Alright, they are really getting ridiculous with this
Boston/Minnesota thing. Now Twaan is a T-Wolf??
Ainge & McHale trading brothas back and forth like
cattle or some shit
McHale Not Done Dealing?
Minnesota Timberwolves' turnover continues with trade of Davis and Blount to Miami
BY RICK ALONZO
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 10/25/2007 12:34:21 AM CDT
Here's a pop quiz, Timberwolves fans: Name the players who remain from the end of the 2005-06 season, a mere 18 months ago.
The answer: Marko Jaric, Rashad McCants and Mark Madsen.
The Wolves on Wednesday cleared out two players who didn't fit into their rebuilding plan. They traded Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to the Miami Heat. In return, they get Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a conditional first-round pick.
"Whew! Crazy," Wolves rookie Corey Brewer said after practice. "Just another day in the NBA. Things happen. We're going to miss Ricky and Mark, but we're rebuilding, I guess you could say. We've got a lot of new faces, and we've got to keep working hard."
Vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said he might not be done making moves. If nothing else, the Wolves have to trim at least three players off the roster to meet NBA rules. How McHale will do that remains to be seen. Another trade remains a possibility, along with waiving players and/or buying out contracts.
The deal gives the Wolves 18 players, and the regular-season roster limit is 15. McHale hinted that at least one of the players acquired in the trade will not be on the roster soon, but he wouldn't elaborate.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Doleac and/or Simien not with the team by 5 p.m. Monday, the league's deadline for teams to set their Opening Day rosters.
Walker and Doleac could arrive in Minnesota today. Simien won't be brought in right away,
which leaves his future in limbo as the Wolves contemplate other moves.
"It's a deal that I'm not sure all the players are going to report here," McHale said of the trade with Miami. "We've got to make sure all the players are healthy. We've got some other stuff that we're probably going to do inside this deal. There's a lot of business going on. We'll see what happens."
With Wednesday's trade, the Wolves got rid of Blount's undesirable contract as well as two players whose personalities weren't easy to deal with. The move also created more playing time for Minnesota's young players.
Including Simien, the Wolves have nine players who are 25 or younger.
"This is the direction we're going," coach Randy Wittman said. "We've got guys that have talent. You need to have it developed, and the only way you can do that is on the floor."
Davis, who was the team's starting shooting guard, averaged 17 points and a team-high 4.9 assists last season. Now McCants and Brewer could see more playing time.
Davis was at the center of an explosive incident Jan. 19. Angry over being taken out of a game against Detroit, he left the court area but was talked into returning to the bench. Then he refused to re-enter the game when called by coach Dwane Casey. Four days later, Casey was fired and replaced by Wittman.
Blount was known as an enigmatic, jump-shooting center who didn't provide much help in other areas. Now Blount and Davis are gone.
"I think it's going to allow . . . for some of these guys to step up to see who has leadership ability and have an understanding of what we're talking about, that we have to have a cohesiveness in the locker room," Wittman said. "You remove two strong personalities like that, and somebody's going to have to show that now."
This deal isn't all rosy for the Wolves. They take on a player in Walker who has had run-ins with coach Pat Riley and must adjust to joining a rebuilding team. And Doleac and Simien might not fit into the future of the franchise.
"We're just going to see what happens," said Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein. "We'll take it a day at a time and see how it goes. He's a great player. He plays hard everywhere. There's no sense jumping to conclusions."
Walker, 31, is a three-time all-star forward with career averages of 18 points and 7.9 rebounds. But last season he averaged career lows of 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Riley complained about Walker's conditioning this preseason. Last season, Riley briefly suspended Walker over the issue.
When asked how he fits with the Wolves, McHale said: "We'll find out. Hopefully, he comes in and is a professional. I know the last three or four weeks down in Miami haven't been all that pleasant. He's on Pat's conditioning program, which is a full-time job."
Added McHale: "Pat's idea of conditioning and the rest of us, I think we're a little different. I'd say he's probably in pretty good shape."
Doleac, 30, is a 6-foot-11 center who has career averages of 5 points and 3.4 rebounds. His contract is valuable to the Wolves because it expires after this season. He is set to make $3.12 million.
Simien, a 6-9 forward who was a 2005 first-round draft pick, has had tough luck. He missed 53 games because of injury or illness during his first two seasons in the NBA. He has career averages of 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.
Simien had left knee surgery this summer. He appeared in just one game for the Heat this exhibition season.
Simien will make $997,800 this season. The Wolves hold a team option for the 2008-09 season, meaning they can bring him back or let him become a free agent.
Walker has four seasons left on his contract, but only the next two seasons are guaranteed. He is owed $8.3 million this season and $9.05 million in 2008-09.
The Wolves will get Miami's No. 1 pick in 2008 unless the Heat finish with one of the top 14 selections. The conditional pick is protected through the top 10 picks in 2009 and the top six picks in 2010. There is no protection after that.
The Wolves will be trying to adjust to a revamped roster when they open the season Nov. 2 against Denver.
