AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jimmy Butler may or may not be traded before Minnesota opens the season on Oct. 17 at San Antonio.However, it appears increasingly inevitable that the Butler won't be with the Timberwolves this season — and they've only got one more chance to start learning how to play without the four-time All-Star before the games start counting.Minnesota played its second-to-last preseason game on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State's home floor. The Timberwolves' G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, play roughly 30 miles away in Des Moines. It was the first game at Hilton, one of the loudest arenas in all of college basketball, since 1999 — and it drew a near-capacity crowd.From there it's a trip to Milwaukee's new arena on Friday and then a few days off ahead of the opener. And although the Butler drama has seemingly put the organization in a bind, Thibodeau warned against letting it become more of a distraction than it already is."Focus on the people that are here and get... [More]

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jimmy Butler may or may not be traded before Minnesota opens the season on Oct. 17 at San Antonio.However, it appears increasingly inevitable that the Butler won't be with the Timberwolves this season — and they've only got one more chance to start learning how to play without the four-time All-Star before the games start counting.Minnesota played its second-to-last preseason game on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State's home floor. The Timberwolves' G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, play roughly 30 miles away in Des Moines.From there it's a trip to Milwaukee's new arena on Friday and then a few days off ahead of the opener. And although the Butler drama has seemingly put the organization in a bind, Thibodeau warned against letting it become more of a distraction than it already is."Focus on the people that are here and get ready to play. That's it," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. "We've got a long season, and if you look you can get distracted... [More]