By Andy Greder
St. Paul Pioneer Press
The Timberwolves’ youth movement began in earnest Monday.
The Wolves waived J.J. Barea after a buyout agreement was reached with the veteran point guard. The Wolves opted to give the final spot on the 15-player roster to rookie forward Glenn Robinson III.
With Robinson, the Wolves enter the season with seven players who have two or fewer years of NBA experience.
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The Wolves started the youth infusion in August when they traded Kevin Love to Cleveland for rookie forward Andrew Wiggins and second-year forward Anthony Bennett, along with eight-year forward Thaddeus Young.
“Our decision as we made the trade, we were going to go a little bit younger and we wanted to develop young players,” Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said. “When you make that decision, you can’t back away from it.”
Barea, 30, was slated to be the third point guard behind starter Ricky Rubio and backup Mo Williams. Rookie Zach LaVine, who will see time at the off-guard spot, will now be the third point guard.
“Talking to (Barea) and his representatives, he was caught where he was going to be the third guard, and he wanted to be in a situation where he was going to play more,” Saunders said. “We couldn’t guarantee him (playing time) with where we are at.”
Barea, who signed a four-year, $18 million contract with Minnesota in 2011, played well during the preseason. Saunders, who declined to disclose the terms of the buyout, said letting Barea go was an “incredibly difficult” decision.
“He came in and did everything we asked him to do from a leadership standpoint,” Saunders said.
Barea reportedly could land in Dallas, where he helped the Mavericks win the 2011 NBA title.
Robinson will begin the season at the end of the Wolves bench. He could spent time this season with the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Mad Ants, the team’s affiliate in the NBA Development League.
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“This is a developmental year for him,” Saunders said. “I think he has a chance to be a good player in this league.”
The Pioneer Press is a media partner with the Forum News Service
