By all accounts, Cole Aldrich, the newest member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, has no say in the NBA franchise’s uniform design. Still, the former Kansas center couldn’t help offering up a slight adjustment to the team’s look during his introductory press conference Thursday.
Seeing as how Aldrich is one of three Jayhawks on the roster, along with rising star [Andrew Wiggins][1] and recently signed veteran Brandon Rush, the 6-foot-11 big man suggested the Wolves add a Kansas patch to their jerseys, [according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune][2].
Admittedly, the Burnsville, Minn., native feels pretty good about life in general these days, what with that freshly signed [three-year $22 million contract to play for his hometown organization][3]. As Aldrich, a six-year NBA veteran who already has played for Oklahoma City, Houston, Sacramento, New York and the Los Angeles Clippers pointed out, the free-agent deals he reached over the past few years were neither longterm nor as lucrative as his new contract with Minnesota.
> “It’s great to have security, in a
> sense, where I have a three-year
> deal,” Aldrich said in [the Star
> Tribune’s report][4]. “For me, I’ve
> gone through pretty much my career on
> one-year deals (since a guaranteed
> contract as a first-round pick).”
A backup post player since leaving KU to become the 11th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Aldrich never averaged more than 3.3 points a game until the 2014-15 season, with the Knicks, when he put up 5.5 points in just 16.0 minutes. He matched that 5.5 average with the Clippers this past year, despite playing fewer minutes (13.3 a game).
> “I finished six years in [the NBA] and
> sometimes I wonder how the hell I even
> made it this long,” Aldrich said.
> “Because the average career is three
> and a half. It’s just a blessing.”
Bloomington Native @colea45 Makes His Return To The Twin Cities
Read ???? » https://t.co/Au5NqtUuus pic.twitter.com/zNdmvtXgOm
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 15, 2016
A self-proclaimed lifelong T’wolves fan, Aldrich also considers himself lucky to be back home. He recalled attending several games during the 2004 playoffs, when Kevin Garnett led the franchise to its first Western Conference Finals berth. Minnesota hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since, but Aldrich said his affinity for the organization never wavered.
> “Whether it was in another city,
> playing for New York or Oklahoma City
> or wherever, I always tried to keep
> tabs. You root for your city,” Aldrich
> told the Star Tribune. “For me to be
> home, I’m going to go out there and
> play hard. I’m not going to guarantee
> a championship or anything like LeBron
> [James], but I’m going to try to do
> all I can to help us win games.”
Minnesota’s addition this offseason of Tom Thibodeau, new head coach and president of basketball operations, is expected to give the middling franchise a significant boost as all-stars-in-the-making Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns continue to expand their games. Aldrich, a projected backup center with the T’wolves, said he’s eager to work for the famously tough-minded coach.
> “The grit and the grind basketball,”
> Aldrich responded, when asked why he
> will fit in well with his hometown
> team. “I love to get my nose dirty. As
> you can tell, I’ve got a few scars,
> and I’ve got a missing tooth.”
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2016/jul/14/wiggins-recalls-time-ku-fondness/
[2]: http://www.startribune.com/cole-aldrich-a-lifelong-wolves-fan-says-hell-do-all-i-can-to-win/386828701/
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/hawks_nba/2016/jul/3/cole-aldrich-and-darrell-arthur-first-ja/
[4]: http://www.startribune.com/cole-aldrich-returns-home-to-fill-gap-for-wolves/386896931/
