Minnesota Timberwolves: Newcomers bring excitement to Target Center

The Minnesota Timberwolves introduced five newcomers to their roster on Tuesday, bringing a renewed sense of excitement to the Twin Cities.

While there haven’t been any slam-dunk, top-flight player acquisitions by the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer, it’s been a busy couple of months nonetheless.

Not counting the three rookies that were introduced by the team last week, the Wolves added five players on guaranteed contracts via trades and free agency. All five were present for Tuesday’s press conference.

The introduction included free agent signings Jordan Bell and Noah Vonleh and trade acquisitions Jake Layman, Shabazz Napier, and Treveon Graham.

The Timberwolves have shored up their roster with a number of young veterans who can add valuable experience. All five players have appeared in the playoffs, yet with the exception of the 28-year-old Napier are all 25 years old or younger.

The newcomers were all asked the obligatory questions about their new organization, coach, and city, and gave the requisite answers. Kyle Ratke of Timberwolves.com highlighted some of his favorite quotes from the event.

Among them, Bell apparently had a conversation about Drake (the rapper, not the university in Iowa) with head coach Ryan Saunders at Las Vegas Summer League. While it would be absurd to assume that musical taste alone would have anything to do with Bell’s decision to sign in Minnesota, it was clearly a microcosm of one of the reasons that Bell is excited about the opportunity.

From Ratke:

"“Coach Kerr’s never talked to me about Drake before,” Bell joked.…“I think you don’t really find coaches you can relate to,” Bell said. “ . . . You can talk to him about certain things and so, it just makes it a lot easier to communicate with someone, someone you want to play for.”"

There was also some talk about how the Wolves may plan to utilize Bell. If the comments are to believed, Minnesota will be looking to play him alongside Karl-Anthony Towns for stretches of time. Bell also told Jace Frederick of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he’d like the ability to both play-make and look for his own shot a bit more.

Vonleh discussed his increase in shooting attempts, including from beyond the arc. Layman discussed wanting to play in the system that Saunders and Gersson Rosas are implementing in Minnesota. Graham and Napier each talked about bringing over a tough, winning mentality they had last year in Brooklyn when the Nets made a surprise playoff run.

Nothing splashy has happened (yet, at least) this offseason for the Wolves, but it’s clear that the moves they’ve made around the edges were intentional and each served a purpose.

Here’s hoping those moves turn out to include at least a couple of truly significant difference-makers on the court next year and beyond.