Minnesota Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman says he was 'pleased with the preseason'

The T-Wolves had a tumultuous preseason, but head coach Rick Adelman said that he was happy with what he saw.

Kevin Love injury: T-Wolves star out 6-8 weeks with broken hand

Kevin Love will miss 6-to-8 weeks with a broken hand.

Maccabi vs. Timberwolves preseason recap: Minnesota dominates Maccabi Haifa, 114-81

Kevin Love and Brandon Roy combined for 43 points to lead the Timberwolves over Maccabi, 114-81.

Derrick Williams' miss forces wind sprints at Timberwolves practice

Derrick Williams elected to shoot a three-pointer instead of a free throw at practice, and his missed forced him to run some solo wind sprints.

Alexey Shved to play point guard during preseason

Kevin Love getting into 'game shape'

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love is not in the sort of shape that head coach Rick Adelman would prefer. Adelman singled out Love and his physical condition on Friday, but on Saturday, Adelman suggested that Love's problem may be mental as much as anything else. Love acknowledged that he is worried about his game shape and said he'll continue to work hard to get ready for the season ahead.

"If I can be as less worried about it, I would be. But I'm not. I'll keep shooting extra shots, staying after practice, getting in before practice like I did today and staying in the weight room and I'll be all right."

Love played in 55 games for the Timberwolves last season and averaged a career-best 26 points per game to go with 13.3 rebounds per game. He has averaged double-digit rebounds per game in each of the last three seasons, with a career-high average of 15.2 in 2010-11. For his career, he is averaging 17.3 points and 12 boards per game.

Minnesota, which finished last season 26-40 and 12th in the Western Conference, begins its preseason slate on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.

Camp invite Will Conroy helped get Brandon Roy to the Minnesota Timberwolves

Point guard Will Conroy, a training camp invitee of the Minnesota Timberwolves, actually played a role in the T-Wolves signing Brandon Roy over the summer, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press.

Conroy, like Roy, is a Seattle-area product and the two are longtime friends. Krawczynski reported that Conroy, who is familiar with Timberwolves general manager David Kahn from when both were in the D-League, briefly played for Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman when he coached the Houston Rockets. From the story:

"When Minnesota was one of the teams that stepped forward to being on his radar, I said `B, you've got to go to Minnesota,'" Conroy said. "Now the weather is a little different. But you'll love playing there. You'll love playing for the coaching staff. He had a couple of teams with some nice cities like Dallas, Golden State, Chicago. He chose Minnesota, which is a big testament to the coaching staff and our front office."

Conroy was added to Minnesota's training camp roster in September.

Timberwolves training camp: Rick Adelman intrigued by versatility of Minnesota's roster

The Minnesota Timberwolves concluded the portion of their training camp located in Mankato, Minn., on Friday and head coach Rick Adelman believes this year's team is "totally different" from last season, according to a report by Mark Remme at the team's Web site.

Minnesota takes on the Indiana Pacers in their first preseason game on Oct. 10 in Fargo, N.D., and Adelman thinks the team's additions have to use the exhibtion time to gel together.

Here's Adelman from the report:

"It's a totally different team. I think we've added some veterans. We've added ball handling and shooting. We'll see how it all works out. That's what we're going to figure out. We get through these three more practices and get to our first game and we'll find out a lot about ourselves."

"I think you'll see some deficiencies when we play somebody else," Adelman added in the report. "But that's fine. That's what exhibitions are for."

With a roster full of players such as the improved Greg Stiemsma, Derrick Williams, Dante Cunningham, Andrei Kirilenko and Lou Amundson to surround men in the middle Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic, Adelman has plenty of avenues to find the best possible mixtures for success.

"They all play with each other," Adelman said in the article. "It's a matter of what's the best combination for us?"

Brad Miller volunteering as Timberwolves assistant

Brad Miller strolled into Minnesota Timberwolves training camp on Oct. 3 wearing plaid shorts and looking relaxed, but this is exactly what head coach Rick Adelman expected. The veteran big man retired from the NBA last season, so Adelman invited Miller to impart his some of his wisdom on Minnesota's big men in a coaching capacity, as reported by the Pioneer Press.

Miller played for Adelman with the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, and his ability to operate brilliantly from the high post help to make those Kings teams incredibly potent on offense. Adelman noted that Miller knows his system inside and out and laid out the reason for Miller's presence at camp in simple terms: "I invited him to come in for a few days and work with our big guys. He's such a smart player and knows our system."

With Miller there to help, now it's now up to Greg Stiemsma, Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Love and Dante Cunningham to soak up that knowledge and to use it during the 2012-13 NBA season.

Ricky Rubio Injury: Timberwolves hoping he clears hurdles soon

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio is optimistic that he'll be able to progress quickly through the goals given to him by president of basketball operations David Kahn recently, as Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes. Rubio's recovery is expected to keep him out for at least the first two weeks of the season.

On Monday, Kahn told reporters at the team's media event that, "Ricky needs to regain his speed, his change of direction and change of pace. Barring any setbacks, we'll be playing the vast majority of the season with him."

Rubio tore his ACL during a collision with Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant on March 9, which has put him on the sidelines ever since. He's note expected to participate in the team's training camp, which began on Tuesday, but he will be able to do, "light shooting and jogging on a treadmill," while his teammates prepare for the start of the season.

Derrick Williams impresses Wolves with weight loss

The Minnesota Timberwolves rebuilt their wing rotation this offseason, signing free agent Andrei Kirilenko and trading for Chase Budinger. But 2011 first-round pick Derrick Williams is still a major part of that equation, and the ex-Arizona Wildcats star dedicated himself this offseason to tailoring his body to play small forward.

Williams has reportedly lost 10 pounds and trimmed his body fat to 7.3 percent, which he believes will make him better suited for the three. Williams played on the wing some last year, but felt like he was too heavy to consistently guard the position. But Williams will also have to improve his skillset and effort, the latter of which coach Rick Adelman says was noticeably different in the team's first practice.

"Last year, he just floated, you'd see it once in a while," Adelman said. "Today, he just played with more authority. He just played harder. That's the difference. You've got to play hard in this league. You can't cruise or it's not going to work. I was pleased the way he played today. We'll see if it continues on."

(via Minnesota Star Tribune)

Williams had a middling season last year. He showed flashes of dominance but was generally inconsistent at best, shooting only 41 percent from the field and 27 percent from three.

Timberwolves Training Camp: Brandon Roy feels 'pretty good'

Brandon Roy was back in an NBA training camp for the first time in two years on Tuesday, and he said that his knees feel "pretty good," according to Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press.

"There's a bunch of different bridges I've been crossing, and this was another one," said Roy ... "We went over a lot of defensive stuff, and that was a question mark for me because I hadn't done it in awhile. Overall, it was a good day for me."

Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman held Roy out of the last part of practice as a precaution. He said that the staff will be closely monitoring Roy's health to make sure they don't push him too hard.

Roy retired from the Portland Trailblazers before the 2010-2011 season due to a degenerative knee condition. However, after receiving plasma therapy on his knees, he felt strong enough to make a comeback. He signed with the Timberwolves this past offseason.

Timberwolves Media Day: Rick Adelman happy with offseason

Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman sounded optimistic about his team's chances in the upcoming 2012-13 season when he spoke during Monday's media day. Adelman particularly focused his comments on how offseason changes have made Minnesota a more versatile squad:

"We added some versatility and we're a better ball-handling team in a number of spots. We're a better passing game and we're going to be more versatile defensively. Just watching them scrimmage, they're already doing things we're going to be doing. When you have veterans, you look at Brandon or Andrei, they know how to play."

The Timberwolves added Andrei Kirilenko, Brandon Roy, Chase Budinger, Greg Stiesma, Alexey Shved and Lou Amundson in the offseason, additions that should improve depth for a team that was hit hard by injuries last seson. Veterans like Roy and Kirilenko should help run Adelman's cut-heavy system more smoothly, especially since the team will be without point guard Ricky Rubio and his pick-and-roll abilities to begin the year.

Timberwolves sign six players to complete training camp roster

The team filled out their roster by adding Will Conroy, Mike Harris, Chris Johnson, Phil Jones, Seth Tarver and Jermaine Taylor.

Timberwolves formally introduce Andrei Kirilenko in Friday press conference

The Minnesota Timberwolves formally introduced veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko on Friday afternoon.

Kevin Love nearly guarantees Timberwolves will make playoffs

Kevin Love believes the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to be an NBA playoff squad this season.

Louis Amundson Reportedly Signs With Timberwolves

Journeyman center Louis Amundson has signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.

The Timberwolves will be the sixth team in Amundson's seven year career. He has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers. Last season for Indiana, Amundson played in 60 games, averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 12.6 minutes.

Amundson joins Nikola Pekovic and Greg Stiemsma at the center position in Minnesota.

Amundson is only one of a number of players added by the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. Building around the core of point guard Ricky Rubio and power forward Kevin Love, the Timberwolves added forwards Andrei Kirilenko,Dante Cunningham and Chase Budinger, guard Brandon Roy and center Greg Stiemsma.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation. For more on the Wolves, visit Canis Hoopus or stick with SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around basketball, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio To Arrive In Minnesota This Week

Two huge parts of the Minnesota Timberwolves lineup are expected to arrive in town for the start of preseason camp, Olympic gold medalist Kevin Love and flashy guard Ricky Rubio.

Love will be in the Minneapolis-area in time for his basketball camp this week in Eden Prairie, and Rubio will be coming in from Vail, Colo., where he was undergoing rehabilitation for knee surgery in March. Rubio was cleared to run for the first time since that surgery.

The Timberwolves will rely heavily on contributions from these two players in 2012-2013.

Love, one of the premier big men in the NBA, has averaged double figures in points and rebounds in each of his first three seasons in the NBA. He scored 26 points and grabbed 13.3 rebounds a game last season, and his average minutes per game has gone up each year.

Rubio, from Spain, had his rookie season cut short last year, but he averaged 10.6 points and 8.2 assists per game for the Wolves.

For more on the Wolves, visit Canis Hoopus or stick with SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around basketball, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Chase Budinger Feels Comfortable In New Surroundings

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger has a new team and new home after departing the Houston Rockets in a trade in June. Making a home for himself in chilly Minnesota during basketball season is one thing for the California native, but he should feel right at home on the court with his coaches and teammates.

Budinger is reunited with his former coach in Houston, Rick Adelman, and assisants T.R. Dunn, Jack Sikma and R.J. Adelman. Said Budinger:

It's going to be somewhat of a new place and new teammates, but as far as the coaches and the system, it's still the same."

Budinger is also playing with a Wolves teammates that goes back to their Pac-12 days together. Malcolm Lee was in the conference at UCLA for Budinger's last season in Tucson.

Budinger is a swingman whom the Wolves hope will be a key part of the mix that will get up-and-coming Minnesota to the NBA playoffs this season.

For more on the Wolves, visit Canis Hoopus or stick with SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around basketball, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Glen Taylor Has 3 Potential Successors To Own Minnesota Timberwolves

After initially considering just one possible candidate during the summer, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has decided expand the field to consider three different buyers for a stake in the team, as Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press reports.

Whoever buys that stake would eventually be in a position to take controlling interest of the team, which is currently held by the 71-year-old Taylor. In July, he revealed that he was considering a confidential buyer from outside Minnesota to potentially buy a stake and take over the team eventually, but now he's added two more possibly candidates:

At first I opened it up to just one person and said I would 'hold it for you for a while,' but when we didn't get a deal done, I told that person there are other people who had made inquiries and that I'm going to talk to them, and that's what I'm doing now.

Taylor wouldn't reveal any details about the possible buying parties, but he appears to be seriously considering the idea of giving up controlling interest of the Timberwolves relatively soon. He did say that whoever buys the team would be required to keep the team in Minnesota.

The Wolves are considering one of the up-and-coming teams in the NBA for this season after a busy offseason. WithKevin Love and Ricky Rubio already in tow plus intriguing veterans like Andrei Kirilenko and Brandon Roy entering the picture, Minnesota is certainly one of the teams worth watching this year.

For more on the Wolves, visit Canis Hoopus or stick with SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around basketball, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Andrei Kirilenko Focused On Conditioning In Timberwolves Offseason

In 2012, new Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko will be getting used to the NBA again after spending a year playing professionally in Russia. There will be adjustments for Kirilenko, the first of which, according to him, will be his conditioning.

"I'm working a lot on my physical condition," Kirilenko said. "It's the most important thing in the NBA. My game is very energetic. As long as I'm in good shape, I'm running. That's my game is running."

(via Pro Basketball Talk)

The Wolves will be relying on Kirilenko to be a big part of what they hope is a push back into the Western Conference playoffs. Needless to say, the team will need him to be healthy and in-shape, as their margin for error will be very slim.

For more on the Wolves, visit Canis Hoopus or stick with SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around basketball, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.

NBA Rumors: Anthony Tolliver Is Still Talking To The Timberwolves

Anthony Tolliver is still talking to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a handful of other NBA teams and the Greek team Panathinaikos in an effort to find a team somewhere to play the upcoming basketball season, the Star Tribune reported.

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported Tolliver texted him and said he doesn't plan on playing in Greece this season, but it "remains an option" while he attempts to find an NBA team that'll sign him for something over the veteran's minimum.

That's the catch in the Timberwolves re-signing Tolliver: All the team could afford would be the veteran's minimum unless a trade is made to clear salary cap space.

Other NBA teams Tolliver and his agent are engaging in talks, Zgoda said, are the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards.

Timberwolves' training camp opens Oct. 2, and the team has one roster spot open.

Tolliver has played five years in the NBA. He went undrafted out of Creighton in 2007. He spent the first three years out of college shuffling between the NBA Development League and teams in Germany and Turkey. The 27-year-old 6'8 forward has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors and the Timberwolves.

He's averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds for his NBA career.

Stay with this StoryStream for more trade rumors involving the T-Wolves, and head over to Canis Hoopus for more T-Wolves coverage. Be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA hub for news, updates and coverage from around the league.

Troy Hudson, Dan Coleman Participate In Pick-Up Game With Timberwolves Players

Ex-Minneapolis-area stars ran in an open pick-up game with current Timberwolves players over the weekend.

Brandon Roy Hasn't Experienced Any Injury Setbacks

Brandon Roy's knees are feeling the best they have in a long time.

Andrei Kirilenko Was Flattered By Wolves' Recruitment

Andrei Kirilenko says the Timberwolves made an irresistible pitch to him during the offseason.

Nikola Pekovic Injury: Timberwolves Center Recovering Nicely

Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic is feeling good and looking trim since undergoing surgery in May to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.

Pekovic says he has lost seven or eight pounds as part of his offseason workout, according to the Pioneer Press:

"I feel great," Pekovic said after participating in informal workouts Thursday, Sept. 13, at the Wolves' practice facility in Target Center. "My ankle is much better. I don't feel anything. I hope it can stay like this all the time."

Pekovic emerged last season, starting 35 games for Minnesota before the bone spurs slowed him down. He posted 13 points and 7.4 rebounds and shot a team-high 56.4 percent from the floor.

The 26-year-old will be entering his third season in the NBA.

Timberwolves Sign Will Conroy To Partially Guaranteed Contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed free agent guard Will Conroy to a partially guaranteed one-year contract, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports. Conroy will join his teammates in workouts on Friday as he looks to land a roster spot.

Conroy, 29, graduated from the University of Washington in 2005. In four years with the Huskies, the point guard averaged 9.2 points per game and 4.3 assists per game, but he peaked as a scorer by averaging 12.7 points per game during his sophomore season.

Despite the solid collegiate performance, Conroy went undrafted, eventually bouncing between the NBA and the D-League. In 2006-07, Conroy appeared in three games with the Memphis Grizzlies and four games with the Los Angeles Clippers, plus he appeared in five games with the Houston Rockets in 2009-10.

Conroy has spent most of his professional career in the D-League, averaging 17.4 points per game and 8.6 assists per game in 204 games over six seasons. He peaked statistically in 2008-09, averaging 26.5 points per game on 48 percent shooting and 8 assists per game in 49 games with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

Hassan Whiteside Visits Timberwolves For Second Workout

Hassan Whiteside will work out a second time for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota needs another center, but is severely hampered by a lack of salary cap room.

NBA Rumors: Hassan Whiteside Scheduled To Work Out With Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a workout scheduled with free agent big man Hassan Whiteside for this week, as the player told Lang Greene of HoopsWorld on Wednesday. Whiteside has been looking for another NBA job since being waived by the Sacramento Kings earlier this summer.

Whiteside, a 2010 second-round pick by the Kings, has never really established himself at the pro level. An elite shot-blocker in college with Marshall, he's battled injuries throughout his career, allowing him to appear in 19 NBA games, averaging 1.5 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game.

After a summer of working out and building up his frame, Whiteside tells Greene that he believes he's a much improved player. Considering his size (he stands 7 feet tall) and youth (he's just 23), it's easy to see why teams would have interest in Whiteside.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

NBA Rumors: Timberwolves Looking At Mickael Pietrus

While the Minnesota Timberwolves may not necessarily be in the market for another shooting guard at this point in the offseason, the team still plans to explore a handful of possible options on the free agent market with training camp drawing closer.

One of those options, according to 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson, is veteran swingman Mickael Pietrus, a 6-foot-6 3-point specialist who routinely serves as one of the NBA's top sixth men. Even though Pietrus would seemingly have a difficult time finding the floor in a crowded Minnesota wing rotation, Wolfson believes he could be an attractive option if the organization opts to move a guard:

Nothing concrete, but Kahn has spoken with Mickaël Piétrus' camp. Suppose if Kahn moves a guard, he could become an option. #twolves

— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) August 30, 2012

However unlikely, Pietrus could be an interesting player to pair with point guard Ricky Rubio, given his value as a spot-up shooter from behind the arc. In addition, the nine-year veteran from France also presents value as a perimeter defender, a highly valuable commodity to any NBA coach.

Stay with this StoryStream for more trade rumors involving the T-Wolves, and head over to Canis Hoopus for more T-Wolves coverage. Be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA hub for news, updates and coverage from around the league.

NBA Rumors: Timberwolves Scout Hassan Whiteside, Possibly Andray Blatche As Well

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a scout watching free agent Hassan Whiteside's recent workout, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. Andray Blatche was also in attendance at the workout, but it's unclear whether the Timberwolves watched the former Wizards forward play.

Whiteside, 23, would qualify as the kind of big man that Minnesota has been searching for lately. The Timberwolves have added significant depth this offseason, but president David Kahn told reporters recently that the team is still considering adding another post player.

Standing at 7'0, Whiteside definitely has the height that Kahn is looking for. The center has never established himself at the NBA level, though, playing in just 19 games over the past two seasons since being drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2010 draft.

It's unclear whether or not the Timberwolves scouted Blatche at all, but he would also qualify as an intriguing big man signing for the Timberwolves. The 26-year-old averaged 16.8 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game as a starter for Washington in 2010-2011, so there's obvious upside there.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

NBA Rumors: Timberwolves Still Looking For A Big Man

The Timberwolves are considering signing another big man.

More Timberwolves Games Coming To Your Television

Minnesota Timberwolves Announce 2012 Preseason Schedule

The Minnesota Timberwolves will open the 2012 NBA preseason in Fargo, North Dakota, with a game against the Indiana Pacers.