LIVE | MN Timberwolves introduce Monte Morris

LIVE | MN Timberwolves introduce Monte Morris

Thank you so much for joining us for our all day live alert the Minnesota Timberwolves have added veteran guard Monty Morris in a trade deal with the Pistons we are expected to be introduced to Morris any minute now let’s head out to the podium where we are expected to see him soon

Confused a Lot you all yeah thanks Chase um yeah I want to welcome Monte Morris to the team super excited um obviously we have history together he’s he’s uh helped me look way smarter than I am um just a consant pro um um it’s been through a lot seen a lot

Of big games um so we feel super fortunate to add him to a strong core um want to thank Shake Milton and Troy Brown who could not be better people and really really good basketball players you know unfortunately to get something good you have to give up something good

So those two guys are completely um first class guys and they’ll be missed um you know obviously Monte his time in Denver um started in DC he’s coming off an injury recently got back to the court um he’s super excited to kind of uh be back in the playoff mix he’s pretty well

Known in these parts in OHA state is pretty uh is a pretty popular Alum group in in the Twin Cities um so we were just talking about that but um you’re not here to talk to me here to talk to Tay and um again thanks for coming out and

Excited to have you today yeah Monte John krinsky from the athletic just can you just take us through your feeling of uh how the trade went down and then coming into the situation that you’re in here with the Timberwolves yeah um you know for me I mean I thank God every day

Um just I was able to fight through this long process with my injury um being hurt before the season um not really knowing you know when I will be back um this season and everything so when the trade went down um I was just happy my

Family was happy just to you know come to this culture um it’s been already really going well since the beginning of the year you know I’m just here to add on to it and help and you know get the playoffs and make a deep run you know

That’s my main focus is come here and um just add on you know to what’s already good so appreciate you know Tim for making the deal and putting me in a position um to get back to playoff basketball and doing what I know how are you feeling physically just you’ve

Played six seven games since since you’ve come back just what what’s your state kind of as you try to get going here yeah I mean physically I feel good um I was able to do a lot a live of practice like three days ago we had a

Lot of practice in Detroit um got up and down felt good um I think my biggest thing is just um ramping up and getting back to um just getting back to monate um I just got to trust everything cuz I’m fully healed I just got to you know

Do what I do and I think that’s should be nothing hard to do I just got to keep getting the Reps and um I should be able to get back to that in no time whenever a player gets traded there’s uncertainty and unfamiliarity what what does it mean

To have Tim here the guy who who draft you and have that kind of you know relationship already established as you come to a new place I mean it’s it’s pretty good um for me just to be comfortable good and bad you know he’s going to tell me you know if I’m

Slacking he’s going to tell me when I’m doing well and things that he’s going to be looking for that I can help the group so um you know it’s kind of it’s kind of surreal um to have a relationship you know from a guy that drafted drafted me

Back in 2017 and still able to do you know business the business side with him now so it’s my goal to just get him back everything and um know kind of make him make the trade look good I just got to play good so that’s my goal team you guys obviously Scout

Everybody across the league but is it easier to have a lot of confidence when executing a deal when you know somebody as well as you know Monte yeah certainly I mean we can all watch video and see who’s good and bad at basketball but it’s it’s a very delicate balanced

Chemistry and the success we’ve had is not just because of the talent and we have you know the best coach staff in the league and we have um these players who really got to know each other so k no is extremely important so U when we’re having a year like we’re having

You don’t want to upset the apple cart and to know a guy like Tay who’s always we joke um I joke with him quite a bit we first interviewed him back he had about 66 cousins I realized that not a cousins he’s a pretty popular guy um

He’s just a a seamless teammate a super positive teammate um a communicator a guy that brings people together and we knew his personality not just his game would fit in well with a group that we’re really proud of Monte what do you think the main role of a point guard is

On a team um I would say uh one of my biggest traits you know Tim just you know hit hit that was just bringing guys together I think for me um learning everybody’s personality on and off the court I feel like that’ll make my transition better just to know where

Guys like the basketball you know what they like doing you know off the court their family situation and things like that that’s the type guy I am and um it helps the transition on the court as a point guard once you kind of know you know guys on and off the

Court you had a long career in in Denver that culminated in a year starting and then what was it going to Washington new franchise and everything but also getting over 60 games as a started did that kind of ratify some things within you in terms of being able to handle a

Second team different team um I would say yes um just the opportunity you know it’s a blessing to have a job in this league you know anywhere really um in life to have a job so I’m always thankful but um the DC switch up from Denver definitely um

Showed me that I’m able to adapt in different environments um and I was able to um have a year there um with some great guys know who um are high level in the league so I know I can adapt anywhere you know it just take time and

I’m excited Beyond excited to be here your Marquee virtue is probably that you don’t turn the ball over and yet you still rack up assists what does that require in ter I mean what what are the things that how can you be active and and enable your teammates and and still

Really keep a lid on the turnovers um I don’t go into a game like you know just like I’m not going to turn the ball over I just I just kind of like play the game how it’s supposed to be played if I draw two guys you know get off the ball not

Really try to force things but also just being aggressive enough to the defense can respect me um so also it’s a lot of film going into in most games I get with our video guys so I kind of know what Defender going to be on me how they

Going to guard me so I’m kind of usually a step ahead of you know the game instead of just going into the game and trying to figure it out there V she recently has put a couple of ball handlers on the floor and with the back Tob backs and

Everything you may be starting some not starting others is that kind of Versatility something that you’ve you know dealt with most of your career and is that something you’re also looking forward to yes you know I’m looking forward to any situation um that I can help the group you know with me coming

In in the middle of the season I have to you know hit the ground running and um you know be a great addition to it so whatever role that is for me to keep this train rolling you know in the way it’s going you know I got to be um 110%

In that role and um I’m willing to do that and uh also you know I’m not a guy who just needs to be on the ball I can space and shoot the ball as well and make plays off the bounce so um whatever role whoever I’m out there with you know

I just got to make the best of it Monte on getting back to the old Monte like where are you at shape-wise how far away are you from being the old Monte uh I mean I I was out for a long a long period of time so I mean realistically

Um I was would say I just need to you know ramp up my strength and condition and stuff as far as running I’ve played in games um I’m not dead tired but I know it’s another notch I can get to and I I’ll be able to get to that real real

Soon so Monte you mentioned that uh you played with some guys pretty high in the league in Denver but what are your thoughts on playing with some of these guys here on this team right now what kind of run are your mind seeing the talent around you um you know it’s fun

Especially watching um and playing against the guys over the years is you know special talent and um I’m just excited to get out there you know they play my style of basketball share the ball um making shots but the biggest thing is just if you watching a team

From afar and don’t know much about them you can tell that everybody linked together um everybody got handshakes together I see they joking smiling you know somebody dunk on somebody they pointing at them you know that’s just stuff I’m seeing so who don’t want to be

A part of you know something like that and um I tilt my hat on that being around good guys and um It’s Just Energy I feel like you know once one person got good energy it trinkles down the line so I think that’s how I feel about it and I

Don’t know if you can answer this maybe Tim can answer this uh do you expect to be in the lineup on Monday with the team I hope so yeah I hope so yeah I hope so no limitations for you to be in the life okay M you touched on it a little bit

But to go from a team that was headed to the lottery to a team that wants to go deep into the playoffs what is that like just from a competitive standpoint to know you’re jumping into real high level high uh High leverage games right now uh

I mean I I’ve got a lot of experience you know playoff games and just been on Team before um that had high expectations as well so it’s not really going to change my focus I mean when I was in Detroit no matter what the record

Was you know I would show up to work every day and compete at a high level um I never lost that edge I mean I don’t go off how I perform based on the results whether I’m winning or losing so import me here is is just another step I’m not

I don’t need to change my mindset cuz I never really changed it it’s just unfortunate you know the position you know with the record and things like that we were uh talking to Rudy last night in Milwaukee and he said he’s watched film of you and noticed that you

Like to throw lobs is that something that you’re looking forward to that pairing working with him in that pick and roll yeah you know he’s been playing against Rudy you know me being on ball he sets really good good screens and uh I always have to look over my shoulder

Because he always nail me so I’m excited to uh get a chance of playing a pick and roll with him a l threat um a guy with great experience you know a guy that blocked shots and aler the game you know um so I’m excited and uh hopefully we

Can get our chemistry down packed um quickly Tim would you say it was a goal of yours to add some playoff experience to the second unit at this deadline yeah I think you know certainly we have not enjoyed playoff success for a couple of decades and it’s often times um you know

Hard to learn that until you’ve done it so we we was a focus of ours the last couple weeks trying to find guys who have been there uh as Monte alluded to it he’s playing a lot of big games so he won’t be in all of the moment he’s had

Success both individually and as a team so and we thought it would be um could be beneficial to our group if we had it a guy like Tay who’s seen a lot of big games how many connections do you still have to Iowa State I got I got a lot of

Connections I mean even when I got traded here it was a bunch of cyclone alley fans they were just like welome we going to be at a lot of games I mean when whenever I would come play in Minnesota it would be a bunch of Iowa

State fans so I’m excited to play in front of you know the fans that’s still around um this area um as well so I’m excited for that you see a lot of similarities between your game and Mike Conley’s yeah for sure I mean Mike um his Pace you

Know he can get in the paint he can shoot the three ball and his experience you know um I had a chance to play against Mike a few times well a lot in Denver rather and we would match up against each other we would just talk during the games and we play playoff

Series against each other a lot um so I’m still here to keep learning from him you know it’s a great guy great player to learn from um I just like the way he uses the pick and row he can finish with both hands in the paint and get his team

Involved and he bring guys together um and I feel like I can keep learning from a guy like that Tim you guys managed to hold on to your second round picks in the upcoming years here is that important just given where this roster is and maybe where it looks like it’s

Going yeah it’s always good to have picks and not have picks so you know we the last couple weeks is a really awkward time because the whole idea of like trading you know people is kind of weird and gross um but the pics were pretty coveted uh we had a lot of

Conversations that you know we could have done additional things but we didn’t think the price kind of merited uh the return so it’s it’ll be fun this offseason to have some of those things at our disposal um we’re going to have a first round pick we have you know a

Second that could be pretty good um and you’re always trying to add you know any team regardless of where they are in the cycle you got to replenish with young players I mean his first year in Denver he played one NBA game and now he became

One of the elite backups of the league now he’s you know he’s a started last couple years so I think it shows the value that you can potentially find second round picks that’ll do it for us hope you have a terrific weekend and enjoy your Super

Bowl fun if you’re into that we’ll see you back here on Monday morning for the fox night Morning News and back here at 11:00 enjoy and the News continues right here on Fox local on your smart TV you’re watching fox9 all day thanks for joining us for all day on

Fox local I’m BC oeri a major announcement on the future of the M Health Fairview partnership the University of Minnesota plans to purchase four academic facilities that make up the U ofm medical system

The Minnesota Timberwolves are hosting a press conference to introduce Monte Morris. The press conference will include Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.