Cardinal played little recently, but he was one of the Wolves’ few veteran locker-room presences. He learned about the trade just before game time. Several teammates said they didn’t know until after the game, even though Cardinal sat in a suit behind the team’s bench for the first half but left after the team announced the trade at halftime.
“Man, it stinks,” second-year forward Kevin Love said. “That’s when you find out it’s a business. Most of the guys here weren’t too happy about it because [Cardinal is] such a quality guy. He’s my guy on the team, kind of my mentor. It hurts.
“He told me before the game, so I can use that as an excuse for the first half.”
The Wolves lost their fourth consecutive game after winning a season-high four in a row.
Minnesota, led by Al Jefferson’s 18 points, placed five players in double figures. Ryan Gomes scored 16 points, Jonny Flynn added 15, and Kevin Love notched his 24th double-double (13 points and 13 rebounds) of the season.
Jamison learned of the news right before the game started. Despite having his name tossed around in trade rumors for the last few months, with the intensity of the rumors gaining steam in recent days, Jamison showed up at Verizon Center ready to play. However, he left the arena as the game was getting underway. He did not comment.
The Timberwolves jumped out to an early 20-8 lead and looked as though they might take advantage of the Wizards, who barely had time to get to know their new teammates.
However, with McGee leading the way with eight points in the third quarter, Washington outscored the Timberwolves 34-21 to take an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
