A group of animal welfare activists – members of the organization Direct Action Everywhere who have conducted a series of protests at Timberwolves games in recent weeks – want Glen Taylor to step down from his role as the Wolves’ team owner, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.
As Arnovitz details, Taylor is the owner of Rembrandt Farms, a large-scale factory farm that recently killed more than five million birds using a method known as “ventilation shutdown plus” that activists view as inhumane. That method was employed in an effort to combat an outbreak of bird influenza.
Taylor has agreed to eventually hand over the reins of the Timberwolves to incoming owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. However, Arnovitz says the activists want to expedite the succession process, which currently doesn’t call for Rodriguez and Lore to assume full control until at least a year from now.
According to Arnovitz, Direction Action Everywhere is also demanding that Taylor contribute $11.3MM to public health and animal welfare organizations. That amount is equivalent to the $11.3MM that Rembrandt Farms received in federal funds in 2015 to combat another influenza outbreak, per ESPN.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Warriors star Stephen Curry will no longer face a minutes restriction in Game 5 vs. Denver on Wednesday, head coach Steve Kerr said today (Twitter link via Kendra Andrews of ESPN). There has been speculation that Curry will reenter the starting lineup on Thursday, but Kerr didn’t confirm or deny that.
- On the verge of winning a playoff series for the first time in his career, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic praised his teammates, including Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock, who rushed to confront Jazz center Hassan Whiteside following a hard foul on Doncic on Monday. “They had my back,” Doncic said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “Both of them, anybody, we had each other’s back. That’s what great teams do. I would go with these guys to war. This is a special team.”
- In his offseason preview for the Kings, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) explores the resources Sacramento has available to upgrade its roster, concluding that the draft and trade market are the team’s best bets. In Harrison Barnes, Justin Holiday, Maurice Harkless, and Alex Len, the Kings have about $35MM in expiring contracts, Marks observes.
Kings should draft a SF, play Sabonis as a C and resign HB as a starting PF. They won’t make the playoff though.
Their mistake was as bad as Timberwolves passing on Steph.
Harrison Barnes still has one more year on his contract, and it’s a declining contract. He’s Not a FA !! Though I do agree w/ Drafting a SF or now that Haliburton is gone a PG that can shoot !!
Trade :
———
6-7 SF Harkless
2022 Free Agents List :
=================
6-5 SG Lamb, expiring $10m contract, UFA
6-8 SF Jackson, expiring $4.9m contract, UFA
6-9 PF Lyles, expiring $2.6m contract, Club Option
6-5 SG Divencenzo, expiring $3.3m contract, RFA
6-11 C Queta, expiring $1m (Non-Guarenteed contract) RFA
6-11 C Jones, expiring $1.1m contract, UFA
*Expiring means one last year left; so Barnes’ contract applies. But Divencenso for instance is expired; a FA. Yor list looks mixed; Caldwell Jones retired a while ago ;D… And which Jackson or Lamb?
The Kings are obliged to give Davion some time to get a shot since they used a first on him. Defense is his thing tho.
What are you talking about ?? We only have one Lamb & Jackson on our team !! Those are Positions, Not First Name Initals !! The list is crystal clear. Sorry if you do Not understand it !!
At least Kings dodged a bullet by not trading for a 6’10 PG with mental problems! Oh boy it would’ve been the end of their franchise!
These people are clowns! Why even mention them? The only thing they accomplished is being made fun of for not succeeding
You’re talking about the Kings right?
As if we needed another reason to believe Taylor sucks.
Oh cluck off you nut jobs
You’re really trying to hand-wave away the actions of a multi-billionaire whose company just killed FIVE MILLION BIRDS as just some wacko animal rights activists?
Yes, they had bird flu. Keeping them alive would have risked further spread.
Were you expecting him to nurse them back to health? Set the birds free?
Those birds had to be culled, you can argue over the method used but the options aren’t particularly pleasant.
Look if this were 5000 birds I’d agree with you, but 5 MILLION? You think ALL of them had bird flu? Did the company test them all?
I guarantee you they tested all of them, those chickens are money in their pocket, each kill they lose money. They did what they had to do and at this point in his ownership he’s not gonna step down over a few morons that are just trying to draw attention to themselves. I said what I said!