The Minnesota Timberwolves concluded their regular season with one of the team's best records in recent memory and are now scheduled to take on the Los Angeles Clippers for a chance to compete in the NBA Playoffs.
To discuss the Wolves' stellar performance this year, minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez joined News Talk 830 WCCO's Chad Hartman.
Lore and Rodriguez purchased their share of the Timberwolves from longtime owner Glen Taylor last year with the plan of becoming the majority owners by 2023. Both shared they are excited to see the team doing well so early into their tenures.
"It's been great! Alex and I have had a lot of fun," Lore said. "It's been great getting to know the players, getting to know the coach, Sachin, and you know Becky and Glen have been great partners throughout this. We've learned a ton."
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Lore added that both he and Rodriguez have been "pleasantly surprised" with the reception they received from fans and the team.
"It's just incredible. The people in the organization. The city. The atmosphere inside of Target Center," Lore said. "It's much better than we had hoped for, and we hope that continues."
When it comes to how the World Series Champion turned basketball owner feels, he says that it has been great to work with the league and the team and see the impact the sport of basketball has globally.
But most important, Rodriguez shared what it means to be thrown into a fanbase that is passionate about their team.
"We're called the governors, but the real shareholders of this franchise are great fans, and we're so proud that we have 16 sellouts this year and ratings up 50% on television," Rodriguez said.
One aspect of Lore and Rodriguez's ownership that has been praised is how they interact and treat players on the team. Rodriguez shared that it's not an owner-player relationship but something more.
"We treat them like our partners. At the end of the day, they're responsible for our revenues, our popularity, and its players first," Rodriguez said, adding that he and Lore want to be seen as big brothers to the team, offering whatever they can to help them be successful.
Rodriguez continued saying that he thinks it's essential for players to understand that ownership truly cares for them, and he and Lore are there to do just that.
The Timberwolves recently extended Head Coach Chris Finch, and Lore shared that both he, Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Sachin Gupta, and the Taylors worked together to decide to keep Finch on long term.
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Lore shared that the players enjoy playing for him, and he gets along with Gupta and ownership well. In the end, Lore said the decision was a "no brainer" as they believe Finch is the "coach of the future."
"It's just working," Lore said. "The culture is in a really good spot."
As for Gupta, Rodriguez shared that they are happy with what he is doing, but they want to take their moves "one step at a time."
"We're excited about [Finch's] extension, and we're looking forward to continue to do things to bring value to our franchise," Rodriguez said.
When it comes to possible upgrades to Target Center, Lore shared that both he and Rodriguez have been to several different arenas this season, and they both have ideas on how to make the fan experience better in Minnesota as they are "not happy with status quo."
Lore shared this while also pointing to the atmosphere of the Target Center as of late and the excitement he has for the Wolves' play-in game tonight.
"The electricity has been dialed up over the second half of the season. From where it was early in the season to where it is today, it's like night and day," Lore said. "It is exciting. I can't wait — I know Alex too — just to go to the Target Center tonight. It's going to be a packed house. There's no better fan base in the country in the NBA. I really mean that. They are just so fired up, and it just feels great to be there."
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