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Here's the news: Shooting guard Martell Webster and center Brad Miller are available to play tonight. Point guard Luke Ridnour, who missed the Dallas game with a sore knee, is also ready to return. Michael Beasley (mid-foot sprain) will be a game-time decision. J.J. Barea (hamstring) and Malcolm Lee (knee) are both out.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said one big reason he didn't sign Kevin Love to a five-year contract calling for $80 million and instead made a deal for four years and $61 million -- even though it allows Love the option to become a free agent after three years -- is that the leagues' new collective bargaining agreement will allow the Wolves to offer Love more money than any other NBA team on his next contract negotiation.

"So we feel we can still keep Kevin," Taylor said. "Like this contract, we can give him a better contract in the future than anyone else. And we don't have to wait until the end of the contract and we can give him an extension. We can add on two or three years later on before [the new contract] runs out.

"This worked out, I think, good for both Kevin and us. It gives him the maximum. He's going to play this year [under his rookie contract] and then for the next three years or four years he gets the maximum, which is good for him. And we can extend the contract out longer at that time.

"And you know, Kevin is an important part of it, but we have to be able to work in some other players in the future, too. This gives us some flexibility and still allows Kevin to get the money, the maximum money."

Taylor said Love's big contract won't prevent the Wolves from signing some free agents to large contracts.

"We would have room even after Kevin," Taylor said. "We have it figured out for three years ahead that we can keep all the good guys that we need. We have a plan here."

http://www.startribune.co...ts/wolves/138171029.html

"I've had more experience with these things," Taylor said Thursday. "I feel that I don't have to talk as much, and I feel more confident in our position. We stated right up front what our position (with Love) was, where in the other one (Garnett), it probably took a lot longer - a lot more communications, a lot more back and forth. To me, this one was a lot more businesslike. Even though the (discussions about) length went on, I didn't feel it was contentious or anything like that."

Love's agent wanted five years; the Wolves held firm on four. The Garnett contract negotiation was much tougher.

"Because we were talking about the tax phase and all that stuff, so it really cost us a lot of money," Taylor said.

Love's $62 million still is a lot of money. Taylor, who had Wolves President David Kahn negotiate the Love deal, was asked if he enjoys working on player contracts.

"It isn't what I call fun because it's a big, important matter," he said. "I want to get (Love), and I want to make sure we don't make mistakes. And it's always a possibility that you could say something wrong and hurt feelings and stuff."

Love's agent, Jeff Schwartz, asked that Taylor and Kahn work solely through him and not involve Love in negotiations. "And David (Kahn) honored that," Taylor said. "The first time I talked to Kevin was yesterday, before he signed the contract. But he had already agreed to it."

Taylor congratulated Love on Wednesday and explained that Schwartz had asked him not to directly negotiate with him. "I told Kevin I had honored that," Taylor said.

In coming days, Taylor and Love will meet to chat about the future and how the Wolves can continue improving. Love told Taylor he looks forward to that.

Taylor said he was "really pleased" with the Love signing. "This is a good deal for us and for Kevin," Taylor said. "It leaves us some flexibility so that we have the possibility of signing some other guys in the future, which we're going to have to do. And we can come back to Kevin in a few years and extend him."

The Oklahoma City Thunder recently signed star guard Russell Westbrook to an $80 million, five-year NBA-maximum contract. Westbrook came out of the same 2008 draft as Love, who also was eligible for a five-year deal worth approximately the same.

"The reason we weren't going to go there is that the difference between us and Oklahoma is, Oklahoma is winning and actually thought of as a team that could get into the (NBA Finals)," Taylor said. "They're established. We're still a team, though getting better, that I don't know if I've got all of the right guys yet. I don't know how well some of the other guys are going to develop.

"So I think I need more flexibility to make sure that we get there. What I said to (Schwartz) is, quite frankly, 'You guys can get your money. I'm willing to not wait until the end of the (current) contract to extend Kevin out again."

In return, Schwartz wanted Love to be able to opt out of the new contract after three years. Taylor agreed. He said he isn't too worried about losing Love then. "We could always offer him the best contract going ahead, sign him for another four years," Taylor said.

That flexibility could allow the Wolves to sign current rookies Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams to new contracts when they become eligible.

"Or to go out and get another guy," Taylor said. "I'm looking out for what's best for the team."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19830585