Die Macht » utting together the roster with GM Masa

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves have secured their veteran shooting guard. They finalized a deal to send away his predecessor at the position to further enhance this fast-changing roster under new basketball boss Flip Saunders. After agreeing to the framework of the deal the day before, the Wolves acquired Kevin Martin via a sign-and-trade manoeuvr with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night and dealt Luke Ridnour to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks also got a 2014 second-round draft pick from the Wolves. The Thunder got the draft rights to second-round draft pick Szymon Szewczyk from the Bucks. The Thunder also sent an undisclosed amount of cash to both the Wolves and the Bucks. The Wolves needed to trade Ridnour for flexibility to sign small forward Corey Brewer, their former first-round pick who played last season for the Denver Nuggets, and to re-sign small forward Chase Budinger. Those deals were expected to be done on Friday. Coach Rick Adelman was fond of Ridnour, who started all 82 games for the Wolves last season while playing out of position for a small, injury-ravaged team. He came to Minnesota after two seasons with Milwaukee. "Sometimes you have to give up things you dont really want to, but you have to look at where you want to go at the end," Saunders said. The Timberwolves were last in the league in 3-point shooting last season. The 6-foot-7 Martin shot a career-high 42.6 per cent from behind the arc with the Thunder. He has averaged 20-plus points per game in five of his nine seasons in the NBA. His production decreased with the Thunder, but Saunders chalked that up to the presence of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Saunders also brushed off any concern about Martins defence, praising his shooting touch as a defensive weapon of its own. "As Coach said, he feels in his system we can chalk in 18 points," Saunders said, referring to Martins career scoring average. The 6-2 Ridnour had the most efficient season of his career with the Bucks in 2009-10, setting personal bests in field goal and free throw shooting. "Luke didnt want to continue playing as a 2 guard," Saunders said. "He wanted to be in a situation where he thought he could get really extended playing time at the point guard." The Wolves watched small forward Andrei Kirilenko, who earlier opted out of his contract, agree to terms on a new deal with the Brooklyn Nets. But they added another veteran to the roster by agreeing to terms on a two-year, $3.2 million contract with power forward Ronny Turiaf, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein. "The direction Flips got the team going and the style that Rick plays is something he was really excited about," Bartelstein said in a phone interview. Cheap NHL Jerseys . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. NHL Jerseys . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. https://www.cheapnhljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. NHL Jerseys 2020 . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club.TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on Doc Rivers, the Raptors making the playoffs, Andre Iguodala, Canadians in the NBA Draft and Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. 1. DOC RIVERS (Clippers): Great move for the Clips. Gives them a terrific shot at retaining Chris Paul and they get a top-notch coach who will handle the pressure of a big market like L.A. quite easily. The Celtics get a first round pick in 2015, and more importantly begin the process of dismantling their team to acquire assets for a rebuild/restructure. It will be interesting to see how things are handled right now with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce & Rajon Rondo as well as the hiring of a new coach. GM Danny Ainge is a bold/progressive thinker and will try to be active if/when possible. Right move for both teams. 2. TORONTO RAPTORS - PLAYOFFS?: Think about it for a second. Miami, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn and New York - Put those five in the Top 5 in whatever order youd like for next season. After that, its a crap shoot for the bottom three spots of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Milwaukee, Atlanta and Boston (the other three playoff teams from this past season) are all going to have a different and possibly weaker look next season. The six, seven and eight spots are up for grabs. Im as curious as all of you what the Raps decide to do in the coming months with their team building plan. Do they try to develop a winning/playoff environment during the 2013-14 season or go the developmental route and try to acquire assets for down the line? Your guess is as good as mine. This Thursday nights NBA Draft will be our first look at what the direction will be. 3. ANDRE IGUODALA (Nuggets): Opting out of his contract and will be a free agent. The trade to Denver was a great opportunity to showcase his game in an up tempo style that suited his game. Hes a verssatile athlete who plays both ways well and hard for you.dddddddddddd Hes got lots of fans round the league and hes proven to be a valuable member of both the 76ers and the Nuggets and has the Olympics experience under his belt. Hes polished and hell be a target for teams with cap space if he keeps his salary/term demands at a fair/reasonable level. 4. CANADIANS IN THE NBA DRAFT (Anthony Bennett-UNLV / Kelly Olynyk-Gonzaga / Myck Kabongo-Texas): If you get a chance, check out Mondays USA Today. Theres a neat article on the growth of basketball in Canada. Well likely see three more Canadians drafted on Thursday night. Bennett and Olynyk are first rounders and Kabongo is all over the board in the 2nd round, depending on who you talk with. Im excited to see how it unfolds and more importantly for the future of Canadian hoops. The best is yet to come! 5. DWANE CASEY (Toronto Raptors): Announced last week that hell be back as the head coach. Beyond staff decisions, player development and putting together the roster with GM Masai Ujiri, a huge component of improving the team in 2013-14 will be how they perform/execute in the fourth quarter of games. Situational basketball performance is the make/break aspect of teams and coaches. Im sure Casey and his new staff will take significant time between now and the start of evaluating each and every fourth quarter this past season where the Raptors let a lead slip away that resulted in a loss. Way too many times this took place and it will be the defining judgment piece for this upcoming season. How you perform under the pressure of the fourth quarter spotlight in the NBA is usually the make/break aspect of a team, season and coaching staff. Control to the best of your ability what you can control and move those chess pieces in an appropriate/timely manner and the narrative of a season becomes more fun to watch. ' ' '