Niklas Backstrom – Page 2 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Saunders Tested Buyer Interest in Wolves

Posted on May 8, 2013May 8, 2013 by David Shama

Write down the names of well-known Upper Midwest businessmen T. Denny Sanford and Bill McGuire as potential Timberwolves owners. Flip Saunders told Sports Headliners he contacted representatives of both men last summer about the Minneapolis-based NBA franchise.

At that time Wolves owner Glen Taylor was interested in identifying a majority owner for the club who would eventually take over for him. Since then Taylor decided to remain in control but less than a year ago Saunders, then looking for his next basketball opportunity, made contacts with Sanford and McGuire representatives.

Saunders, a former NBA coach who last week was named by Taylor as the Wolves’ president of basketball operations, thought that Sanford and McGuire, both wealthy basketball fans, “would be good people” for the organization. It might be that one day either or both are involved financially.

Saunders himself is now a minority owner. “The reason I’ve invested is because I believe we’re moving forward,” he said.

Saunders didn’t barter his undisclosed minority share. He paid cash and plans to buy more interest in the club some day.

The Wolves were devastated by injuries last season, finishing with a 31-51 record. The club is much better than the record indicates with Olympian forward Kevin Love, promising point guard Ricky Rubio and other worthy players but Saunders knows he has plenty of work ahead in building a better roster.

“If I had to say a word, it’s going to be a process. I am realistic. I am not going to buy into it’s great and everything is rosy… (and) everything is ready built because there are 30 other teams in the league and a lot of those teams are saying the same thing. So it’s a process but we have some pieces to put together.”

Worth Noting

Good guy and former Gopher basketball player Larry Overskei is disappointed his nephew Chris Halvorsen, a non-scholarship player, is no longer on new coach Rick Pitino’s Minnesota team. Halvorsen participated in a few workouts but since has been told the Gophers are going in a “different direction,” according to an e-mail Overskei sent at the request of Sports Headliners.

Overskei’s comments included this: “So now we have an ’M’ man, all-Academic Big Ten and graduating on May 10th with a degree in Bio-medical Engineering and he is told he is not wanted back for his last year of eligibility. GO FIGURE! Plus his uncle is a basketball alumni.”

Halvorsen, 22, played in seven games for the Gophers last season and averaged 0.6 points per game. The 6-8 former Henry Sibley High School graduate transferred to Minnesota from Valparaiso after the 2009-10 season.

Goalie Niklas Backstrom has missed all four Wild playoff games including last night’s 3-0 loss to the Blackhawks. His unavailability for the team’s first playoff series since 2008 can’t be helpful for his future with the club.

Backstrom is an unrestricted free agent this summer. At 35, he earns a reported $6 million in the last year of his contract. A pro hockey source, speaking on condition of anonymity, speculated the Wild will let Backstrom go elsewhere and use Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper in goal for 2013-2014.

Other Wild players with expiring contacts as unrestricted free agents are forwards Matt Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Both might be playing their final games this spring for the Wild, although the source said Cullen is especially valued for his attitude. “He is a coach in the locker room,” the source added.

After last night’s game the Wild trail 3-1 in the playoffs and while “anything can happen” in postseason hockey the source also said Minnesota’s speed among its players is “not close to Chicago.” “My observation is their depth and team speed needs to improve,” he added.

He predicted this summer the NHL will announce the 2015 NHL Winter Classic will be hosted by the Wild, with Target Field the more likely site than TFC Bank Stadium.

Sports Headliners reader Tim Hoff e-mailed that on a trip to Israel he and his wife unexpectedly saw Vikings’ owner Zygi Wilf. “In Jerusalem we stayed at the Ramada. While there we noticed Zygi Wilf in the lobby and were told he owned the Ramada. During our stay we toured the Israeli Museum which features the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as the King Herod display. During the tour we were told one of the exhibits would soon be dedicated. The Wilf name appeared on this exhibit.”

Former Viking running back Ted Brown, who was drafted out of North Carolina State, was announced yesterday by the National Football Foundation as one of 12 players named to the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame.

Saint Benedict’s first-year second baseman Kim Lidstone saw her near-season-long 31-game hitting streak come to an end last week — the longest since 2004 in NCAA Division III softball and tied for fourth longest ever.

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Taylor May Change Wolves Sale Plan

Posted on April 17, 2013April 17, 2013 by David Shama

Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners on Monday he might change his intent to find a majority buyer for his Timberwolves. He also said the future of his team for next season starts with coach Rick Adelman who he believes will decide to stay with the franchise.

Taylor, the club’s majority owner since the mid-1990s, has been shopping the team for awhile because at 71 years old he thought that might be a good idea if he encountered health problems. While Taylor has identified potential out of town buyers, he hasn’t found one from Minnesota and he wants the Wolves to continue to play in Minneapolis.

“I don’t have a deal (to sell),” said Taylor who turns 72 tomorrow. “I may go back to what I originally started out with. Go out and look for some minority interests. I would look for people who do live in the state to replace some of the people that have been my partners in the past. … So I may just change my tactic next summer and go back to talking to some of those people — that maybe their interest isn’t to run the club — but they would like to be a partner in it.”

Former UnitedHealth executive Bill McGuire is the new owner of the Minnesota United FC soccer team. McGuire was a high school basketball player and is a Wolves season ticket holder. He has the financial resources to become the Wolves’ majority owner, keeping a Minnesotan in charge of the franchise.

Taylor said McGuire hasn’t expressed interest in buying him out but could be on a list of potential minority investors. “He’s the type of person I would ask. He’s a friend and I respect him. He’s a good business guy, and he’s got an interest in the Timberwolves.”

Crushed by injuries, the Timberwolves end their regular season tonight at San Antonio. The team’s hard luck year included the absence of Adelman who left the team for 11 games to support his wife Mary Kay. She suffers from seizures and Adelman’s coaching future is uncertain.

Taylor said Adelman is waiting for medical consultation on his wife and that information could come in the next 30 days. “We’re hoping so, yes,” Taylor said.

Adelman, 66, is among the NBA’s most admired coaches and it’s believed if necessary he will retire to spend more time with his wife. Although Taylor has a president of basketball operations (David Kahn) with an expiring contract and challenges with player personnel, it is the coach and his availability for next season that is priority No. 1. He described Adelman as “the key” to the immediate future.

“I think right now the No. 1 decision for me is Rick,” Taylor said. “I just think with his experience and his relationships with these players and this team, that’s such a critical part of our plan. And whatever he decides could affect some of the other decisions.”

Kahn’s contract expires May 27. Taylor said all the injuries this season make it difficult to evaluate whether to retain Kahn, and the Wolves’ owner wouldn’t say whether he will announce a decision prior to late May.

Flip Saunders began his Timberwolves’ career as the team’s general manager and then was quickly given the coaching job. Would Taylor consider Saunders for either the coaching or general manager positions?

“I just think that I should just not answer that question but first find out what Rick’s decision is going to be,” Taylor said. “I just think that’s way premature to say what I might do because at this point I believe Rick is going to stay. He hasn’t said that but that’s my belief.”

Taylor said he recalled in 2005 then general manager Kevin McHale fired Saunders because McHale thought a change was needed. The Wolves were losing games and Taylor was told by McHale the players-coach relationship wasn’t what it should be. But later Taylor didn’t hesitate to recommend Saunders for another head coaching job in the NBA. Saunders is now involved with NBA commentary for ESPN but he and Taylor are friends.

Raising Taylor’s optimism for next season are conversations he’s had with his two star players, power forward Kevin Love and point guard Ricky Rubio. Love played in only 18 games this season because of injuries and Rubio missed early games recovering from the torn ACL that sidelined him a year ago March.

The two players have informed Taylor about their summer plans to prepare for the 2013-14 season, describing not only what they intend to do but also the names of people who will assist them. Love and Rubio also told Taylor they welcome having a Wolves’ assistant coach monitor their work. “To me, it speaks of confidence,” Taylor said.

Worth Noting

A decision regarding the site for the NHL’s Winter Classic in 2015 could be announced next month, according to a knowledgeable pro hockey source. He said it’s not known when the league will make its choice but the Wild is pushing for 2015.

Both TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field are under consideration for the outdoor game annually played on New Year’s Day. The Twins want the game, and they and the Wild can use the attraction to reward season ticket holders who will receive priority seating.

The NHL likes to involve teams who have North American appeal and the Wild have attractive players in Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Ryan Suter, but the franchise has yet to establish itself as a postseason winner. “If they make the playoffs (this spring) they have an outstanding chance of getting the game (for 2015),” the source said.

The 2014 Winter Classic will be hosted by the Red Wings and played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

The Wild are ranked No. 15 among 30 teams in the latest ESPN.com NHL power rankings.

Sports Illustrated looks clairvoyant regarding Twins’ rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks who has only two hits in 45 at bats this season. In its April 1 baseball issue the magazine said Hicks’ .370 batting average and four home runs in spring training were misleading, pointing out that most of his success came against “fringe” major league and minor league pitching. S.I. said the four home runs came with an “asterisk,” pointing out three were wind-aided.

Meanwhile, the Twins’ two regular center fielders from last season are having mixed results. Denard Span is hitting .313 with two stolen bases in 13 games for the Nationals. Ben Revere, now with the Phillies, is hitting .207 with five stolen bases in 14 games but he made headlines with an extraordinary catch earlier this week.

The Twins (6-7) have a two-game winning streak after defeating the Angels last night, 8-6. The Angels (4-10) are tied for the worst start in franchise history, matching the 1961 season when the club was in its first season ever.

The Gophers had their 10^th spring practice yesterday and all sessions have been indoors. Rather than risk pulled muscles or other cold weather induced problems, the Gophers have stayed inside where they can also better focus on execution.

Happy birthday to former Gophers’ basketball coach Jim Dutcher who turns 80 today.

G.G. Smith, Tubby Smith’s son who had been an assistant men’s basketball coach at Loyola University Maryland, was promoted last week to the head job there. Does that mean Tubby’s son Saul Smith, who was an assistant at Minnesota, will be added to the Texas Tech staff where his dad now coaches?

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Don’t ‘Anticipate’ Gray for Northwestern

Posted on October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 by David Shama

Reporting on Gophers football, Timberwolves, Vikings, Wild and Twins:

Gophers’ football coach Jerry Kill, talking about the injured MarQueis Gray, said on Monday he doesn’t “anticipate” his senior quarterback playing against Northwestern a week from Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Gray has a high ankle sprain and sprained left knee suffered in the Western Michigan game on September 15. “It’s just taken awhile to heal up,” Kill told Sports Headliners.

Even if Gray can surprise and be ready to play, strategically it’s to the Gophers’ advantage if they can make Northwestern (5-0) prepare for two different quarterback styles. Gray is an improved passer but running is his strength while sophomore Max Shortell, his replacement, is a capable passer and lumbering runner.

OhioState is the Big Ten’s best team. If Gray is healthy and able to play, the Gophers (4-1) are better by the nose of a football than Iowa, the team that defeated Minnesota last Saturday. Here are Sports Headliners’ first Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

The Timberwolves opened training camp yesterday without Rick Rubio taking part in drills because of his left knee rehabilitation. Rubio, who was injured on March 9 of last season, “created a belief” the Wolves could beat anybody, according to coach Rick Adelman.

The Wolves, who had a 21-20 record on March 9, won only five of their final 25 games after Rubio’s season ended. Adelman said on Monday he was “shocked” at how the team stumbled without the 21-year-old rookie point guard.

Rubio’s teammates learned not only how good of a playmaker the flashy Spaniard is but also saw his competitiveness and all around skills. Wolves’ reserve point guard J.J. Barea said Rubio is so competitive he wouldn’t even back down from “Michael Jordan.”

Adelman said Rubio’s absence from the lineup was felt defensively. Rubio was among NBA leaders in steals when injured.

No one is predicting exactly when Rubio will be able to fully practice and play in games. He said Monday he’s starting to shoot the basketball but doesn’t jump when he shoots.

Meanwhile, the Wolves have shaken up their roster adding several new players, including veterans and former NBA All-Stars Andrei Kirilenko and Brandon Roy, who have been on winning teams elsewhere. Adelman is looking for a new attitude among the Wolves who he said “didn’t hurt enough” last season after losses.

Forward Kevin Love, back from helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal, said some teammates last season had a date circled in the spring but it wasn’t the start of the playoffs. Instead, the anticipated date was the season’s end and vacation.

The Wolves, who finished 26-40 last season and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, are thinking post-season now as they start training camp. They know the assignment will be much easier when Rubio is healthy and playing again.

Vikings’ punter Chris Kluwe communicates with former teammate and placekicker Ryan Longwell via email and text. Kluwe said Longwell remains interested in a pro golf career and wants to become comfortable in front of TV cameras. “He told me it’s completely different when you’re actually playing in front of cameras as opposed to when it’s just you out on the course,” Kluwe said. “I think he’s just trying to get used to that and we’ll see if he goes and tries that for real.”

A hockey source told Sports Headliners the Wild’s Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu and Matt Cullen could decide to play hockey out of the country if the NHL labor dispute isn’t resolved. The source said if the players sign contracts to play elsewhere there will be escape clauses allowing a return to the Wild after the collective bargaining agreement is settled between the NHL and league players.

The NHL regular season schedule was to begin next week but with the players locked out it could be December 1 or later before teams return to the ice. “There’s no super urgency now” to settle the lockout, the source said.

But paychecks for NHL players were to begin next week, and continue every two weeks. Missing those checks after three pay periods will create urgency for a settlement, in the opinion of the source.

He also said the Wild’s AHL affiliate team, the Houston Aeros, may play one or more games at Xcel Energy Center. Such a move could be part of a strategy by the Wild to keep hockey in front of the public. Fantasy camps, hospital visits and other activities might be part of a plan, too.

Mike Trout, who is certain to be the American League Rookie of the Year and is a contender for league MVP, was drafted by the Angels in 2009 after 21 other clubs passed on him including the Twins. Trout’s dad, Jeff, was a Twins minor league player and so, too, was Greg Morhardt, the Angels scout that signed Mike.

Morhardt was more excited about Mike than a lot of other baseball people, according to an article in Sports Illustrated’s August 27 issue. Among the Angels’ decision- makers who approved drafting Trout was scouting director Eddie Bane, the former Twins pitcher.

When the regular season ends today, the Angels center fielder will have completed a year when he established himself as one of baseball’s best players at age 21. His skills in hitting for average and power, fielding his position and base running prompted Sports Illustrated to compare him with Mickey Mantle. Among Trout’s rookie stats are a .324 batting average (second best in theAL), .397 on-base percentage (third in the league), .561 slugging percentage (third) and a MLB leading 49 stolen bases.

The Twins finish their season in Toronto today. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the club made an off-season trade with the Blue Jays, acquiring pitching and sending Canadian native Justin Morneau to Toronto?

The Twins and four other major league clubs provide players to the Peoria team that begins play in the Arizona Fall League on October 9. Seven Twins organization players are expected to participate: pitchers Kyle Gibson, Logan Darnell, Caleb Thielbar, and Michael Tonkin, and position players Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann and Nate Roberts, according to Twins minor league operations executive Jim Rantz.

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