The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that center Al Jefferson has left the team to tend to a family member’s illness in Florida. Jefferson will miss the next two Wolves games - Friday, Nov. 13 vs. Dallas and Saturday, Nov. 14 at Memphis. He will re-join the team early next week.

This season, Jefferson in nine games is averaging 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.44 steals per game and is shooting just 43.0% from the field. He’s not quite himself yet and still coming back after being injured.

The Minnesota Timberwolves Limited Partnership filed a lawsuit today in Hennepin County District Court seeking resolution of a dispute with AEG, the operator of the Target Center, arising out of AEG’s failure to give its consent to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ proposal to install signs on the Second Avenue North exterior face of the Target Center.

The lawsuit alleges that the contractual arrangements relating to Target Center provide that AEG’s consent is required in order for the Minnesota Timberwolves to install additional exterior signs on Target Center, and that AEG is not permitted to withhold its consent “unreasonably.”  The Minnesota Timberwolves claim AEG has unreasonably withheld its consent.

“We generally have a fine relationship with AEG and regret that we have been forced into filing this lawsuit,” said Rob Moor, CEO of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  He added that the parties had engaged in months of negotiations and mediation in an effort to settle the dispute, “but the parties simply have a fundamental disagreement over our contractual rights.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves are seeking a temporary injunction to prohibit AEG from erecting signs of its own on the exterior to the Target Center or from seeking to negotiate with the City of Minneapolis or potential advertising sponsors with respect to exterior signage, asserting that AEG has no right to do so.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has named 13-year NBA veteran Darrick Martin as the team’s Assistant Director of Player Development. Martin will aid Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development J.B. Bickerstaff with the all of the team’s player development initiatives.
 
“I’m very excited to welcome Darrick to our staff,” Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis said. “He’s been around this league a long time and will be a tremendous resource for our players, both on and off the court.”
 
Martin began his NBA career with the Timberwolves, joining the team as a free agent midway through the 1994-95 season. He went on to play 13 seasons in the league, including stints with the Vancouver Grizzlies, L.A. Clippers, Sacramento Kinds, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors. Martin’s best statistical seasons came during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 campaigns, when he appeared in all 82 games both years for the L.A. Clippers and averaged 10.9 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. The UCLA alum owns career averages of 6.9 points and 2.9 assists in 514 career games.
 
Despite beginning his career with the Timberwolves, Martin is best remembered for his second stint with the team during the 2003-04 season. After joining the Minnesota midway through the season, Martin went on to appear in 16 of Minnesota’s 18 playoff games during the Wolves’ run to the Western Conference Finals, and was the starting point guard for Games 4, 5, and 6 of the conference finals series vs. the L.A. Lakers.

Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via blog):

Timberwolves forward Oleksiy Pecherov has become the team’s most improved player, and he’s done it in the past three games. When Pecherov, as Wolves coach Kurt Rambis puts it, “learns how to compete in this league and gets a better understanding of our offense and defense,” the Wolves might get quality production out of a player they weren’t sure about.

The 7-foot Pecherov, a three-year veteran from Ukraine, came to the Wolves from the Washington Wizards in June in the draft-day trade that shipped out Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Pecherov was a relative unknown, but that could change.

Rambis has started Percherov the past four games, and his career-high 24 points against Boston Wednesday night will keep him in the starting lineup.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has exercised the fourth-year option on guard/forward Corey Brewer and the third-year option on forward Kevin Love. The Wolves declined to extend forward Oleksiy Pecherov for next season.

“We are happy to extend Kevin and Corey for next season,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “All of us have been impressed with the determination displayed by both players this summer to make themselves better players through conditioning, hard work and skill development. I believe both have the drive and desire to be special players in this league.

“As for Oleksiy [Pecherov], I spoke to him this morning that he should not interpret this decision as if Coach Rambis and I believe he has no future with our organization. Far from it. Because of our cap flexibility next season, we could re-sign Oleksiy next summer if it is in our mutual interests. He is a young player with potential, who is just seeing significant playing time for the first time in his career.”

Brewer, a third-year forward from Florida, appeared in just 15 games for the Wolves last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 29, 2008 vs. Denver. After averaging 5.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a rookie, Brewer increased his scoring to 6.2 points per game last season and is averaging 12.3 points per game thus far in 2009-10.

Love, the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, appeared in 81 games for the Wolves as a rookie, averaging 11.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. His 29 double-doubles on the season were the most in the NBA among rookies and the most ever by a rookie in Wolves franchise history. Love averaged 12.5 points and a league-leading 11.5 rebounds per game in his four preseason appearances before breaking a bone in his left hand on Oct. 16 at Chicago.

Sunday Night’s Recap

Phoenix 120, Minnesota 112: In the team’s first road game of the 2009-10 campaign, the Wolves dropped a 120-112 decision to the Phoenix Suns at U.S. Airways Center. Despite falling down by 17 points in the fourth quarter, the scrappy Wolves fought back, trimming the Suns lead to as little as five points on a Ryan Hollins 15-foot jumper with 3:13 remaining. However, on the next possession, Grant Hill answered with a three-pointer pushing the Suns lead back to eight points and the Wolves could not get any closer. Ryan Gomes led the way with season-highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds. Al Jefferson added 21 points and Corey Brewer scored a career high with 19 points. All five Phoenix starters scored in double figured topped by Channing Fry’s 25 points. Minnesota is now 1-2 on the season.

Leader of the Pack: Wolves point guard Jonny Flynn entered last night’s game leading all rookies in scoring with 17.5 ppg. The 6-0 guard led the Wolves in scoring in the first two games with 18 points (13 points in the fourth quarter) and 17 points respectively. His 35-point two-game total to start his career is the second-most by a Wolves rookie. Donyell Marshall had 38 points in his first two games to start the 1994-95 campaign. Flynn finshed with 11 points vs. Phoenix.

Big Al: Entering last night’s game, Al Jefferson has feasted on the Suns since joining the Wolves. In the six games he has played against Phoenix as a member of the Wolves, Big Al has posted averages of 28.7 points and 15 rebounds. Jefferson finished with a season-high 21 points and 8 rebounds in last night’s game.

Monday’s Game: Minnesota at L.A. Clippers, 9:30 p.m. - FSN/KFAN-AM: The Timberwolves wrap up their brief two-game road trip tonight at STAPLES Center as they battle the L.A. Clippers beginning at 9:30 p.m. Minnesota won last year’s season series by a 2-1 count, with both wins coming in Los Angeles. In the all-time series, the Wolves hold a 43-35 advantage and are 17-22 in Los Angeles. There will be a couple of familiar faces on the Clippers roster as Minnesota goes against former teammates Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair, who were traded to the Clippers during the summer.

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports:

The Mad Dog is coming to Utah.

The really good news about Mark Madsen’s arrival in the Beehive State is that he’s coming to coach basketball, not to give dancing lessons.

Madsen, who became legendary for his funky championship-celebration gyrations after his Los Angeles Lakers won an NBA title earlier this decade, is joining the Utah Flash’s coaching staff this season.

The former NBA player, who most recently was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, announced on his personal Web site late Thursday night that he was invited to be an assistant on head coach Brad Jones’ staff this season. The Flash confirmed the hiring in a Friday morning press release.

“I am very excited about joining the Utah Flash organization,” Madsen said. “Not only for the opportunity to assist head coach Brad Jones and to learn the Utah Jazz system, but also to share my knowledge and experience with the players.”

The Flash are a cool D-League team. Their owner likes to make a bit of noise, in a good way. It’ll be fun to check on them once in a while just to see how Madsen adjusts and learns the new job.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love underwent successful surgery on Tuesday evening to repair a fracture in his left hand (fourth metacarpal). The procedure was performed by Dr. Andrew Weiland of New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery and involved the insertion of three screws into Love’s hand. The typical recovery time for this type of injury is six to eight weeks.

Love suffered the injury during the third quarter of the Timberwolves’ Oct. 16 preseason game at Chicago. In his four preseason appearances, Love averaged 12.5 points (.471 FG%) and 11.5 rebounds per game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has acquired 6-10 forward Nathan Jawai and cash considerations from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The pick is protected through the 55th draft position.

“Nathan is a young project who likely will add depth to our roster at his position,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operation. “We were contemplating this trade prior to Kevin Love’s hand injury, so this move is not intended to replace Kevin in the short term by any means. That would not be fair to Nathan. Rather, this move provided us an opportunity to work with a young player with size, and later determine if he could be a fit for us.”

Jawai, a native of Sydney, Australia, was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 41st overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, and was subsequently traded to Toronto as part of the deal that sent Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors. Jawai appeared in six games during his rookie season, playing a total of 19 minutes. He also appeared in 14 games for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, averaging 11.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field.

Prior to entering the NBA Draft, Jawai played one season in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), where he averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for the Cairns Taipans. Jawai was the 2007-08 NBL Rookie of the Year, the 2007 NBL All-Star Game MVP and earned All-NBL Second Team honors.

The AP reports: Minnesota forward Kevin Love fractured a bone in his left hand during the Timberwolves’ 94-90 preseason loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night and will likely miss about six weeks.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The report says Love’s hand hit Oleksiy Pecherov’s elbow, causing the injury. This obviously hurts the Timberwolves, who rely on Love as one of their key young building blocks. It puts even more pressure on Al Jefferson, who already receives huge attention from defenders.

Good NBA seats are expensive. Fans shelling out big money to sit near the court should expect a good view of the action.

But what about when players get off the bench and remain standing for a while? On the one hand, it’s nice to see guys cheer their teammates. On the other, these giants prevent fans from seeing what they paid to see.

The Cavs are one team with players who remained standing a lot, and now the league office has reportedly taken action.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

The NBA has issued a memo to its teams directing players on the bench to remain seated during games. Game officials will be keeping a closer eye and will issue faster warnings and possible technical fouls if not followed. Players are permitted to cheer, but standing during regular-game action and blocking the fans’ views apparently isn’t going to be allowed.

That goes for Tuesday night’s first preseason game at The Q, where the Cavs will host the Charlotte Bobcats in the first of eight practice games before the season opener.

The Cavs weren’t exactly thrilled that their custom has been legislated.

“It is hard to take that out of the game,” LeBron James said. “Part of the game is emotions, your teammates are all you have. That was part of the reason we played great basketball, because we cheered each other.”

I support the league protecting the paying fan’s view.

The AP reports: Kevin Love had 17 points and Minnesota made a whopping 50 of 56 free throws to beat Milwaukee 117-103 on Sunday night, making a winner out of coach Kurt Rambis in his preseason debut… The game was played with replacement officials, who called 73 fouls that resulted in 94 free throws total. The Bucks were 26 of 38… Love had six points and four rebounds in the first three minutes as the Timberwolves, who never trailed, jumped ahead 12-2. He finished with 13 rebounds in 21 minutes… Hakim Warrick led Milwaukee with 24 points, and rookie Brandon Jennings added 14 points.

The AP reports: ”Big Al” isn’t quite as big these days, and that’s no accident for the Minnesota Timberwolves star as he returns from a major knee injury. A slimmer, trimmer Al Jefferson returned to full practice Tuesday for the first time in nearly eight months following surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. He has lost 31 pounds in an effort to reduce the stress on his knees and get him ready to run in the new up-tempo offense that coach Kurt Rambis plans to install. ”It felt real good,” Jefferson said after the Timberwolves opened training camp in owner Glen Taylor’s hometown. ”It’s more about my lungs than anything. My knee felt great. Felt good to be back out here with the team.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team and Antonio Daniels have mutually agreed to part ways. Daniels and his agent, Tony Dutt, have the team’s permission to pursue a trade, and have agreed to accept a buyout in the event that a trade cannot be consummated.

“I understand Antonio’s desire to be assured of playing time this season, and that this is especially important to him in light of the fact that this is the final year of his contract,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “However, with Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions on our roster, the opportunity for Antonio to play would have been unlikely. One of our main priorities this season is to accelerate the development of our young talent. This is a critical year for our team, and I believe that it is best to relieve the team of any potential distractions before the start of training camp.”

Daniels was acquired in a trade with New Orleans on Sept. 9, a move that eliminated the Wolves from the financial obligations of Darius Songaila’s contract for the 2010-11 season. The 6-4 guard has appeared in 867 career games over his 12-year career, including stops in Vancouver, San Antonio, Portland, Seattle, Washington and New Orleans. Originally selected by Vancouver with the fourth overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, Daniels owns career averages of 7.6 points and 3.4 assists per game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that they have mutually agreed to allow center Mark Blount to not join the team for training camp and the preseason, and have provided permission for Blount’s agent to seek a roster spot with a different team. Blount will remain at his home in Miami while his agent Mark Bartelstein looks for a better opportunity for playing time.

“I want to thank Mark for being understanding of our situation of having such a young team, and in particular many young big men that need playing time for their development,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations David Kahn. “Given these circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to find a significant role for Mark, and he deserves the opportunity to be a part of someone’s rotation for the upcoming season.

“Mark has been a true professional in understanding the current makeup of our roster and the difficulty in ensuring him consistent minutes. We wish him the very best. I’m sure that this will work out the best for everyone.”

Acquired in a trade with Miami on Aug. 13, Blount, a 7-0 center, has appeared in 605 career games over his nine-year career, including stops in Boston, Denver, Minnesota and Miami. Originally selected by Seattle with the 54th overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, Blount owns career averages of 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Blount’s face probably hurts from laughing at the fact that people give him millions of dollars to play ineffective basketball.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived guard Chucky Atkins. The Timberwolves acquired Atkins as part of a trade with Oklahoma City on July 27.

A 10-year NBA veteran, Atkins went undrafted out of the University of South Florida before signing with Orlando in 1999. In 655 career games with Orlando, Detroit, Boston, L.A. Lakers, Washington, Memphis, Denver and Oklahoma City, Atkins has averaged 10.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. Atkins was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1999 and also played on the gold-medal-winning U.S. National Team at the 1995 World University Games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent guard/forward Sasha Pavlovic. Per team policy, terms of the contract offer were not disclosed. It was reported by multiple outlets to be a one-year deal for around $1.3 million.

“We are excited to add Sasha to our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “His size and athleticism will help round out our wing position and provide us added experience.”

Pavlovic, a 6-8 wing from Serbia, has appeared in 381 games (127 starts) over his six-year career, averaging 5.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. His best statistical season came in 2006-07, when he averaged 9.0 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from behind the arc. Pavlovic has helped the Cavaliers reach the postseason in each of the last four years, including a playoff run to the NBA Finals in 2007 in which he averaged 9.2 points per game during the postseason.

Originally selected by the Utah Jazz with the 19th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Pavlovic appeared in 79 games as a rookie before being selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 Expansion Draft. Pavlovic was subsequently traded to Cleveland, where he’s played each of the past five seasons.

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has signed free agent swingman Rodney Carney.

“Rodney Carney is a player that we feel will mesh extremely well with our current personnel and in the up-tempo style of play that Coach Jordan will continue to implement this season,” Stefanski said. “We think that Rodney is one of the most athletic players in the league who has the ability to stretch the floor and we are happy to have him back.”

A three-year veteran, Carney (6-7, 205) spent his first two seasons with the Sixers before being traded to Minnesota along with Calvin Booth, cash considerations and a future first round pick in exchange for a future second round pick on July 9, 2008.  The move helped Philadelphia sign free agent forward Elton Brand last summer.

In 67 games with six starts for the Timberwolves last season, Carney averaged a career-high 7.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game while shooting 41.6% from the floor and career-bests of 35.0% from 3-point range and 75.8% from the line.

Carney also had 45 steals to just 43 turnovers last season and would have ranked fifth in the NBA in steal-to-turnover ratio (1.05) had he qualified.  For his career, Carney has more steals (122) than turnovers (120).

The 25-year-old hit 79 3-pointers last season, after having just 63 3FGM his first two seasons combined.  Carney hit 2+ 3FGM 21 times last season, including a career-high 7 3FGM at Philadelphia on Mar. 25.

Last season, Philly ranked second-to-last in 3-pointers made (4.2 3FGM per) and last in 3-point percentage (31.8% 3FGs).  With the addition of Carney and Jason Kapono, who was acquired via trade back in June, the Sixers have obtained two players who shot a combined 38.9% from behind-the-arc last season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed guard Ramon Sessions. Minnesota originally signed Sessions, a restricted free agent from the Milwaukee Bucks, to an offer sheet on Friday, Sept. 4. Per team policy, terms of the contract offer were not disclosed. It’s been reported by multiple media outlets that the contract is a four-year deal for $16.4 million.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ramon to the Timberwolves,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “Ramon has already demonstrated the ability to play significant minutes at the NBA level, yet is only 23. We believe, like our team, his best days are ahead of him.”

Sessions, a 6-3 guard from Nevada-Reno, had a break-out season in 2008-09, averaging 12.4 points (.445 FG%), 5.7 assists and 27.5 minutes per game in 79 contests (39 starts). His 5.7 assists per game led the Bucks and ranked 18th in the NBA. Sessions scored in double figures 53 times (12 times with 20+ points), dished out 10+ assists on 10 occasions and posted nine double-doubles during the season. Additionally, he finished the year with a 2.97:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, the ninth-best ratio in the NBA. He scored a career-high 44 points, along with 12 assists, against Detroit on Feb. 7.

In 2007-08 as a rookie, Sessions averaged 8.1 points, 7.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 17 games. He set a Bucks franchise record with 24 assists against Chicago on April 14, while also tallying 20 points. He became the first Bucks player to notch 20 points and 20 assists in the same game. Selected by Milwaukee in the second round (56th pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Sessions has averaged 11.6 points, 6.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game in 96 career contests (46 starts).

Paul Walsh of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports: One of the baddest of bad boys in recent NBA history — former Timberwolf J.R. Rider — is negotiating a return to professional basketball in the United States at age 38. The owner of the first-year North Texas Fresh in the American Basketball Association said this morning that he is “in the process of getting it done” and bringing Rider on board. Owner Jay Bowdy said that Rider has another offer in play from a team overseas, where players can make more money.

The Star Tribune continues:  Rider’s agent, Joe Lee, said this morning that Rider hasn’t played organized ball since a 10-game pit stop with the Denver Nuggets in 2001-02. Still, he’s “been working out hard” and playing pickup ball with local college guys in suburban Phoenix, where Rider now makes his home, Lee said.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Rider has about the same shot at getting signed to an NBA team as I do.