LAS VEGAS – Tucked away in a separate space at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV is a large conference room. If you walked in there Friday afternoon, a podium with a large screen in the background greeted you with highlights of the Timberwolves and Lynx. A DJ was playing music on several speakers that dotted the room, and eventually, media, team officials, coaches and players, including Anthony Edwards, populated the space.
This was the setting for Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to hold their first news conference-style media session (after doing interviews with the Minnesota Star Tribune and others) since taking over as controlling owners of the Wolves and Lynx.
Lore and Rodriguez spoke to the assembled crowd and then met with local reporters after the session. Here are some takeaways from their comments:
New lighting for Target Center?
Lore and Rodriguez would like to install theater-style lighting in Target Center similar to what the Lakers and Knicks have for their home games. That style of lighting (a personal favorite of your traveling Wolves beat writer) can add a different ambience to the game and create a more special feel than the same bright lights all around the arena can provide.
“Really create a very dramatic feel,” Rodriguez said. “And kind of start our ownership with a different feel.”
Added Lore: “We’re pushing to get that for the season.”
Because Target Center is owned by the city of Minneapolis, the Wolves will have to work with the city to make that happen.
What about KG?
Lore and Rodriguez fielded a question about the potential for repairing the franchise’s relations with Kevin Garnett, now that Glen Taylor, with whom Garnett has publicly feuded over the past several years, is no longer running the team. It sounded as if nothing was imminent, but Lore and Rodriguez would like to mend that fence.