New photo Timberwolves march on despite Butler drama

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Jimmy Butler may or may not be traded before Minnesota opens the season on Oct. 17 at San Antonio.

However, it appears increasingly inevitable that the Butler won't be with the Timberwolves this season - and they've only got one more chance to start learning how to play without the four-time All-Star before the games start counting.

Minnesota played its second-to-last preseason game on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State's home floor. The Timberwolves' G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, play roughly 30 miles away in Des Moines. It was the first game at Hilton, one of the loudest arenas in all of college basketball, since 1999 - and it drew a near-capacity crowd.

From there it's a trip to Milwaukee's new arena on Friday and then a few days off ahead of the opener. And although the Butler drama has seemingly put the organization in a bind, Thibodeau warned against letting it become more of a distraction than it already is.

"Focus on the people that are here and get ready to play. That's it," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. "We've got a long season, and if you look you can get distracted very easily, so focus is very important. This team has been through a lot in the last year. I think they're ready to handle whatever is thrown our way."

Butler has told the Timberwolves that he has no intentions of re-signing with the club next summer, leaving them with little choice but to explore a way to get some value for him now or risk losing him for nothing in 2019. The Athletic first reported Butler's decision.

Minnesota Timberwolves ccoach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call in the second half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau on Friday acknowledged the team's efforts to grant Butler's trade request, saying that the team is "trying to get something done."

Butler, 29, averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in his first season for Minnesota a year ago, helping the Timberwolves snap a 14-year playoff drought. Butler then shot 44 percent from the floor and 47 percent on 3s against Houston in the playoffs, a series the T-Wolves dropped in five games.

Minnesota still has plenty of options, notably star Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins and a reinvigorated Derrick Rose. But a team that won 47 games and appeared to be among the up and comers in the Western Conference is in an unusual amount of flux with the season just nine days away.

There was also a bit of irony in the fact that the game Butler missed on Sunday night was at Iowa State.

That's where Fred Hoiberg coached before leaving to take over for Thibodeau in Chicago - and he and Butler butted heads for two seasons before Butler was reunited via trade with Thibodeau in Minnesota.

"That's what preseason is for, obviously, to help you get in shape. But it's also to help you build your identity, and to learn who you are, establish who you are," said reserve guard C.J. Williams.

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News Pictures Timberwolves march on despite Butler drama

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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