No hand surgery needed for Kevin Love

Kevin Love

The Minnesota Timberwolves got a bit of good news Thursday when doctors told All-Star Kevin Love that he wouldn’t need surgery on his broken right hand.

The bad news is they still have to figure out a way to replace his 26 points and 13 rebounds a game for the next six to eight weeks.

Love said in a statement Thursday that he broke his right hand while doing knuckle push-ups the day before in a pre-practice workout. The injury means the Wolves will be without their two best players — point guard Ricky Rubio isn’t expected back until mid-December at the earliest because of a torn ACL in his left knee — for the first month of the regular season, and possibly longer.

“Although I’m disappointed that this injury happened, I will work extremely hard to stay in shape and return to the court as quickly as possible,” Love said.

The situation is similar to what Wolves coach Rick Adelman had to deal with in Houston, when he lost stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming for extended stretches.

“I was just shocked,” Adelman said when he was told of Love’s injury. “I couldn’t believe it. Here we’re trying to get ready and then we have something like this happen. I learned a long time ago. I’ve had so many injuries to good players, I’ve started to think maybe it’s me.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Hall of Fame guard Slater Martin dies

Slater Martin, the Hall of Fame guard who won four NBA titles with the Minneapolis Lakers and one with the St. Louis Hawks, died Thursday. He was 86.

Martin died Thursday at a skilled nursing facility in Houston after a sudden illness, daughter-in-law Becky Martin said. She said he was admitted to the nursing home Monday.

Martin was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. He went into the University of Texas’ Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1962, entered the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1964, and the school retired his No. 15 in 2009.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kevin Love releases statement on his injury

Kevin Love

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love was examined today by hand specialist Dr. Andy Weiland of the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York for further evaluation of the fracture of the third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand. The evaluation revealed that surgery will not be required on his hand and confirmed that his expected return will be in 6-8 weeks.

The following is a statement from Wolves Kevin Love regarding his injury:

“Yesterday, I had a post-practice commitment and decided to work out at my home with my personal trainer before heading to Target Center. While doing various pushups, including knuckle pushups, which are part of my regular workout routine, I hurt my hand. I immediately knew something was wrong and called head athletic trainer Gregg Farnam.

“Although I’m disappointed that this injury happened, I will work extremely hard to stay in shape and return to the court as quickly as possible. We have added a lot of depth to our roster this season, and I have complete confidence in my teammates and coaching staff that they will step up and we will be successful during this time. I’m looking forward to supporting our team and helping out any way I can until I get back on the court.”

Kevin Love out 6-8 weeks with broken hand

The injury hits just keep coming for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The team today announced that star power forward Kevin Love suffered a fracture of his third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand. The injury occurred this morning while working out.

Love is expected to be out approximately 6-8 weeks. He will be examined by Dr. Andy Weiland, a hand specialist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, on Thursday for further evaluation.

Timberwolves waive training camp invitees Phil Jones and Seth Tarver

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived training camp invitees Phil Jones and Seth Tarver. Neither player saw action in the team’s three preseason games.

Jones, a 6-10 forward/center, played overseas for the past two years after playing collegiately at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has made stops in Uruguay, Brussels and spent the past season in Romania.

Tarver, a 6-5 guard, spent the last two seasons with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League. Tarver averaged 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 45 contests last season. Tarver went undrafted in 2010 after a four-year collegiate career at Oregon State.

The Wolves roster currently stands at 18 players.

Brandon Roy feeling good early in NBA comeback

Brandon Roy feeling good early in NBA comeback

A day after an encouraging performance in his first NBA game since the 2010-11 season, Timberwolves shooting guard Brandon Roy said his knees “feel good” and that he was able to participate in all phases of the team’s practice Thursday, Oct. 11, at Target Center.

“I went through everything today,” Roy said after the Timberwolves’ 90-minute workout. “I’ve had a bunch of stepping stones, and this was another one. The biggest thing for me is that I felt good after the game (Wednesday) night, so I wasn’t expecting too much soreness today.”

— Reported by Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Dave Benz is new Timberwolves TV play-by-play announcer

In conjunction with Fox Sports North, the Minnesota Timberwolves today named Dave Benz as the team’s television play-by-play announcer. Benz will team up this season with color analyst Jim Petersen to call 75 Wolves games this season on Fox Sports North and WFTC MY29.

Benz, a graduate of Oswego State University (Oswego, NY,) brings a wealth of experience and versatility to Minnesota with over 20 years in the sports industry. His television and radio play-by-play experience includes college basketball for FOX Sports, the mtn. and Comcast Sportsnet where he covered a number of men’s and women’s programs in the Mountain West, Pac-12, Big-12, WCC, Big West and Sun Belt conferences.  He has also been behind the mic for Major League Baseball Cactus League games as well as Arena Football League and CHSAA High School Football games.  Most recently he was the radio “Voice of the Sabercats” for San Jose’s AFL team.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be the new television voice of the Timberwolves.  It has been my lifelong dream to be an NBA play-by-play announcer,” said Dave Benz. “I look forward to calling many Timberwolves wins this season alongside Jim Petersen, who is one of the best in the business. I also look forward to meeting Timberwolves fans and sharing in their passion for this organization.”

Benz comes to the Twin Cities from the San Francisco Bay Area where he worked as host, anchor and reporter for Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area.  There he had the opportunity to cover the Giants 2010 World Series title and the 49ers run to the NFC Championship game as a pre and postgame show host.  His lengthy career has afforded him the opportunity to regularly cover a number of NBA teams including roles as pre and postgame host for the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors.  He has also had roles covering the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets.

“After a nationwide search, we were captivated by Dave’s call of a game and how he captures the moment,” said Ted Johnson, Wolves Sr. Vice President of Marketing/Communications & Chief Marketing Officer. “Dave has experience covering many teams in different leagues and we feel he will be a great fit for our emerging team.”

“We’re pleased to welcome Dave to our FOX Sports North family, we’re confident he’ll bring energy and enthusiasm to our Timberwolves telecasts,” said Tony Tortorici, executive producer for FOX Sports North. “His knowledge of the sports scene will complement Petersen, Hanneman, Lynch and the rest of the TV team very well.”

Timberwolves finalize training camp roster

The Minnesota Timberwolves today finalized the team’s 2012-13 training camp roster by signing unrestricted free agents Will Conroy, Mike Harris, Chris Johnson, Phil Jones, Seth Tarver and Jermaine Taylor. Today’s signings complete the Wolves training camp roster, which stands at 20 players. Minnesota’s training camp is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 2 – Friday, Oct. 5.

Taylor, a 6-4 guard, has played parts of two seasons for the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. He spent the 2009-10 season in Houston, averaging 4.1 points in 31 contests, including four starts. He started the 2010-11 season with the Rockets before finishing it with the Kings. In 26 games, eight starts, with Sacramento, Taylor averaged 7.1 points in 15.6 minutes. Taylor was originally drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 32nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft after completing his collegiate career at Central Florida.

Conroy, a 6-2 guard, has played parts of two seasons in the NBA, most recently appearing in five games for the Houston Rockets in 2009-10 where he averaged 1.2 points and 1.4 assists. Conroy played for the Memphis Grizzlies (three games) and Los Angeles Clippers (four games) during the 2006-07 season. Conroy went undrafted in 2005 after a four-year career at the University of Washington where he became the school’s all-time assist leader with 515 assists.

Harris, a 6-6 forward, has spent parts of three seasons (2007-08; 2009-10; 2010-11) with two different NBA teams, playing for the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. Harris most recently averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in four games with Houston during the 2010-11 season. In 34 career NBA games, he has averages of 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds. Harris was on the Wolves’ 2012 Summer League entry, averaging 9.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. Harris finished his collegiate career as the fourth player in WAC history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, leaving as Rice University’s all-time leading scorer (2,014 points, ninth all-time in the WAC) and rebounder (1,111 rebounds, fourth).

Johnson, a 6-11 center, has played parts of two NBA seasons with Boston, Portland and New Orleans. Johnson started the 2011-12 season with Portland, averaging 1.6 points and 0.9 rebounds in 20 contests. He finished the season in New Orleans where he averaged 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in seven contests. In 41 career games, he holds averages of 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds. Johnson was named the 2011 NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year, earning a spot in the All-Star Game. He averaged 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks during the 2010-11 season for the Dakota Wizards. Johnson spent his collegiate years at Louisiana State University. He went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Jones, a 6-10 forward/center, has played overseas for the past two years after playing collegiately at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has made stops in Uruguay, Brussels and spent the past season in Romania. A U.S. Virgin Islands National Team member, Jones played at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship, averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in four games.

Tarver, a 6-5 guard, has spent the last two seasons with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League. Tarver averaged 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 45 contests last season. Tarver went undrafted in 2010 after a four-year collegiate career at Oregon State.

Ricky Rubio hopes to return by December or early January

Ricky Rubio hopes to return by December or early January

Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, recovering from a major knee injury, said he does not have a timetable for when he’ll be able to play this season but was hopeful of being ready by “December or early January.”

“I don’t want to say a time, because I don’t want to rush it,” Rubio said Thursday, Sept. 27, to a group of reporters outside the Timberwolves practice facility at Target Center. “I want to be ready whenever it is. It depends on how my knee goes.”

The Spanish native suffered tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee after colliding with Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant in the final seconds of a March 9 game at Target Center.

— Reported by Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Lou Amundson, Wolves agree to deal

Lou Amundson, Wolves agree to deal

The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to terms with free agent power forward Lou Amundson.

Amudson’s deal with Minnesota is a guaranteed contract for one year at the league minimum.

Amundson’s agency tweeted the agreement on Monday and the Timberwolves were expected to announce the deal once he passes a physical. Amundson adds some needed depth to the frontcourt in Minnesota

— Reported by ESPN.com News Services