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07-23-2005, 08:21 PM
Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune
July 23, 2005 WOLF0723
Even the Timberwolves, hungry as they are for help up front, wouldn't offer someone a contract based on one game.
When free-agent forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili suffered a broken bone in his right hand early in his second summer-league game last Saturday, it left his performance the night before -- 25 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes -- as an awfully small sample by which to judge him.
But the Wolves factored in Tskitishvili's modest NBA history, his potential and a couple of gym sessions before agreeing to a contract for 2005-06 based on the league's minimum salary.
"He does have the talent," Wolves assistant coach Rex Kalamian, who coached the team's first two summer games and was with Tskitishvili last season in Denver, had said. "He showed a lot in the practices we had with him, too. He's always been open to learning. ... His skills just hadn't caught up to his draft [position]."
Tskitishvili, 22, was the fifth pick in the 2002 draft but averaged only 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 11.9 minutes in three seasons with Denver and, after a trade in February, Golden State. The 7-foot, 225-pound forward, nicknamed "Skita," made his NBA debut against the Wolves on Oct. 30, 2002, with nine points, three assists and two blocks but, with limited playing time, never came close to those numbers on a consistent basis.
By signing Tskitishvili to a minimum contract, the Wolves will still have their full midlevel exception available, pending their offer to unrestricted free-agent forward Eddie Griffin.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/511/5521788.html
July 23, 2005 WOLF0723
Even the Timberwolves, hungry as they are for help up front, wouldn't offer someone a contract based on one game.
When free-agent forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili suffered a broken bone in his right hand early in his second summer-league game last Saturday, it left his performance the night before -- 25 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes -- as an awfully small sample by which to judge him.
But the Wolves factored in Tskitishvili's modest NBA history, his potential and a couple of gym sessions before agreeing to a contract for 2005-06 based on the league's minimum salary.
"He does have the talent," Wolves assistant coach Rex Kalamian, who coached the team's first two summer games and was with Tskitishvili last season in Denver, had said. "He showed a lot in the practices we had with him, too. He's always been open to learning. ... His skills just hadn't caught up to his draft [position]."
Tskitishvili, 22, was the fifth pick in the 2002 draft but averaged only 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 11.9 minutes in three seasons with Denver and, after a trade in February, Golden State. The 7-foot, 225-pound forward, nicknamed "Skita," made his NBA debut against the Wolves on Oct. 30, 2002, with nine points, three assists and two blocks but, with limited playing time, never came close to those numbers on a consistent basis.
By signing Tskitishvili to a minimum contract, the Wolves will still have their full midlevel exception available, pending their offer to unrestricted free-agent forward Eddie Griffin.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/511/5521788.html