Wolves VP of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale, after Monday's practice:
On moving forward with the roster and expectations for the season:
A: We were able to do some stuff and get down to 15 (players). I do like the blend that we have of young guys and old guys. I was impressed today in practice when I saw Mike (Doleac) and Antoine (Walker) out there. They both know how to play, both are in the right spots and are doing a lot of the veteran stuff that you want. The only negative right now if that Randy Foye's knee is bothering him. We need to somehow get him back in there. It's been interesting getting to this number but I'm glad with what we've got.
On what was the thinking behind the buyout of Juwan Howard:
A: The thinking was to get some kind of cooperative effort between the two of us. We had some offers from teams who weren't playoff teams that wanted a veteran leader, which would have been the same situation as here. He wasn't happy about that. We had some offers where we'd be taking back longer contracts, roughly the same money, maybe a little bit of savings over the next year or two, but that third year came in. That third year we have an opportunity to be a big player in the free agent market if we can get some other stuff done. There we're a lot of things but at the end of the day it just seemed like, you know what, we talked to Juwan and he has his fate in his own hands right now. I said this when we got the guys kind of assembled; Ryan (Gomes), Al (Jefferson), Corey (Brewer), Chris (Richard), Randy (Foye) and Craig (Smith) are very mature guys. I was more worried about having more veterans around but I came to the conclusion that they take care of themselves pretty well. They're easy to be around.
On if Juwan was happy about it:
A: Yeah, Juwan wants to go someplace; now he has the opportunity to go. It's hard. I think this stage of his career he wanted to try to dictate a little bit where he goes and now he has the opportunity to do that.
On if he's preparing for not only this season but the next season and the season after that:
A: Yeah, but the most important part is right now. Flexibility was a big part of things and that's what we're still trying to accomplish with some things. Right now, as far as anything else goes, the only thing that's important is this season. None of the other stuff makes any difference because that's all in the future. We're trying to position ourselves to do two or three different things in the future.
On if it will take the team some time to come together:
A: Right now I would like to see Foye out there being able to practice with them. But yeah, I'm sure it always takes a little bit of time. But hopefully, the core of this group that has been together for a little bit, not a long time, it will take weeks not months.
On the extent of Foye's injury:
A: I was a communications major at the University of Minnesota; my medical degree is still in the mail. That mean's I have no idea, you're going to have to talk to the trainers.
On is he expects this team to be competitive out of the gates:
A: Absolutely. I like our athleticism and I like a lot of the stuff that we can do. The players seem to get along very well and work well together. I think they all accept each other's strengths and weaknesses, and that's the biggest part. I think over the last few years we didn't have much of that. There was always a division. This seems like a very close group, but we'll see.
On if he's enjoying his job:
A: It was tiresome the last few years for everybody, me included. But this is an interesting group and we have a lot of stuff to do. We're just in a different spot. Depending on what spot you are is what you do in this league. For a lot of years we were trying to add a piece or two or just trying to make something fit. All of a sudden it just became clear that wasn't going to work, so you went to wholesale changes. I'm enjoying myself. I do like our young guys and that fact that Chris, Theo (Ratliff), Al, Gomes, and Dog (Mark Madsen) will go out and bang you and punch you a little bit. It's been a while since I've seen that and I like it.
Q&A with players after the Davis/Blount trade
Wolves Forward Mark Madsen
On his reaction to the trade:
A: The one thing that you always have to be ready for is change. This morning a change was made. We're going to miss those guys. We're going to miss Ricky (Davis); we're going to miss Mark (Blount); the way they played on the court and their presence in the locker room. By the same token, we're going to welcome in the new guys.
On Antoine's game and how it fits in with the Timberwolves:
A: I think Antoine is a proven winner. He won a championship with Miami. He had some great years in Boston, where they played deep into the postseason. He's a leader and he has the ability to shoot the three.
On if the move caught him by surprise:
A: There's so much talk in this league that when something does happen at first, for me personally, it's always a surprise.
On what he will miss most about Ricky:
A: The defining characteristic about Ricky in my mind is his heart. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he plays hard. Last season the staff asked him to guard Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Baron Davis, and Ricky embraced it. He always embraced the challenge. He was a warrior and he played hard every single night.
On if all the change is going to take the team a while to adjust to:
A: I hope not. I think we've had a great training camp. The great majority of us know the plays and we know the system Witt's (Randy Wittman) put in. I think it will just be a matter of folding the new guys into the system.
Wolves Point Guard Randy Foye
On his feelings towards the trade:
A: Ricky and Mark were close friends. It's a business and the Timberwolves wanted to go young. They had to make this move for the best of the team.
On how his knee is feeling:
A: It feels good. I'm not trying to rush back. I'm just trying to get ahead and get into practice. Just trying to get up and down. It's still a little sore but I can get up and down and I can play. I tracked down one ball today and probably a week ago I wouldn't have been able to do that. So, I'm just taking it one day at a time and just trying to get healthy. I'm not trying to go out there and be Superman. It's just the beginning of the season and the end of the preseason.
On what he knows about Antoine:
A: I've seen him play. I know he's been to the playoffs and won a championship. He's a really good player. I know he can play the three or the four. I think he will be a great Timberwolf.
On where Ricky's minutes will go:
A: The guys who play two and three, Ricky played 40 minutes, so it's an opportunity. At the same time you have to step up. You can't just come in and say, "Oh, I'm going to shoot like Ricky did." You have to some in say I'm going to come in and do all the little things he did and if the opportunity comes to me where I can shoot like he did than I'm going to do it.
On missing Ricky's ball movement from last year:
A: Yeah, he led the team in assists last year. It's a lot. Mark did a lot last year, but Theo's played really well. Watching Theo's play in practice and in games you can tell he's ready to go.
Wolves Forward Corey Brewer
On the change affecting the team:
A: It's going to affect us a little bit just because we've learned a lot of stuff from them and we've been playing with those guys from day one. Now you bring in three new guys and you have to get adjusted to those guys. It's the NBA; you've got to just keep working.
On how he thinks the team is playing:
A: It felt pretty good but now we have some new faces coming in, so it's going to change a little bit. I feel like the guys we have here now are gelling really well together.
On what the personality of the team is:
A: I couldn't tell you. That's what we're working on.
On seeing Sebastian (Telfair) and Randy (Foye) back on the court:
A: It's real good. We need those guys to come in and run the team and get us together.
Wolves Head Coach Randy Wittman
On talking to Rashad McCants and Gerald Green about this opportunity:
A: I talked to the team after the trade. I told them that this is done and what we've got is how we feel we need to move forward and that there is an opportunity. They know as a group because I told them as a group. I would hope that they wouldn't need that talk to understand that there is an opportunity.
On if it's time for McCants to step up and show what he's capable of:
A: Not only him, there's an opportunity for (a lot of guys). Like I said, this is going to give us a wider range to play Randy some there. Gerald is probably going to play more three than two. There's and opportunity there for a lot of different people, not just Rashad.
On how the trade impacts the Wolves defensively:
A: Sebastian is a little bit different than we've had here in the past. The year and a half that Ricky was here, we didn't have a point that could pick up like he can. I used to put Ricky out there when I needed some pressure on the point, now we can do that with Sebastian.
On McCant's strong exhibition showing before he hurt his knee and his new opportunity to showcase his talents:
A: He was very good. He's got to bounce back from this four or five days that he's sat out. That's what growth is about. This is his third year, he lost a year last year, which was unfortunate, but it is what it is and it takes about a year to get back from micro fracture surgery. He's back I think healthy and rejuvenated and this is an opportunity.
Post-game quotes from Friday's victory over Milwaukee
Wolves Head Coach Randy Wittman
"I thought our guys came out and responded pretty well. For the most part, an overall good effort. One thing we have to continue to do is have respect for the ball. There's not going to be very many games you can win by 20-something and have 30 turnovers. We were lucky enough to bring them down to our level and they committed 27, so that is a good thing."
"We had 30 turnovers, but we tried to move the ball with those 30 turnovers. There were some that were bad but there were some that we passed the ball. We had decent ball movement for the most part. We attacked the rim. To get to the line 27 times, I was pleased with our execution. Our guys have to realize when we execute and don't turn over the ball, we're going to have some opportunities to score. We've got different avenues to score, it's not one or two guys. If we get a shot, we're going have a pretty good opportunity to score."
"Rashad was good. He got off to a good quick start. Defenses are going to try to shut that down, and when that happens he's going to make other people better with his passing."
"Randy got a little tentative out on the floor. I didn't want to push him, but I did want him out on the floor. It was good for him to get out there. Sebastian was much better physically, I think, than Randy was. I think you see the difference in our tempo of play."
"I thought we did a really decent job. The thing that we stressed this game, in Milwaukee just last week we were really destroyed on the perimeter. We couldn't keep anyone in front of us. It was one of our focal points tonight out of the paint. They had 22 offensive rebounds off us last time that we just broke down defensively. I thought we did a much better job defensively this time."
Wolves Guard Randy Foye
"I wanted to keep playing, but they told me no, to sit it out, because it's a long season. It started off well. We could have cut back a little bit on the turnovers, but it's a learning process and I think we're going to be able to make the next step... It shows. When I'm out of the game or (Telfair) is out of the game, we just keep it going, keep moving the ball."
Wolves Guard Rashad McCants
"Everyone came to play today. Everyone was focused on the task at hand, at what we needed to do. We played good team defense. We just have to keep doing what we're doing."
"It's about patience. The points I scored weren't even on the play card. There was just no ball movement. I was at the right place at the right time. You have to be able to get some of those easy buckets."
"You execute offense and you play great defense. I think most of the turnovers we had were just unforced. Basically our fault. It was nothing the defense did. We just have to make better passes and we'll be good."
"We've always had a control on the offensive end, especially with Marko. The versatility we have as a team, starters and coming off the bench never really lose the flow of the game. Especially knowing how Randy plays, Sebastian picks it up a little bit more."
Bucks Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak
"It was a horrendous effort. They had guys at half that were 5-for-5, 5-for-5 and 6-for-6. You want to get a guy going, let him dunk or lay it in. We really got exposed... (The season) is a marathon. It wasn't the effort that was necessary. Now it's for real."
"I wasn't pleased with the way that we came out. We had a couple of chances in the second half. We gave a better effort. We had some open shots. You can talk about defense, but at the end of the day you have to score... It was pathetic the way the game started. We thought it was going to be easier than it was."
"Danny Gadzuric has been good. He has been assertive, he's given us a good spark... Yi is going to be fine. He hasn't lost any momentum. We will make the decision (on whether Yi will start) Monday or Tuesday."
Bucks Guard Mo Williams
"We didn't have the effort, plain and simple. When you have the effort, good things happen. Our second unit came in to start the second quarter, and they got us back in the game. Third quarter came and we came out with the same effort, but we already let them get rolling."
"Al (Jefferson) had a pretty darn good game. At first I think he carried on the whole game and he carried them a little bit and put a couple of daggers into us. When we made a couple of baskets, he came down and made some baskets for them."
"I think the start of the game is when we set the tone for the game. We didn't come out with the effort, and they did... Sometimes struggling is good, and it helps us get more prepared for Wednesday."
"I think we have a lot of stuff that we haven't put in yet in the offensive end that is going to cater to our strengths. I think we are going to get better, but it's still going to take time. We still have a relatively new ballclub. I think the core is back from last year with myself, Mike, Charlie and Andrew. We also have Desmond and Bobby that are going to play. It's tough when a player the caliber of Charlie Bell comes back from injury. Also what's difficult is when you have a new coach and a new system. The offense still isn't the same thing and we are still trying to know the offense and get better at finding shots for ourselves. We are going to get there and Coach is going to put in some stuff that's going to help cater to a lot of different players."
Milwaukee Guard Michael Redd
"We have to come out with a sense of aggression. We have to be ready and prepared to play with defensive pressure. Losing is not fun. We are trying to get used to playing with each other. We are practicing and working with the team on our offense. It's difficult because we haven't put a lot in there yet. We can't show teams everything. We will put some things in on our next practice, on the offensive end. Yet defensively we are still giving up a ton of points every game it seems like."
"There are a lot of key things for us this year: Playing unselfishly offensively and defensively and trusting one another. We are going to be ready for our first game. We'd better be ready. We have to play hungry, and we are going to win our fair share of games if we do that."
"This team is going to grow. This team is going to learn from this experience and get better. It's still preseason, but tonight was an embarrassment. But when Wednesday comes, we will be ready."
