Timberwolves send Cassell to Clippers for Jaric, Chalmers
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer
August 12, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Sam Cassell complained about his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves in training camp, then struggled and sulked through an injury plagued season. That was enough for Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale.
McHale shipped the aging and disgruntled Cassell and a conditional first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night for guards Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers.
Cassell was the poster boy for the underachieving Timberwolves, who followed up an appearance in the Western Conference finals in 2003-04 by missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 1996.
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``I just felt we needed to change up the team a bit. Last year was a disappointing year,'' McHale said. ``It was time to go in another direction.''
The deal ends an up-and-down two years in Minnesota for Cassell, who was an All-Star and one of the biggest reasons for the Wolves' breakout season in 2003-04 after arriving in a trade with Milwaukee.
He averaged a career-high 19.8 points and 7.3 assists per game in '03-04 and teamed with Kevin Garnett and Latrell Sprewell to help the Timberwolves break a string of seven straight first-round playoff exits.
But Cassell began to wear out his welcome last season, complaining about not getting a contract extension when training camp started, and then averaged a mediocre 13.5 points and 5.1 assists in 59 games.
Cassell will team with Cuttino Mobley and youngster Shaun Livingston in the Clippers' new-look backcourt. Mobley signed a five-year, $42-million deal on Aug. 3.
``I really like Sammy,'' McHale said. ``But it was just time to get a little longer and a little younger at the point. It was time for a change.''
Jaric fits both those criteria.
The 26-year-old player from Serbia-Montenegro is 6-foot-7 and can play three positions. He was a restricted free agent who was signed by the Clippers before the trade. Jaric averaged a career-high 9.9 points, 6.1 assists and 33.1 minutes for Los Angeles last season.
McHale said the Timberwolves targeted Jaric all offseason, calling him as soon as free agency opened on Aug. 1.
``We really like Marko,'' McHale said. ``He's very versatile.''
Versatility is something new coach Dwane Casey covets, and McHale said Casey lobbied hard for the team to go after Jaric.
Jaric is also considered a better defender at the point than Cassell, a big plus for the Timberwolves, who were picked apart by opposing point guards all last season.
``Marko is a big guard who can see over the defense, and he can defend both the point guard and shooting guard position,'' Casey said in a statement. ``We feel we've really upgraded our defense and our team with the addition of Marko.''
Chalmers appeared in 36 games for the Clippers as a rookie last season, averaging 3.1 points, 1.4 assists and 12.0 minutes.
The first-round pick is lottery protected, so if Minnesota misses the playoffs again this season the Timberwolves will hang on to that selection.
McHale said the Timberwolves were also close to re-signing free agent forward Eddie Griffin. And with the addition of Jaric, Griffin and Nikoloz Tskitishvili, McHale was comfortable giving up the first-round pick.
``Our young base is pretty solid,'' McHale said. ``We have plenty of young big guys, so I think we're in pretty good shape.''
McHale, who filled in for the fired Flip Saunders as coach for the second half of last season, made no secret of his displeasure with the Timberwolves' futility last season and promised to make significant changes.
Cassell was the first to go and Sprewell, another aging Timberwolves player who was not happy about his contract status, almost certainly will not be re-signed as a free agent. The team re-signed forward Mark Madsen to a five-year deal and added Tskitishvili after he had an impressive summer league in July.
McHale said the team is ``still looking at doing a few things,'' but it was clear that landing Jaric was his top priority, in addition to re-signing Madsen and Griffin.
``Getting Marko was something we really wanted to do,'' McHale said. ``It's all starting to come together.''
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-timberwolves-clipperstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer
August 12, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Sam Cassell complained about his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves in training camp, then struggled and sulked through an injury plagued season. That was enough for Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale.
McHale shipped the aging and disgruntled Cassell and a conditional first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night for guards Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers.
Cassell was the poster boy for the underachieving Timberwolves, who followed up an appearance in the Western Conference finals in 2003-04 by missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 1996.
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``I just felt we needed to change up the team a bit. Last year was a disappointing year,'' McHale said. ``It was time to go in another direction.''
The deal ends an up-and-down two years in Minnesota for Cassell, who was an All-Star and one of the biggest reasons for the Wolves' breakout season in 2003-04 after arriving in a trade with Milwaukee.
He averaged a career-high 19.8 points and 7.3 assists per game in '03-04 and teamed with Kevin Garnett and Latrell Sprewell to help the Timberwolves break a string of seven straight first-round playoff exits.
But Cassell began to wear out his welcome last season, complaining about not getting a contract extension when training camp started, and then averaged a mediocre 13.5 points and 5.1 assists in 59 games.
Cassell will team with Cuttino Mobley and youngster Shaun Livingston in the Clippers' new-look backcourt. Mobley signed a five-year, $42-million deal on Aug. 3.
``I really like Sammy,'' McHale said. ``But it was just time to get a little longer and a little younger at the point. It was time for a change.''
Jaric fits both those criteria.
The 26-year-old player from Serbia-Montenegro is 6-foot-7 and can play three positions. He was a restricted free agent who was signed by the Clippers before the trade. Jaric averaged a career-high 9.9 points, 6.1 assists and 33.1 minutes for Los Angeles last season.
McHale said the Timberwolves targeted Jaric all offseason, calling him as soon as free agency opened on Aug. 1.
``We really like Marko,'' McHale said. ``He's very versatile.''
Versatility is something new coach Dwane Casey covets, and McHale said Casey lobbied hard for the team to go after Jaric.
Jaric is also considered a better defender at the point than Cassell, a big plus for the Timberwolves, who were picked apart by opposing point guards all last season.
``Marko is a big guard who can see over the defense, and he can defend both the point guard and shooting guard position,'' Casey said in a statement. ``We feel we've really upgraded our defense and our team with the addition of Marko.''
Chalmers appeared in 36 games for the Clippers as a rookie last season, averaging 3.1 points, 1.4 assists and 12.0 minutes.
The first-round pick is lottery protected, so if Minnesota misses the playoffs again this season the Timberwolves will hang on to that selection.
McHale said the Timberwolves were also close to re-signing free agent forward Eddie Griffin. And with the addition of Jaric, Griffin and Nikoloz Tskitishvili, McHale was comfortable giving up the first-round pick.
``Our young base is pretty solid,'' McHale said. ``We have plenty of young big guys, so I think we're in pretty good shape.''
McHale, who filled in for the fired Flip Saunders as coach for the second half of last season, made no secret of his displeasure with the Timberwolves' futility last season and promised to make significant changes.
Cassell was the first to go and Sprewell, another aging Timberwolves player who was not happy about his contract status, almost certainly will not be re-signed as a free agent. The team re-signed forward Mark Madsen to a five-year deal and added Tskitishvili after he had an impressive summer league in July.
McHale said the team is ``still looking at doing a few things,'' but it was clear that landing Jaric was his top priority, in addition to re-signing Madsen and Griffin.
``Getting Marko was something we really wanted to do,'' McHale said. ``It's all starting to come together.''
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-timberwolves-clipperstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns
