Sprewell Wants a Ring

Few have questioned that anyone on the Minnesota Timberwolves wants to win more than Kevin Garnett. That could change with the arrival of Latrell Sprewell.

“I don’t think anyone on this team’s hungrier than I am,” Sprewell said Thursday in Minneapolis in his first public appearance as a member of the Timberwolves.

“To be that close with the Knicks just puts a bad taste in your mouth. I’m just dying to get back into that position again,” said Sprewell, of losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA Finals as a New York Knick.

The Timberwolves, however, have never won a playoff series, suffering seven straight first-round losses. They’ve taken big steps this off-season to change that with the addition of Sprewell, point guard Sam Cassell and center Michael Olowokandi.

But Sprewell, 32, is also known for his baggage.

He choked former Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo while playing for the Warriors in 1997 and received a one-season suspension that was reduced to 68 games. He upset the Knicks by showing up unexpectedly at training camp last season with a broken hand.

With Garnett at power forward, Olowokandi at center and Wally Szczerbiak at small forward, Sprewell will be able to shift back to his natural shooting guard position. Sprewell, who averaged 16.4 points and shot only 40% last season, said he also learned to be more of a team player on the 1999 Knicks.

“That Knicks’ team that made it to the finals was pretty deep ... This is very close,” he said of the Timberwolves.

When asked how long he wanted to play, Sprewell said, “I want the ring.”

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As part of a new multiyear agreement, Cleveland Cavalier General Manager Jim Paxson will also become president, the team announced. Contract terms were not disclosed.... The Chicago Bulls re-signed veteran center-forward Corie Blount.