This week we passed along a couple of updates on Glen Taylor's search for a buyer who would eventually succeed him as majority owner of the Timberwolves. Taylor, who said he won't sell the team to anyone who would move it out of Minnesota, spoke in greater detail about his plans and about the team's rebuilding process to Britt Robson of Twin Cities Business. Taylor told Robson he received "seven serious inquiries" about the team, and while most of them were rejected because they wouldn't guarantee the team wouldn't move, Taylor is confident he'll be able to announce the buyer before the Wolves' first game of the 2012/13 season, on November 2nd. It would be about six years before the new partner assumed the majority stake, Taylor said.
Taylor is also the chair of the league's board of governors, and he opened up to Robson about the new CBA and its effect on the Wolves, as well as other matters. Here are a few of his noteworthy comments:
On the decision-making process and how the team moved on from Darko Milicic:
“Most of the moves [GM] David [Kahn] is making are heavily influenced by what [coach] Rick [Adelman] has asked of us. But when it comes to finances, David will tell Rick no. At the end of the year, Rick gives me a report of what he thinks of each player. He tells me it’s the same one he gave David and that David knows he is giving it to me. Then he goes through the list. He says, ‘This is the first one I want gone’—that was Darko. ‘This is the second one I want gone. This is what I think of this player.’"
Regarding the CBA and its effect on the Wolves:
"The new deal really helps us. As bad as we’ve played and as bad as the economy has been, we were still in the middle of about 22 or 23 teams that were losing money. If we were losing $15 million or $18 million, some others were losing $40 million. [The new revenue-sharing fund] will step up over three years. Next year there is a possibility of $10 million—now, if we do well it will be less. But I would say that between $5 million and $12 million will come to us.”
About GM David Kahn:
"The person who convinced me about Kahn was Donnie Walsh, who was David’s mentor in Indiana and a guy I really like and respect. Donnie told me, ‘I’d take a risk on him. He’s very smart. He doesn’t know all the basketball stuff, but he’ll know how to run your team.’"
On coach Rick Adelman:
"We were going to build slowly with a young coach [Kurt Rambis] and young players. It was a good plan, but there was a misstep. Now we have a seasoned coach who has said ‘This is my last job.’ He is going to push faster because he wants to win sooner. But his [style of communication] is one I understand and can relate to."