Following the acquisition of F Jimmy Butler during the NBA Draft, T'Wolves Senior VP & Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Tanke on Friday said that while there were "no concrete" ticket sales numbers yet, the figure would be "substantial," according to Jace Frederick of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. The T'Wolves were "just wrapping up the renewal process and had renewed" about 80% of its season-ticket fan base prior to the Draft. Tanke said of talking to season-ticket holders after the Butler acquisition, "We started to hear from some of those people that maybe hadn't made the decision to not renew who wanted to come back in and make sure they could secure their seats to go forward." He added, "The buzz is high and the demand is something we haven't seen." Frederick also noted the sales team "received a little surprise" on Friday when T'Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau "walked in with a slew of Papa John's pizzas to feed the crew." Tanke: "We wanted to surprise the staff a little bit. So coach had the idea of bringing in everybody some pizzas and saying thanks for their hustle and all the work they're putting in. It was a really fun surprise for the staff." Frederick noted the T'Wolves averaged 14,809 fans and filled Target Center to 77% capacity last season, and both of those figures were "second-worst in the NBA." But now there is "palpable reason for fan optimism for the first time" since '04. Target Center's renovation is "nearly complete, the Wolves have a new logo, with new jerseys on the way this summer, and a proven all-star ready to join a young, talented core" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/24).
