Wolves And Lynx Owners Talk Teams' Futures; KAT Voices 'Instability' Concerns
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor officially introduced new partners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore Monday, and though they all declined to address the recent firing of Gersson Rosas, they did provide some insight to the future of the team.
"I'm 80, I plan to be around for a long time," Taylor said, "but I'm realistic."
Taylor opened the press conference by explicitly saying he wouldn't address recent personnel moves or comment on players under contract, a reference to ongoing trade rumors connecting disgruntled 76ers point guard Ben Simmons to the Wolves.
Taylor did say, however, that he is "confident we're set for the future" with Sachin Gupta moving into the president of basketball operations role vacated by Rosas, who sources tell WCCO was fired for allegedly creating a toxic culture and an "inappropriate relationship" within the organization.
Based on comments made Monday, it seems Lore and Rodriguez were involved in the Rosas ousting in some capacity.
"We've been involved in all of the key decision to date," Lore, an e-commerce mogul, said.
The new partners addressed another major question on the minds of Wolves fans -- namely, will the team stay in Minnesota?
Lore's answer addressed the long-term, going so far as to pitch the idea of a new stadium.
"I think there's a great opportunity to eventually build a new arena and infuse it with the latest technology," he said.
Rodriguez's answer was more immediate, but perhaps even more comforting for fans.
"We have no plans to move this," the former MLB star said. "We plan to be right here and do really, really exciting things and bring a world championship to this city."
Rodriguez and Lore will remain minority owners for the next two years before taking over the majority stake from Taylor.
After the press conference, the team engaged in the annual media day. It's normally a time for optimism, but star Karl-Anthony Towns reflected on a bizarre week.
"What happened last week, it just added to the list. It's just the same thing every single time. You know, it's something that always leads to instability," Towns said. "And I joked about it the day before that I was like, 'Man, there's been a real quiet off-season for Minnesota. It's very different.' Boom. Made sure to have one left in the hat."
Towns posted a three-letter tweet last week after the announcement of Rosas's departure: "wtf."
