Well, that was quick. Rafael Araujo has been cut (Zgoda has the story), an unsurprising move considering the roster size and signing of David Harrison.

In just over 5 minutes of preseason action, Araujo notched 1 point and 2 rebounds. Not exactly a loss to lament.

In other transaction news, the Reno Gazette-Journal has this bit about Kirk Snyder:

And while Snyder isn't in camp, [agent Chris] Emens said his client is considering three offers from international teams -- one in Europe and two in Asia -- and is in conversation with one NBA team, which he declined to name. Emens said he expects Snyder to make a decision sometime next week on where he will play this season.

Seeholzer had this story on his PiPress blog yesterday, but didn't link to the RGJ.

As for Snyder, he played very hard for the Wolves last year and was a positive contributor, but his minutes would've been slim at the 2/3 with Miller, McCants, Brewer, Carney and such getting burn.

via www.thesabre.com

[Edit: Sorry for the lack of link and sloppy editing, totally bush league.]

I hesitate to post this, because I think Telfair's off-court problems are a bit overblown and they're definitely in the past, but news is news. The New York Daily News is reporting that Telfair will sit the first two games of the regular season:

Telfair was sentenced last month to three years' probation for misdemeanor possession of a loaded .45-caliber handgun, speeding and driving without a license in Westchester in April 2007. He was a member of the Celtics at the time of his arrest. Since his case has been resolved, his suspension by the NBA is automatic. The league needs only to determine  how many games he'll serve, with sources indicating it will be for a minimum of two.

... This will be his first suspension, although he's had two other notable brushes with the law since making the jump to the pros from Lincoln High School.

In February 2005, as a member of the Blazers, he was caught in Boston trying to bring a loaded gun onto the team's plane. He claimed the gun belonged to his girlfriend and charges were later dismissed.

In October, 2006, he had a $50,000 chain ripped from his neck outside Sean Combs' restaurant in Manhattan, just an hour before the rapper Fabolous was shot there. Telfair was not charged with any crime.

So that's twice with having a handgun in a stupid situation. But that last one underscores the reason Telfair probably had a gun in the first place. I don't think having a loaded weapon would've helped Telfair when he got the chain stolen from him, but I'm not him.

Since he grew up in one of the biggest cities in the world being showered with attention for his athletic abilities, I'm sure Telfair's had more than his share of people trying to knock him down, or just flat-out take what he has.

None of that is to justify the poor choices he's made, but I think those that continue to bring up these episodes as evidence that Telfair is a bad presence on the team are grasping at straws.

Dallas Mavericks
Jake Kerr: Mavs Moneyball

Houston Rockets
grungedave and UofTOrange: The Dream Shake  

Memphis Grizzlies
Joshua Coleman: 3 Shades of Blue

New Orleans Hornets
Rohan: At the Hive
ticktock6 & mW: Hornets Hype
Ryan Schwan & Ron Hitley: Hornets247.com

San Antonio Spurs
Graydon Gordian: 48 Minutes of Hell

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

An upstanding RealGM member, jazzfan1971 proposed this deal that caught my eye:

Jazz trades: Andrei Kirilenko, Kyrylo Fesenko, Morris Almond

Minny trades: Corey Brewer, Jason Collins, Brian Cardinal

Why for Utah: Utah gets cap relief and a good young player to develop in Brewer. This should help them resign Boozer and company.

Why for Minny: Minny gets a talented 3/4 in AK along with two promising young guys in Fes and Almond. This should help them compete for a playoff slot in the talented West.

Andrei Kirilenko would provide the serious shot-blocking presence the Wolves lack and, since he can play the three, would allow Love and Jefferson to still play together. He can hit the long-ball, he can grab boards (although with Love and Al he probably wouldn't be asked to do so much) and he can frustrate defenses on the perimeter. The man has three quint-quints for chrissakes.

But, on the other hand, Kirilenko has dropped off in production significantly over the last three years. Not to mention he hasn't played more than 75 games in the last 4 years.

The price for taking him off the Jazz's hands is, in part, taking on $26.7 million in salary. Not only does that throw '09 or '10 free agency out the window, but it's in exchange for AK the question-mark.

Obviously the other major price to pay is giving up on Corey Brewer. While he hasn't been able to put together a modicum of consistency yet, he's shown some on-court flashes (e.g. 18 boards in one game). Moreover, his off-court demeanor and work ethic are admirable.

Adding Kirilenko would increase the already crowded 3 & 4 spots. With Al, Love, Craig, Gomes, Richard and Madsen all likely to get some minutes at PF and Miller, Gomes, and Carney all logging in at 3, there becomes a potential time-crunch.

Although a Foye/Miller/Kirilenko/Love/Jefferson lineup with McCants, Gomes, Craig and Telfair off the bench sounds pretty good for this year and then some.

Lastly, while AK is the main piece, Almond and Fesenko are still valuable prospects that have a decent shot at becoming long-term contributors in this league. And Fesenko's hilarious.

A move like this is obviously a big risk, but is it one worth taking? What say you?

It turns out that the speculation during training camp was true. According to Jerry Zgoda at the Strib:

The Timberwolves will sign former Indiana Pacers center David Harrison to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract while they're in Denver for Friday's preseason game against the Nuggets.

I posted this in the comments of the rumor we posted earlier:

Because I dream of being the man, I wanted to share with you Sham's take on Minnesota's training camp signings:

Minnesota made me a happy man this summer. Their camp signings were Kevin Ollie, Blake Ahearn and Rafael Araujo, while Chris Richard accepted his qualifying offer. Blake Ahearn is a nice player. Kevin Ollie is a moustachioed legend with something of a Brunson complex. But....Araujo? That's friggin' perfect, man, on so many levels. There's so much right about that move. Part of it is the way that Rob Babock won't let go, part of it is the fact that it's Rafael Araujo, but also because his signing allows for the existence of this picture:

Only Rafael Araujo could use training camp media day as an excuse to pull an unhateably funny face such as that, while sitting in a brand spanking new home jersey that he's already managed to dribble on. The NBA needs Rafael Araujo.

Sham's prediction: Unfortunately, it probably won't get him. These moves give Minnesota 18 players under contract, 16 of which are at least partially guaranteed (except for maybe Richard. Notice I said maybe). The two that aren't are Ollie and Araujo, which doesn't bode well for Hoffa, as much as we want him to make the team. As things stand, Minnesota has the unrivalled Frontcourt Fivesome Of Shite™, with Araujo, Brian Cardinal, Calvin Booth, Mark Madsen and Jason Collins all on the roster. I want this to continue on forever and ever. But it won't. (Ahearn makes the team, by the way, and Booth gets cut. This is the prediction that I promised you, from the website that occasionally keeps its promises.)

If there's a team that can compete with the Wolves in roster turnover in the last two seasons, it might the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Gone are Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Luke Ridnour. The Thunder are now led by some kid named Durant and his sidekick Jeff Green, while Kevin Love's former teammate Russell Westbrook has been tagged to join the core. Sure, they've still got Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox and their three-headed bust center, but this is clearly a team that has prioritized change.

Most NBA previews have the Wolves and Thunder close to the bottom of the league, and both teams have young squads that they'll likely want to give serious burn, even in the preseason. This will be a great opportunity, then, for the Wolves to prove that they're the young team ready to make a jump this year by beating their nearest competitors.

Once again, no broadcast that I can find. Anyone in Montana have a tip for Internet streams?

UPDATE

Positional Matchup

Point Guard: Foye/Telfair/Ahearn/Ollie vs. Earl Watson/Russell Westbrook/Kyle Weaver/John Lucas

Shooting Guard: Miller/McCants vs. Kevin Durant/Damien Wilkins

Small Forward: Gomes/Brewer/Carney vs. Jeff Green/Desmond Mason

Power Forward: Madsen/Love/Smith vs. Chris Wilcox/Joe Smith/DJ White/Derrick Byars

Center: Jefferson/Richard/Araujo vs. Nick Collison/Robert Swift/Johan Petro/Saer Sene/Chris Alexander

Boston Celtics
Jeff Clark: CelticsBlog.com    
Jim Weeks: Green Bandwagon      
FLCeltsFan: LOY's Place
John Karalis: Red's Army
Dustin Chapman: Celtics 24/7

New Jersey Nets
Dennis Velasco: About Basketball

New York Knicks
Joey: Straight Bangin'
Seth Rosenthal: Posting and Toasting

Philadelphia 76ers
Dannie & Pete: Recliner GM
Jon Burkett: Passion and Pride

Toronto Raptors
Franchise: RaptorsHQ.com
Ryan McNeill: Hoops Addict
Cuzzy: Cuzoogle

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com