The T'Wolves yesterday "held a grand opening ceremony for The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square," a $25M joint venture between the franchise and the medical provider that all involved "hope will help end more than a decade of futility," according to Jon Krawczynski of the AP. The T'Wolves are "actually at the forefront of something positive" after years of sharing a single practice court with the WNBA Lynx in a fitness center in the basement of the Target Center. Now the teams "share a 107,000-square-foot space with two courts, state-of-the-art training equipment and a sports medicine center complete with physicians and equipment to diagnose and treat injuries." Mayo Clinic Square is "right in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, just across the street" from the arena. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, ''In some ways it's a bit of an arms race. ... In this day and age it's absolutely necessary to have a state-of-the-art arena together with a state-of-the-art practice facility. I think here what we saw in this season and the playoffs especially, there's no question that injuries had a big impact on the competition" (AP, 6/17). Silver said that the new facility is a "catalyst for better things to come" for the franchise. Silver said of T'Wolves Owner Glen Taylor, "He ultimately decided, in discussion with me and others, that his true passion was these teams. He loved being involved in them, and I know he’d love to see championship success, not just as he’s had with the Lynx, but with the Timberwolves as well" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/18). Silver added Taylor "has done a spectacular job." Silver: "The best days are ahead for this franchise when I look at this new facility and think about how well the Lynx have done on the floor and these young players on the floor for the Timberwolves -- of course the No. 1 pick this year, so the prospects are wonderful for this team" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/18).
