Wolves Updates 1/26

Marc J. Spears/Boston Globe on Gerald Green: 
Green’s agent, Byron Irvin, told the Globe yesterday that he asked Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale and general manager Jim Stack in early January if they would trade his client. Green is making $1.4 million this season and the Wolves have declined his option for next season, thus making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. The trading deadline is Feb. 21.
 
Also from Spears:
The Wolves bought out Juwan Howard’s contract after he asked for a trade in the preseason but declined Buckner’s early-season request to be traded. Through a Wolves spokesperson, Stack said: "At this time of the year, we’re having conversations with teams about possible routes through the trade deadline."
 
When asked about his agent asking for a trade, Green said: "I’m just
letting him handle it. I’m just staying focused on today’s game and
future games. That’s something that Byron’s going to have to focus on."
 
 
 
 
 
Dripping with sweat, Foye said he’s trying to push
himself but hasn’t suffered any setbacks. He went through limited
contact drills in two practices last week.
 
Foye likely will return next month, perhaps about
the time center Theo Ratliff comes back after right knee surgery.
Ratliff also made the trip to Boston.
 
 
 
Let’s clear something up right away: The Minnesota Timberwolves may not
be very good – yet – but they’re really not 7-35 bad. They had come
here having defeated Golden State on the road and Phoenix at home, and
they came very close to making it three in a row last night, forcing
the Celtics into 23 turnovers while holding them to 42 percent
shooting. Hey, if someone had blown a whistle while people were busy
mauling each other under the Celtics’ basket prior to Pierce’s
fifth-chance hoop, they might have won.
 
 
 
While Jefferson, Gomes, Green, and Smith got a positive response from
the crowd, Telfair and Walker received a mixture of cheers and boos…

 

 
 
And while Garnett insists he doesn’t keep close track of his old team, Jefferson does.
 
“Every chance I get,” he said. “I watch them and support them.”

 

 
 
No hard feelings about the trade though. At least Danny Ainge gave him a heads up.
 

“He called me about a week before and told me it was 95 percent (the
trade would be made).” Jefferson appreciated that. Not that Ainge had
a need to apologize for using Jefferson as the hook to get Garnett
here. Jefferson understood. “I told Danny he’s the guy who took a
chance on me.” 

 
 
 
Friday’s game just barely avoided delay when clouds of rosin rose and swirled at opposite ends of the court. Garnett, of course, created the mess at the press table near the Celtics bench in his pre-tap ritual. Wolves guard Rashad McCants did so at the other end in a gesture he has done all season to honor his former teammate. 
 
 
 
Mark Murphy/Boston Herald on Antoine Walker: 
“I feel for him in his situation,” Pierce said, using words similar to those Walker once used to describe him. “I can relate to what he’s going through. After winning a championship and tasting that success, that’s definitely not the situation that you want to end up in.”
 
Walker, who has two years left on his contract, has no idea what his future holds with the Timberwolves. He has started once in 35 games and is averaging 20.1 minutes.
 
“It’s been tough for me,” said Walker, who scored three points in 14 minutes last night. “We just have to figure out how I can benefit the team. But right now, the coaches and management are trying to figure everything out. 
 
 
 
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on Celtics coach Doc Rivers:
"Sebastian’s getting a fair shot," Rivers said. "He was in such a tough
position last year. He was playing OK, and then Rajon started to come
on. … Gerald, you’ve got to give him time. He’s the slam-dunk champ,
he’s not the basketball champ yet.
 
"People forget how young those guys are. Gerald’s time will come. Just
not now, not yet. I really believe he will be a good player, but it
takes time and patience."
 
 
 
Emily Zimmer/Rosemount Town Pages on the Timberwolves Fastbreak Foundation event at the Way-Cool Cooking School:
Strop and 40 other diabetic children attended the event. The kids were
divided into groups led by different Wolves players. Green led Strop’s
group while guard Sebastian Telfair and center Michael Doleac led the other groups.
 
Each group learned how to cook a diabetic friendly course. Strop said his group made meatballs with sweet and sassy sauce.
 
Throughout the event Strop said Green was nice and helped them make the
meat balls and then fry them up, even though Green claimed he was a bad
cook. The groups then all joined together and ate.
 
 
 
As further proof that there was something special in the local water supply last summer, Ryan Gomes and his wife are expecting a baby in July. 
 
 
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