SH Blog: Timberwolves to acquire AK47 after helping facilitate Robin Lopez trade, Howard could end up in Dallas

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been very active thus far in the offseason as they remodel their roster to satisfy the needs of their franchise power forward Kevin Love. They have already gotten some “bad blood” out of the locker room with players such as Darko “Mana from Heaven” Milicic and Michael “Tito Jackson” Beasley, while acquiring a great player and character in Brandon Roy. The team loaded itself with another major piece today, as you will see in today’s news below, along with – get this – a Dwight Howard update and more:

• The Timberwolves have been active in the news today, as they finalize on a deal for forward Andrei Kirilenko, while being involved in a three-team deal that helped send Robin Lopez to the Hornets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski: “The Minnesota Timberwolves are finalizing a two-year, $20 million contract with free-agent forward Andrei Kirilenko after helping facilitate a three-team trade that sent Phoenix’s Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the New Orleans Hornets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Lopez agreed to a three-year, $15.3 million contract in a sign-and-trade agreement with the Hornets, league sources told Y! Sports. The second year of Kirilenko’s contract will be a player option. The rest of the deal included the Timberwolves sending small forward Wesley Johnson and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Suns, sources said. Brad Miller’s expiring contract goes to the Suns, while the T’wolves receive Jerome Dyson and two future second-round draft picks from New Orleans.”

• Woj also had some update on Dwight Howard’s possible destination if the Magic kept him around until the summer of 2013: “If Howard gets to free agency in ’13 without having been traded to Nets or Lakers, Dallas is overwhelming favorite to sign him, sources say. Howard’s camp has consistently warned Houston not to trade for him, that he’d march right into Dallas’ cap space next summer. Orlando officials have repeatedly told people they want the kind of knockout package Denver received for Anthony, but will it present self?”

• Minnesota also acquired Dante Cunningham for Wayne Ellington, from the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “The Grizzlies continued to shuffle their roster Tuesday with a relatively small deal they hope will pay big dividends. As expected, the Griz traded forward Dante Cunningham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Wayne Ellington. The acquisition of Ellington is another move in the team’s off-season push to improve its backcourt.”

• Newly acquired Nets backup point guard C.J. Watson expressed his respect for Deron Williams, calling him the best point guard in the league, from Tim Bontemps: “C.J. Watson spent the past two seasons playing behind Derrick Rose in Chicago. But even after seeing the NBA’s 2011 MVP up close on a daily basis for the past two seasons, Watson said he thinks his new teammate, Deron Williams, is the league’s premier point guard. “I always thought Deron was the best point guard in the league,” Watson said yesterday during his introductory press conference at the Nets’ practice facility. “When everyone asks me who is the toughest point guard, I always say him. “Between him and D-Rose, it’s pick your poison.”

• Antawn Jamison officially became a part of the Los Angeles Lakers today. Here is part 1 and part 2 videos of his press conference.

• The Lakers discussed on a contract extension with Andrew Bynum’s agent today, from Kevin Ding:

• Derrick Williams had a disappointing rookie season and is well aware of that fact, from Adam Kennedy: “Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams didn’t have a typical rookie season. Because Williams made his NBA debut during the lockout-shortened season, the 21-year-old had a difficult transition and was forced to learn on the fly. Summer league was canceled, training camp was shortened and practice time was limited. Despite these strange circumstances, the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft still managed to emerge as a significant contributor for the Timberwolves, playing in all 66 games and averaging 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. However, Williams was disappointed in his rookie campaign. Now, entering his second season, he’s hoping to be more effective and take on a bigger role with the Timberwolves.”

• After hitting his head on the rim following a dunk during an exhibition game, Kevin Durant had a fan throw shoes at him in hopes of getting them signed by the friendly superstar, via TBJ’s Trey Kerby.

• Gilbert Arenas is looking to sell his expensive house that includes a shark tank, from Kelly Dwyer: “When former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas signed a gigantic $111 million contract extension back in the summer of 2008, we sharply disagreed with the move, while giving a knowing nod to Arenas’ reputation as the NBA’s lovable goofball prince. Undeterred, Arenas set to spending that money and enhancing that reputation by beginning construction on a massive D.C.-area mansion complete with a grotto, an infamous shark tank (that cost $5,000 a month in maintenance bills), seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a couple of “sitting rooms” that sit between bedrooms and bathrooms that Gilbert clearly didn’t use much as his knees (and reputation) fell apart over the years since.”

• The Celtics are expecting to be without Avery Bradley at the start of next season, according to A. Sherrod Blakely: “While the exact time of his return is uncertain, the Celtics have certainly approached the offseason as though they will be without their best perimeter defender. “We know there’s a possibility that Avery won’t be able to play the first month of the season,” Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, told CSNNE.com. “So we have to be prepared for that. You never know how these things play out; will it be a month? Or two months? I don’t think it’ll be much longer than that, or he could be back sooner. You try to build a roster where you can get by with any injury, that can sustain you through a short period of time.”

• Keyon Dooling will stay with the Celtics for another season, from Gary Washburn: “The Celtics Tuesday officially lost center Greg Stiemsma to the Timberwolves, but they did re-sign guard Keyon Dooling to a one-year contract, according to an NBA source. The Celtics were able to get Dooling back at the league minimum after there had been some initial interest in him from the Wizards, who signed former UConn standout and Pacer A.J. Price to be their backup point guard. Dooling again will be Rajon Rondo’s backup and mentor after an uneven first season in Boston that ended positively. After an injury plagued first half of last season, Dooling cemented himself as Rondo’s primary reserve and impressed coach Doc Rivers with his defensive intensity and occasional 3-point shooting. He canned 11 3-pointers in 20 postseason games and scored 10 points in a Game 4 victory over the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.”

• Mickel Pietrus will not join Dooling in returning to Boston, according to Ben Rohrbach: “Pietrus is “still open to a return,” according to his agent Bill McCandless, but the 30-year-old free agent swingman will not play for the NBA’s veteran minimum salary — which, after his nine years in the league, is $1.23 million. “MP will not play for the veteran’s minimum. Period,” said McCandless. “It’s not happening. That’s the beginning, middle and end of that. … He is not a veteran’s minimum player. There’s no chance he’ll ever sign for that.” That leaves the $1.96 million bi-annual exception as the C’s only option, but that may not be enough. While Pietrus signed for the $1.22 million minimum after being waived by the Suns in December, the French-speaking Guadeloupean has “a standing offer triple that overseas,” his agent said. They’ve also engaged in serious talks with several NBA teams, including one Monday, “and the money was much more than the veteran minimum.”

• Charles Barkley explains why he was a better player than Karl Malone, from Jack McCallum: “The player with whom Charles will march lock step into history, though, is another Dream Team mate, Karl Malone. Understand that Barkley’s comments should be prefaced by this: He and Malone are good friends. They both have complimentary things to say about each other, on and off the record, and it’s not forced. But here is Charles’ take on his talents compared to Malone’s. “Look, I’m in the top 20 of players who ever lived,” says Charles. “When I first started out, they said, ‘He’ll never make it. Too short.’ That never even concerned me. Because you know what? I could get all my stuff on my own. “You take Karl. Karl needed John Stockton. That’s not a knock on Karl; it’s just a fact. I could get mine any time I wanted to. So I’ll say it on the record: I was better than Karl. Nothing against Karl. He was great. But I was better. The only thing he did better than me was score, and that came down to John Stockton.” I ask Charles how much better he would’ve been had he dedicated himself to conditioning like Malone.”I always laugh when I hear that,” says Charles. “There are four guys who got 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. So I’m saying, ‘What the [expletive] else could I have done if only four guys did the [expletive] I did?’ Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem and me.”

• Kobe Bryant talked about some of the things he has done to help his body be prepared for the Olympics, from Jeremiah Tittle: “When asked about the experimental treatment he underwent to remedy his failing knees, he says: “I’ve spoken to other baseball players, other [American] football players about it. It did wonders for me. It’s not just for your knees, but anything arthritic. So, the doctors came up with this [Orthokine] procedure which can act as a replacement of cartilage. For me, the results have been astonishing. I can run. I can train. I can do everything that I wanted to do without limping, my knee getting swollen or anything of that nature.” Beyond experimental therapy, Bryant reveals how else his appearance has changed, losing 16 pounds to prepare his older body for the rigours of the Olympics followed by another run at his sixth NBA title. “With summer basketball leading directly into the season – and I’m expecting to play until next June – I have to take some load off my knees. I’ve got to shave some of this weight.”

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