The Minnesota Timberwolves have been working hard to build up a talented roster during the offseason, and the recruiting pitch the team made to Andrei Kirilenko is what convinced the veteran forward to join the squad. The T'Wolves signed Kirilenko to a two-year, $20 million deal back in July, which surprised some people around the NBA, but Kirilenko says it had everything to do with how the team approached him and sold him on the opportunity to be a part of a playoff push (via the Star Tribune):

"It's very flattering when the G.M., the coach, players are calling you and saying, 'We need you, we need your experience. I said, 'Wow, I really have the chance to play for a coach with a team-oriented system, kind of like they play in European basketball."

Kirilenko is 31 years old and he played in Russia last year, but the money the organization spent to add him to the mix wasn't necessarily too much in comparison to other deals handed out to small forwards around the NBA. Canis Hoopus look at that very issue back in July.

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