Written By Zachary Bennett
On Wednesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, WNBA President Laurel Richie, Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor and Mayo Clinic President & CEO Dr. John Noseworthy spoke at the unveiling of Mayo Clinic Square — the new, state-of-the-art practice- and medical-facilities located next to Target Center in Minneapolis. Each expressed justifiably proud sentiments about what the amenities mean to the NBA, WNBA, Wolves, Lynx, as well as the community.
“This is truly the Gold Standard,” Silver said less than 24 hours after handing the Golden State Warriors the Larry O’Brien Trophy. “Having just come from a championship,” he continued, “these are how championship organizations are built.”
***
Upon completing the presentation ceremony, a handful of media heads gathered in a small scrum hoping to ask Silver questions pertinent not only to Mayo Clinic, but the Wolves and Lynx as well. The NBA Commissioner believes the new amenities could be a catalyst for each franchise moving forward. He specifically mentioned the Wolves’ young, promising roster which will soon add another talented prospect by way of the No. 1 overall draft selection.
“I think no doubt it’s a catalyst.” Silver explained. “Of course you need the players, and of course they (the Wolves) have a strong roster already, which will be complemented by the first pick.”
Later, Silver alluded to his hope that Taylor, who recently stepped down as the top executive at Taylor Corp., will become more involved with his NBA/WNBA organizations moving forward.
“I recently learned that he’s stepping down as the CEO of Taylor Corporation,” Silver said.
“I’m hoping that will allow him to spend more time on the sports teams because Glen is a fabulous manager, and you get out of these teams what you put into them. And I think Glen sees an enormous opportunity for both teams and the community right now.”
“I think this has been a very emotional period for Glen. I think (it’s) a combination of him stepping down at Taylor Corporation, and also a decision to double-down, frankly, on the teams. I don’t think it was any secret that Glen considered selling at one point a few years ago, and I think that he ultimately decided, in discussions with me and others, that his true passion was these teams. He loved being involved with them, and I know he would like to see championship success, not just as he’s had it with the Lynx, but with the Timberwolves as well. Both for himself, his family, but also for the community.”
Silver’s hope somewhat contradicts the decently popular belief that within the next two years, Taylor plans on selling at least a portion of his clubs to an ownership group led by Wolves president-coach Flip Saunders (already a minority owner) and franchise icon Kevin Garnett. Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press in February wrote that this offseason Garnett will sign a two-year extension and during that span, he and Saunders are expected to try to form a group to buy the team from Taylor.
Essentially, Saunders already runs the franchise with impunity, and it’s no secret that Garnett wants to become involved in owning an NBA franchise, specifically the Wolves. Saunders appointed himself head coach despite Taylor’s multiple, albeit passive requests that he hire someone else for the job. Meanwhile, even before being traded back to Minnesota, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Garnett told reporters that he wants to buy the Timberwolves.
“I want to buy the Timberwolves. Put a group together and perhaps some day try to buy the team. That’s what I want,” Garnett said after a 107-99 loss to the Golden State Warriors last November.
“I don’t know about that yet,” Silver said of Garnett possibly owning a share of the Timberwolves.
“Of course, he can’t discuss that while he’s still a player and I’m sure there have been no discussions about him being a minority owner. But I think now, I mean we’re about to approve a new Atlanta Hawks ownership group that includes Grant Hill, we have David Robinson in San Antonio and of course you have Jordan as the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. We love to see former players coming into ownership. And I would welcome with open arms Kevin Garnett becoming an owner one day as well.”
Taylor, at the time of Walters’ column mentioned earlier, wasn’t interesting in selling his team “until he finds out what the Atlanta Hawks, who are for sale and currently are taking bids, end up going for.” The new ownership group Silver referred to Wednesday began finalizing a deal to purchase the Atlanta Hawks back in April, but the deal is not yet complete. Knowledgeable minds have suggested we keep an eye on the situation in Atlanta, as the Antony Ressler-Grant Hill pairing may be telling in how Garnett one day assumes some level of control with the Wolves.
***
NBA teams have skyrocketed in value due to the $2.7 billion-per-season ($24 billion total) national TV deal between the NBA, ESPN/ABC and Time Warner (TNT) that will begin in 2016. The average NBA franchise has an estimated current value of $1.1 billion, a figure that has increased 74 percent from last year’s estimates — the largest year-over-year increase for any sport since Forbes began estimating North American franchise values in 1998.
“The NBA franchise marketplace is a bit like the Wild Wild West right now,” writes Jacob Rosen. “Everyone is trying to jump on board with the continuing tycoon of value increases.”
***
It’s tough to determine whether the newfound value of NBA teams will at all impact when (if) Taylor plans to sell the Wolves. He’s still The Chairman of The NBA Board of Governors and maintains a close relationship with Silver, who called Taylor ‘in many ways’ his ‘day-to-day boss.’ Aside from giving his blessing to the idea of Garnett to some degree becoming an owner, however, Silver made no mention of Taylor’s intent to ultimately sell more shares of his organization.
Conversely, the Commissioner hopes that because he has stepped away from obligations at a different business endeavor, Taylor will be more involved with the Wolves and Lynx.
Just what that might mean, exactly, is entirely left to speculation.
***
Once the ceremony and scrums finished, suit-and-tie types, news crews and media heads toured the spiffy new establishment, which by the way doubles as the Wolves and Lynx new corporate headquarters. Seeing the resources within Mayo Clinic Square was like previewing a hospital not yet built, one that has refrigerators full of Gatorade every 15-or-so feet from one another and is decorated wall-to-wall with memorabilia. For a better look, click around the MCS website and check out the video below, which was filmed by CanisHoopus’ John Meyer.
Zachary Bennett isn’t sure if he should be writing in the third person. He’s a contributor to Cold Omaha, covering the St. Paul Saints, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. Bennett can also be found at Canis Hoopus and Hardwood Paroxysm.