Timberwolves News

"Party-crashing NBA basketball star Richard Jefferson grabbed a man by the throat in a swanky downtown Minneapolis hotel and choked him until he briefly lost consciousness, according to charges filed today against the New Jersey Nets forward. Jefferson, 27, is charged with fifth-degree misdemeanor assault. His first court appearance has been scheduled for June 18 in connection with the 1:40 a.m. incident at the Graves Hotel's Infinity bar on Jan. 27."

"Even though his Timberwolves finished with just 22 victories, owner Glen Taylor said Wednesday that, overall, the season was enjoyable for him. "In most parts, it probably was as I had anticipated," Taylor said. "It very much was interesting. We started out finding wins very, very difficult. ... I was hoping that we would do a little bit better. "But it has been an enjoyable experience. I've been very close to the team, very involved. I can see a lot of good things in this team. Now, it's up to us, like last year, to work really hard and look at how we can make it better next year." Taylor, obviously, didn't measure the season in victories and losses. "

"A day after his team completed its first 60-loss season since he accepted the job 13 years ago, Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale on Thursday said he is committed to his job until the franchise returns to the playoffs headed toward a championship, a development he claimed is not as far away as you might think."

"Kevin McHale said he believes his Timberwolves should be better next season, a lot better. A 20-win improvement is within reach, according to McHale, the club's vice president of basketball operations, who said his team isn't that far away from being a much more competitive team. Such a significant improvement would give the team a winning record and almost double its win total from this season's 22-60 mark. "

"As Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman put it, this season he had to "sink or swim" with his young players. The goal was to learn about the rookies and young players in order to determine what the players could do and how they might fit into the picture for the future. With that goal accomplished, the team can move forward, which means he won't tolerate as much of the poor play he saw at times this season. "

"Even though his Timberwolves finished with just 22 victories, owner Glen Taylor said Wednesday that, overall, the season was enjoyable for him. "In most parts, it probably was as I had anticipated," Taylor said. "It very much was interesting. We started out finding wins very, very difficult. ... I was hoping that we would do a little bit better. "

"A season that opened six months ago far away in Turkey and never seemed like it would end in November and December really wouldn't at Target Center on Wednesday night, when the Timberwolves went an extra five minutes to beat Milwaukee 110-101 in their season finale. Point guard Randy Foye missed that season's first three months because of a kneecap injury, but he finished it with a flourish, supplying a career-high 32 points that included 10 of the Wolves' 16 points in overtime."

"In the end, fans at Target Center gave the Timberwolves a standing ovation. Two teams bound for the NBA draft lottery closed the season Wednesday night, and the Wolves overcame a 16-point deficit and rallied for a 110-101 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Target Center behind Randy Foye's career-high 32 points. "

"It would appear that today is the day for Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak. The Bucks ended the season with an eight-game losing streak and a 26-56 record after falling in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-101, Wednesday night at the Target Center. The Bucks returned to Milwaukee after the game and general manager John Hammond planned to meet with Krystkowiak this morning. A decision most likely will be reached on Krystkowiak's status, and he is not expected to be retained."

"As good as Timberwolves big man Al Jefferson was this season, there's one glaring weakness in his game: defense. Jefferson's scoring and rebounding were beyond reproach. But now it's up to him to take that same attitude toward stopping opposing power forwards and centers from scoring. "No question," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "That's got to be his next step. It's got to be a step for us to win. For us to be good and continue to grow and go in the right direction, he's got to get better defensively." "

"From last fall's training camp in Turkey to Wednesday night's season finale against Milwaukee, this Timberwolves season was about evaluating players and developing them. Players had questions to answer about themselves, their games and how they would help the team win. Al Jefferson looks like a future all-star, perhaps as soon as next season. Ryan Gomes showed his versatility and solid play makes him someone who can succeed on any team. Other Wolves had encouraging seasons, too. "

"The last time the Timberwolves passed the infamous threshold they reached Tuesday night with a 115-103 loss at a place called the Palace, Bill Blair coached and Christian Laettner and J.R. Rider anchored a group that lost 60 or more games for the fifth time in the franchise's first six seasons."

"Former Wolves coach Flip Saunders played a role in the latest defeat, directing the Detroit Pistons to a 115-103 victory over the Wolves, ensuring Detroit home-court advantage for as long as the Pistons are in the NBA playoffs."

"The Pistons stayed with their game plan against the Timberwolves Tuesday night: playing the starters limited minutes and relying on the bench to get it done late. The bench stepped up again as the Pistons upended the Timberwolves, 115-103, and clinched home-court advantage if they make it to the NBA Finals. "

"But the Pistons went home happy they maintained the agenda they've been tackling for weeks, getting good production from their starters, fine performances from their bench and another late-season win with little outside meaning. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-103, in the home finale."

"The Bucks surrendered 151 points in Monday's home loss to Chicago, their seventh consecutive defeat. The Bucks scored 45 points in the first quarter and 72 in the first half and still lost by 16."

"Al Jefferson is a lot better than anybody thought. And as Wolves basketball boss Kevin McHale likes to say, he thought Jefferson was pretty good when he made last summer's seismic trade that sent future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett to Boston."

"Minnesota's Kirk Snyder scored a season-high 22 points with a career-high 11 rebounds during a 114-105 win Saturday at Memphis."

"Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman worried his team might have expended too much energy in Friday's comeback victory at Orlando, so all it did on Saturday night in Memphis was score a franchise-record 43 points in the first quarter of a 114-105 victory that produced all sorts of statistical anomalies."

"So, the Wolves see their 114-105 victory at Memphis on Saturday night as a good thing. Minnesota won consecutive games on the road for just the second time this season, with Saturday's victory following Friday night's 102-101 upset at Orlando."

"The result, however, was a 114-105 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in FedExForum. The Grizzlies were flat from the start, and overwhelmed by the Timberwolves' dominance in the paint all night. Minnesota left with a 62-45 rebounding edge and a 60-44 scoring advantage in the paint."

"Corey Brewer knows what he has to do this offseason to improve upon his rookie season with the Timberwolves."

"So tight all too often earlier in the season, the Wolves recovered from 14 points down in the third quarter, from seven behind with three minutes left and from four points back in the final 87 seconds to defeat the Magic 102-101 at Amway Arena. Ryan Gomes sank two game-winning free throws with 2.9 seconds left."

"The storyline was set: One team was going for its 50th victory of the season at the expense of another that could have suffered its 60th loss. But with a 102-101 upset comeback victory over Orlando, the Timberwolves provided another example Friday night of what they're trying to build and showed they have the pieces to get there. It's just a matter doing it consistently. "

"Is the sky really falling in chunks on Stan Van Gundy's head? With a chance to win their 50th game of the season against a league doormat, the Magic opened themselves to all kinds of questions with their stunning 102-101 loss to the stubborn Minnesota Timberwolves (20-59) on Friday night."

"Just five nights after losing to the bottom-feeding New York Knicks in embarrassing fashion, the Magic sunk even lower by blowing a nine-point fourth-quarter lead in an unsightly 102-101 loss to the rebuilding Timberwolves."

"The Grizzlies beat the Wolves 113-101 at Target Center on Sunday, thanks to the inside-out combination of Rudy Gay and Mike Miller."

"The Magic has won its first division title since Shaquille O'Neal played in Orlando in 1996 and has secured the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. At 49-29, this is the Magic's first winning season since 2002-2003's 42-40 record. ... Go figure: The Magic won at Cleveland, then lost at New York in back-to-back games to begin the week, and then thumped Chicago 115-83 at home on Wednesday."

"The New Orleans Hornets promised to spend Wednesday night toasting champagne at 30,000 feet. The Timberwolves had to settle for knowing their season moved one step closer to the finish line. The Hornets earned the right to celebrate after setting a team record for victories while maintaining the top spot in the Western Conference with a 122-90 victory Wednesday before an announced crowd of 17,165 at Target Center."

"With each passing day and mounting loss, the Timberwolves seemingly gain a stronger foothold in their climb up the NBA draft lottery. If you're a Wolves fan pulling for the chance to draft Kansas State's Michael Beasley or Memphis' Derrick Rose, you can thank the Wolves' tough closing schedule. And thank the New York Knicks, too. The Wolves were blown out 122-90 Wednesday night against the New Orleans Hornets, and in New York the Knicks hung on to defeat Charlotte 109-107. "

"The Hornets' dream season gained another milestone Wednesday night. Peja Stojakovic, Chris Paul and David West marched off the court at the Target Center with the most wins in franchise history. The Hornets pushed their record to 55-23 after routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-90 in front of a crowd of 17,165. Until this season, the franchise record had been held by the 1996-97 team that finished 54-28 but was swept in the first round by the New York Knicks."

"Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said he didn't need to speak individually with Rashad McCants on Wednesday, a day after he benched the young guard and questioned his effort and approach to the game at Charlotte, N.C. "He's going to have his opportunity to play tonight," Wittman said before Wednesday night's game against New Orleans. "It's just a matter of everybody being ready to play and play the right way. It's nothing more than that." "

"Greg Buckner lives. He plays, too, as the Timberwolves' 121-119 loss to Charlotte on Tuesday night at freshly named Time Warner Cable Arena illustrated remarkably."

"Buckner had appeared in just one game since the all-star break, but he played 31 minutes and scored 13 points to spark the Wolves' comeback attempt, which fell short in a 121-119 loss to the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena."

"It's rare when Matt Carroll misses a free throw, rarer still when he's told to miss a free throw. But that was the order late in the Charlotte Bobcats' 121-119 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Killing a second, even a fraction of a second, was more important than adding a point to the Bobcats' score. So the coaches told Carroll, an 80 percent foul shooter, to intentionally miss."

"Walker has said he would like to be traded this summer to a team for whom he could play significant minutes. He's a veteran on a team trying to develop young players. But Wittman isn't ruling out a role for Walker with the Wolves next season. "

"The Hornets are the NBA's feel-good story of the season: They've vaulted to the top of the murderous Western Conference and brought back sellout crowds to New Orleans Arena just when it looked as if basketball in the city might be a goner after Hurricane Katrina ...."

"Al Jefferson and his teammates are nine days away from a long summer of rest, a fact that for now and for the Timberwolves star center's well-being is a very good thing."

"It's been a long, draining season, and Al Jefferson is fatigued. Jefferson said Monday he has to improve his fitness during the offseason because he's not in good enough shape to handle the playoffs this season, if the Timberwolves had qualified. "

"Good thing this game is at Charlotte: The Bobcats have won four consecutive games on the road and lost their past three at home."

"Telfair participated in full-contact drills in practice Monday for the first time since spraining his left ankle March 7 at Sacramento. But it remains to be seen whether he will play another game this season."

"The Timberwolves' 113-101 loss to Memphis that maybe concerned only those 16,764 people inside Target Center on Sunday evening -- certainly few fans back on Beale Street were focused on this basketball game -- conjured a scene from a sports movie released when Al Jefferson was 7 years old."

"Rudy Gay might not win the NBA's most improved player award this season, but he made his argument Sunday. Gay's clutch baskets late in the fourth quarter helped the Memphis Grizzlies pull out a 113-101 victory over the Timberwolves on a night that teammate Mike Miller matched his season high with 34 points, including eight three-pointers, one shy of matching the Target Center record. "

"When Rudy Gay and Mike Miller are seemingly unstoppable, it usually means a win. That was the case Sunday evening when the Grizzlies' best two perimeter players formed a dynamic duo and led a 113-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Target Center."

"Forward Al Jefferson essentially was missing from the first half of Sunday's game, when the Timberwolves fell behind big, but coach Randy Wittman said no one was to blame but Jefferson."

"Can you hear that up in the Twin Cities, Kevin McHale? If the Timberwolves happen to get lucky in the lottery for the first time in franchise history, there's no decision to make. The pick has to be Derrick Rose, the Memphis freshman who would turn Al Jefferson into an All-Star and the Wolves into a team worth watching again."

"Flip Saunders, his Detroit Pistons possibly headed toward an Eastern Conference playoff confrontation with the Boston Celtics and the superstar whom he coached for nine-plus seasons, on Tuesday visited Target Center for the third time since the Timberwolves fired him three years ago."

"That other team from Memphis plays today. The Timberwolves' 5:30 p.m. game against the Grizzlies at Target Center begins a week in which the two teams that are running neck-and-neck in the NBA draft-lottery sweepstakes play twice in six days."

"This is the first of two meetings between the teams in six days, ending with Saturday's game in Memphis."

"There are questions surrounding the job security of Memphis coach Marc Iavoroni, but Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley says he won't evaluate his coach until the end of the season. "