wolves and averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 assists. He shot 62.1 percent from the field.

END UPDATE)

Taylor said Newton hasn't called Martin's agent, Dan Fegan, to negotiate a buyout. Martin can exercise a player's option on his contract this summer that will guarantee him $7.4 million for next season.

But Taylor said he'd be "open" if Martin's side calls and makes a proposal.

"I'm not pursuing that," Taylor said. "You always need some guys with experience who can shoot threes."

Martin played only four minutes in Wednesday's loss at Toronto and it's pretty clear he doesn't fit in the team's current plans.

Last week's trade deadline came and went without Martin being dealt. A buyout agreement now would take Martin's summertime decision out of play and guarantee the Wolves $7.4 million more to spend this summer on a free agent(s) when the salary cap balloons thanks to the NBA's new $24 billion television deal.

Miller and Tayshaun Prince both are on one-year contract signed for the $1.5 million veteran's minimum salary.

Taylor said he's "willing to work" with Miller's side so he can join a playoff team but said there have been no discussions about Prince seeking such a deal.

MIller hasn't played in any of the last four games now that Sam Mitchell has turned to rookie Tyus Jones here after the trade deadline has passed and the season heads into its final weeks.

Wolves Press Clippings

The Timberwolves waived veteran guard Andre Miller on Thursday afternoon, with two possible effects being more playing time for Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones and adding a front-court player to fill the open roster spot.

Miller, 39, in his 17th NBA season, has been sitting on the bench more lately as the Wolves give Jones more court time as a backup to point guard Ricky Rubio. Miller, who was making a veteran minimum salary of $1.5 million, did not played in the four games since the all-star break ended Feb. 19. He played in 26 games for the Wolves, averaging 3.4 points and 2.2 assists.

“Andre was a consummate professional and set a good example for our younger players on what it takes to be a pro in this league,” Wolves general manager Milt Newton said in a statement. “We wish him the best.”

Jones, a rookie from Duke, has played in four of the past six games. He averaged 6.5 points and two assists in more than 11 minutes in the Wolves’ past two games, against the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.

Before the latest run, Jones has had varying opportunities to play. He played six games for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League in December. When he returned to the Wolves, he played in seven straight games but then sat on the bench or was inactive for the next 17 games.

Interim coach Sam Mitchell has since vowed to play Jones more, which he has the past six games.

The Wolves’ roster is down from a max of 15 players to 14, and the Wolves could use a big man. The Wolves are thin in the front court, with injuries to Kevin Garnett (knee), Nikola Pekovic (foot) and Nemanja Bjelica (foot). An addition would help lighten the heavy load for current front-court starters Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng.

Wolves Press Clippings

Kevin Martin and the Minnesota Timberwolves are in advanced negotiations on a contract buyout, according to league sources.

Provided that the sides can reach a settlement before Tuesday's midnight deadline, Martin will be eligible to play in the playoffs for his next team.

Martin would be another strong addition to the buyout market that has steadily formed in the wake of last week's NBA trade deadline, joining Joe Johnson as an established scorer for playoff teams to pursue once he clears waivers. The Wolves on Thursday bought out another veteran guard -- Andre Miller -- to free the 39-year-old to seek employment with a playoff team.

Martin, 33, has also been used sparingly this season by the Wolves, who have fully focused on developing their young players in the wake of their inability to keep building on an 8-8 start. Martin has a player option on his current contract valued at $7.4 million next season, but is likely to draw interest from a number of contenders should negotiations progress as expected to leave the Wolves.

Martin has long been regarded as a high-efficiency player with a propensity to get to the free throw line. He's also a lifetime. 385 shooter from 3-point range who has averaged 17.6 points in 30.5 minutes per game over his 12-season career.

Wolves Press Clippings

The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived veteran point guard Andre Miller after agreeing to terms on a buyout of his contract.

The Wolves announced the move on Thursday. Agent Andy Miller says his 39-year-old client will look to join a team that is making a playoff push. Andre Miller had to be waived by March 1 to be eligible to play in the postseason.

The Timberwolves signed Miller in the offseason to help mentor the team's young guards. Miller played in just 26 games this season and hasn't played since the All-Star break. The Wolves have given rookie Tyus Jones playing time at point guard behind Ricky Rubio.

The buyout will give the Wolves an open roster spot to sign another player if they choose.

Wolves Press Clippings

 As it turns out, getting to shoot hoops with Zach LaVine is no slam dunk at all.

That's what the title character learns on an upcoming episode of ''Kirby Buckets,'' in which LaVine guest stars as himself.

The slam dunk champion will appear on the Disney XD series on March 16. In the episode, Kirby asks his Uncle Leon - whom he had been forbidden to talk to by his mother - for some favors. One of them is getting to play with LaVine, the young Minnesota Timberwolves guard who won the slam dunk title and was MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA's All-Star weekend.

LaVine also gives a pair of sneakers to Kirby, who eventually realizes the favors are backfiring on him.

LaVine has won the last two slam dunk titles, joining Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson and Nate Robinson as the only multiple winners.

Wolves Press Clippings

Andre Miller, A.K.A. the Professor, signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this year as he continues racking up miles on one of the longest NBA journeys in league history. Miller, going on 40 next month, was supposed to help provide another veteran leader alongsideKevin Garnett and Kevin Martin. The Wolves' season, however, is basically over and Miller is now moving on.

The Wolves waived Miller Thursday, with Miller looking to join a playoff contender, Yahoo Sports reports. It's hard to see Miller getting significant time, but a team like Utah, Miami, or Memphis has a need at backup point guard, and play at the speed that Miller is best in. Miller is still able to be effective, based on the fact that his game is as eternal as those crocodiles that are 112 years old.

We'll see where Miller lands.

Wolves Press Clippings

Unable to find a suitable trade before the NBA’s trade deadline, the Timberwolves are now in “advanced buyout negotiations” with veteran Kevin Martin, according to a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein.

The news comes the same day that Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Andre Miller is finalizing a buyout with the team.

In Miller’s case, it makes a lot of sense. He originally signed to play for Flip Saunders, whose tragic passing left the team with an interim coach and GM. Miller is reportedly seeking a playoff contender as a landing spot.

With Martin, it’s a little less clear. He became a bit of a weird fit on a team with mostly young talent and some old veterans like Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince and Miller. Martin was in between, and he’s also struggle shoothing the ball this season.

Martin, a 13-year veteran in his third season with the Timberwolves, is shotting 37.7 percent from the floor this year, and averaged 10.6 points in 21.4 minutes per game. He’s shoting 36.9 percent from 3-point range. If he’s regained his scoring touch a contender could his him as a scorer off the bench.

It didn’t seem likely Minnesota would get much for him at the trade deadline, given that he had a relatively expensive player option in his contract for next season. Buying him out would, of course, eliminate the chance that he excersizes that $7.4 million option for 2016-17.

Wolves Press Clippings

The Timberwolves are in talks over a buyout with veteran point guard Andre Miller, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski. Miller, 39, is reportedly seeking a chance to win elsewhere.

Miller was signed to a one-year deal this summer to mentor the Timberwolves’ young guards. At the onset, it was obvious the Timberwolves were not going to win, but the late Flip Saunders brought in Miller to impart his knowledge on the young roster.

In his short time with the team, Miller has been solid. Miller played  just 10.8 minutes per game over the course of 26 games. Despite his limited playing time, Miller shot 62.1 percent from the field and had 32.6 percent of the team’s assists on the floor. Clearly, Miller and his people feel he has shown prospective teams that he can still contribute.

For the Timberwolves, this likely means that they are comfortable with Tyus Jones backing up Ricky Rubio. Jones has often looked raw, but is averaging 5.3 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 rebounds on 38.9 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent on 3-pointers. In the event of injury or foul trouble, Zach LaVine could fill in as the emergency point guard.

Wolves Press Clippings

Kevin Garnett was traded back to the Timberwolves last year on Feb. 19th. A little over a year later, the Big Ticket has poured his heart into this team in an attempt to get them to where they need to be.

“I’ve been here since obviously the first day and you see the progression from how guys are getting schemes, their IQ levels, rhythm, it’s not just an offense and how someone is putting the ball in the basket, but how guys communicate with each other, chemistry throughout the guys,” Garnett said the last time he spoke to the media. “When you’re watching your team progress, those are the things you’re looking for.” 

Garnett has not played a game since a Jan. 23rd win over the Memphis Grizzlies due to a knee injury. Despite being a young 39-years-old, Garnett has had quite the season so far on the defensive side of the ball.

KG ranks seventh in the league behind names players like Tim Duncan (1st), DeAndre Jordan (3rd) and Draymond Green (4th) in defensive rating, or a player's estimated on-court impact on their team’s defensive performance. 

“Day one you come in and set the tone to what hard work is and the examples of, I try to be just as that, I wish I was a lot more healthy to go a lot longer and as hard as I want, but I’ve always been a gutted player and I’ve always given what I have,” Garnett said. “I’m teaching these guys how to communicate with each other, how to come in and get your work in.”

In his 21st season in the NBA, Garnett isn’t what he once was on the court, but he has been indispensible off the court.

“When guys give themselves up on defense, talking, communicating with each other, on and off the court,” Garnett said regarding what builds chemistry. “We’ve been doing a lot of hanging, we did movies one day, turkey burgers another day. Those are the things that build character, build chemistry throughout the team and those are the things in which I’m speaking about.” 

One of the most experienced active players in the NBA, Garnett has tutored the young Wolves players on how to communicate defensively and how to play team basketball. 

In the five games this season in which Garnett has played 20 or more minutes, Minnesota has given up an average of 92.2 points. Currently, Minnesota sits 23rd in the league in opponent’s points per game, allowing 104.6.

“Our assists went from single digits in some halves and some games to over 30 and over 20 and that means ball movement, that means players are understanding not only the system that’s in place, but their understanding ball movement, sharing the ball and that alone forms chemistry,” Garnett stated.

Although Garnett has not been seen on the court as of late,  he is preparing the young men on the roster for their future on and off the court.   

Wolves Press Clippings

The Wolves are 2-0 against the Atlanta Hawks (7th in East), 2-0 against the Chicago Bulls (6th in East), 1-1 against the Toronto Raptors (2nd in East), 1-1 against the Miami Heat (3rd in East), and they have earned wins over the Memphis Grizzlies (5th in West) and the Los Angeles Clippers (4th in West).

For a young team, hey, that’s pretty good!

But wait. 

They are 0-2 against the New York Knicks (13th in East), 1-1 against the Philadelphia 76ers (15th in East) and 1-3 against the Denver Nuggets (11th in West).

For a young team, hey, that’s pretty normal!

That was on prime display when the Wolves went out West in early February to play the Lakers on Clippers on back-to-back nights. Logically, you’d think the Wolves would beat the Lakers and fall to the Clippers. Only quite the opposite happened. The Wolves fell to the Lakers by four points before beating the Clippers by six the next night.

Minnesota has some winnable games on their schedule. Phoenix (twice), Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Sacramento and New Orleans. Chances are the Wolves will fall in one or more of those games. 

They also play tough teams like the Spurs, Mavericks, Clippers, Jazz, Blazers and Warriors. Chances are the Wolves will steal one or more of these games.

I recently listened to the Bill Simmons Podcast. Simmons asked why the Wolves weren’t winning more games with the core of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

I’m a big Simmons fan, but the question is pretty simple to answer. Wiggins and Towns are 21 and 20, respectively. 

During Kevin Durant’s second year and Russell Westbrook’s rookie year in Oklahoma City, the Thunder won 23 games.

It’s Who Finishes That Matters

There’s been some talk about whether or not Tayshaun Prince or Zach LaVine should start for the Wolves. It’s not rocket science to know that LaVine is the future while Prince is well, not. 

But it’s not about who starts the game. It’s really about who finishes it. Crunch time.

Take Wednesday’s game against the Raptors for example. Prince started and played 16:44. LaVine didn’t start, but played 32:32, including the ENTIRE fourth quarter.

Maybe, but it’s not like LaVine’s minutes has been inconsistent of late. LaVine has played 25 or more minutes in his last 13 games and has played more than 30 in eight. Basically, LaVine knows he’s going to play and probably play a lot. 

In those 13 games, LaVine is averaging 16.7 points per game. Eventually, LaVine will probably be the starting shooting guard of the Wolves. But it probably says more that right now Mitchell is comfortable closing out games with him.

Starting Prince enables Mitchell to have Wiggins start at shooting guard, hopefully creating an offensive mismatch early in the game to get the team off to a good start.

Randomness

• 
  Two trades I really liked: Tobias Harris to Detroit and Channing Frye to Cleveland. One question, though… What’s going on in Orlando? I get they want to open the door for Aaron Gordon, but Harris was only 23. Also, is Elfrid Payton their guy? Doesn’t seem like they are quite so sure after acquiring Brandon Jennings. Payton has played less than 23 minutes in his last two games.
  
• 
  We have mice in our house. They have demolished all of the peanut butter off the traps and not one trap has gone off. The mice are beating me. They may have won the battle, but I will win the war!
  
• 
  The Warriors are 50-5 right now. My goodness.
  
• 
  I recently started watching “Love” on Netflix. I thought the first episode was… OK? What are your thoughts?
  

(Hoping boss isn’t reading this.) 

As always, thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.

Wolves Press Clippings

Minneapolis/St. Paul - The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived guard Andre Miller. The roster currently stands at 14 players.

"Andre was a consummate professional and set a good example for our younger players on what it takes to be a pro in this league," said Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton. "We wish him the best."

Miller, in his 17th NBA season, played in 26 games for the Wolves this year, averaging 3.4 points, on 62.1% shooting, and 2.2 assists. He has career averages of 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 1,291 games.

This reduces the roster to 14 players and allows the Wolves to potentially address a need on the roster--presumably another big with Nikola Pekovic out indefinitely, Kevin Garnett not available, and Nemanja Bjelica ailing with a foot strain. Hopefully they will add someone as soon as possible, and it's certainly possible that they have a deal with someone in the works which is why they made this move now.

There are veterans available like the recently waived Jason Thompson as well as a younger guy like Jarnell Stokes, or any number of players toiling in the D-League, so I would expect a corresponding move to come soon.

It also thins out the point guard spot and means Tyus Jones has a pretty clean shot at the back up minutes for the rest of the season. We should get a good look at him in advance of summer to get a better sense of where he is as a player. I suspect the Wolves will need to find at least a plausible alternative back up this summer, since Jones has so much work to do physically, but it's good for him to get an opportunity now.

Andre Miller did some decent work for the Wolves this season in a very limited role. It will be interesting to see if he catches on elsewhere for the end of the season.

Wolves Press Clippings

Thursday afternoon, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced they had waived veteran point guard Andre Miller. The 17-year veteran, who turns 40 on March 19th, averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 assists in 26 games this season. Miller last appeared in the Wolves’ February 10th home win over Toronto; his best game in a Minnesota uniform came during a road victory against the Kings on November 27th, when he scored 12 points and dished out 4 assists in 18 minutes.

The move isn’t much of a surprise; Miller was signed to be a veteran mentor, and by all accounts, he was exactly that for the first two-thirds of the season. But there are 20-plus games left in what could very well be his final NBA campaign, and according to one report, he’d like to catch on with a playoff team to finish it out. Here was Milt Newton’s statement, via the team’s press release:

“Andre was a consummate professional and set a good example for our younger players on what it takes to be a pro in this league. We wish him the best.”

His enthusiasm for the game, even after nearly two decades in the league, was fun to watch. He gave officials grief during the team’s preseason intrasquad scrimmage; he got in the ears of young players on the bench; and he stood and cheered emphatically for his teammates, even in the midst of a long string of DNPs:

On a personal note, I never got to share a pregame meal with Miller, who was notorious for saving his per diem in order to eat the food the team provided in the media area. I consider this one of my life’s greatest failures.

With the buyout of Miller, the Wolves’ roster now stands at 14. How long before it’s 13? Well…

ESPN’s Marc Stein (who is about as good as it gets among NBA reporters) expounded on the news here. Martin’s player option for next season (valued at $7.4 million) is surely complicating matters, but the news that the two sides are talking means a buyout is probable. If THAT happens, the Wolves will have two open roster spots.

And with that, I’m off to bother wise D-League writers to figure out the next diamond(s) in the rough the Wolves should sign for the rest of the season.

Until then…

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