MINNEAPOLIS – On Thursday, the Timberwolves announced the 21-player roster for their pre-summer league minicamp, which will be held this weekend in Minneapolis. The list of players will be cut into an official summer league roster Sunday afternoon, and the team's games begin in Las Vegas on Monday.
Just because a player attends the minicamp doesn't guarantee him a spot on the summer league roster; some can be cut, and others might choose to join other squads or not attend altogether.
The Timberwolves' minicamp roster includes six players with NBA experience: Derrick Williams, Wes Johnson, Malcolm Lee, Coby Karl, Mike Harris and Zabian Dowdell. Williams, Johnson and Lee played with the Timberwolves last season and are virtual locks for the final roster. Karl is the son of Nuggets head coach George Karl, and he's played for the Lakers, Cavaliers, Warriors and in the D-League and overseas since 2007. Harris has played for the Rockets and Wizards, as well as in the D-League and overseas, since 2005. Dowdell has played for the Suns, in the D-League and overseas since 2007.
The list of rookies comprises William Buford, Jet Chang, Papa Dia, Lior Eliyahu, Tony Easley, Corey Fisher, Robbie Hummel, Gary Johnson, Sylven Landesberg, Lamont Mack, Luke Nevill, Paulo Prestes, Luke Sikma, Garrett Stutz and Kammron Taylor.
Buford, Hummel and Stutz may be the best known of the rookies. Buford played collegiately at Ohio State and was considered a fringe pick in this year's NBA draft, and Purdue's Hummel was the Timberwolves' pick, at No. 58. Stutz, who played collegiately at Wichita State, worked out for the Timberwolves before the draft this spring. Luke Sikma, the son of Timberwolves assistant Jack Sikma, is another noteworthy name on the roster, and Lior Eliyahu came to the Timberwolves in the Chase Budinger trade in late June.
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