Wolves Updates 4/24

Saad (Miami, FL): Hey Kevin, do you have any pre-game rituals?
Kevin Love: Mike Miller told me from the start of the season that I would have to find a pre-game ritual. Over the season I was always the first one out to the court and I take a shower before the game.
Brad (Brainerd): RHINO! what happened to the FRO-HAWK?! Who do you model your NBA game after?
Craig Smith: (laughing) I had to get rid of the fro-hawk, too many people were rocking it…
Randy Wittman and Sam Cassell are possible assistant coaches for Flip Saunders, who has agreed to a four-year deal to coach the Washington Wizards. There is no doubt that Saunders would have returned to his old Timberwolves coaching job had it been offered to him. But owner Glen Taylor never talked to Saunders about the job.
I can’t see Kevin McHale working for another general manager after he had run the show for so long. But I know that Saunders, who would have given the Wolves credibility, would have been able to work with a new GM. The Wolves have gone downhill since the stupid decision was made to fire Saunders, who proved what a great coach he was at Detroit.
Flip Saunders’ coaching staff with the Washington Wizards could have a definite Timberwolves flavor.
Saunders, who will be introduced at a press conference today, told the Washington Post that he has heard from or spoken to at least 60 candidates, including former Wolves coach Randy Wittman and guard Sam Cassell.
Davidson’s Stephen Curry and North Carolina’s Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington today joined a list of early-entry players that also includes Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill, James Harden, Jonny Flynn and other but still lacks a number of top players (Willie Warren, Ed Davis, Cole Aldrich and Greg Monroe among them) who sure look like they won’t enter the June draft by Sunday’s midnight declaration deadline.
That’s bad news, of course, for the Wolves. Their 18th and 28th overall picks would look a lot more enticing if such a large group of promising underclassmen weren’t apparently, and rather unexpectedly, headed back to school.
Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, asked if he would do anything differently if he had his rookie season to do over: “Absolutely. I would have gotten in earlier and learned so much more. I think next year coming into training camp, I’ll know what kind of shape to be in. I could definitely be in better shape. I’ve still got a boyish college body, so hopefully, in the next year or two, I’ll start becoming a real man.”
From David Brauer/Timberwolves site: Catching Up With Tyrone Corbin
If the Timberwolves had offered the Bulls all expiring contracts near the Feb. 19 trade deadline,  Kirk Hinrich might be on a Minnesota golf course instead of in the NBA playoffs.
“Once a trade didn’t happen, I tried to forget about it and stay in the moment here,” Hinrich said. “No question, the more you advance in your career, the more you appreciate the playoffs. You recognize that’s where you make a name for yourself and where the fun is. The regular season is great, but the playoffs are special. And it’s just great to be a part of it again with the Bulls.”
THERE IS SOMETHING about playoffs – in any sport – that sharpens the focus and jars the memory when you talk about clutch performances.
Certainly, you can have big moments and clutch plays in the regular season, but when they happen in the playoffs, in a win-or-go-home situation, you tend to remember it more than if it’s just a regular game.
For example, when Al Jefferson was at Prentiss High, he had any number of big scoring nights, but the one everyone recalls was the night he poured in 45 points to lead the Bulldogs to the Class 3A state championship in 2003.
The Randy Foye Foundation proudly announces a $10,000 commitment to Dr. E. Alma Flagg School (which is the elementary school that Foye attended) for the remainder of the academic year. As part of this grant, the RFF will: purchase a school uniform shirt for every student at Flagg for the 2009-2010 school year; publish the 8th grade yearbook; partner with the school to host a carnival for students in June; fund transportation for end-of-year trips; and continue the success of the Assist 4 Life program.
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