MINNEAPOLIS -- There is a gaping hole in the northeast corner of Target Center, the result of a renovation that has started on the Minnesota Timberwolves aging arena to update it as much as possible without completely tearing it down and starting from scratch.After almost a decade-long identity crisis, the major rebuilding of the roster is finally over.With Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, a core is firmly entrenched that makes one of leagues most unsuccessful franchises the subject of envy for its wealth of young talent. Tom Thibodeau has arrived to give the Wolves a top-flight coach to take over their on-the-job education. And they are just plain sick and tired of hearing about the teams 12-year playoff drought.It bothers me, Towns said. It truly bothers me. Its something I dont want to hear anymore. Im tired of hearing about a drought around here. Thats something that annoys me and bothers me. What I can do to control that is come in every day, work tremendously hard and do everything possible to help us be the winning team we see ourselves being.The Timberwolves won 29 games a year ago, a 13-game improvement from the previous season. They will likely need at least 12 more wins this season to be in the mix in the competitive Western Conference.Despite starting three players who are 21 or younger, their optimism is high.There are a lot of guys on the team that have never been in the playoffs and theyve been here for a long time, Wiggins said. We havent seen it. Now we finally have the perfect pieces to get there, the perfect opportunity this year. Were very confident. Were overly excited. We just want to work hard to get there.The Timberwolves open the regular season on Wednesday in Memphis. Here are some things to watch this season:VETERAN WIGGINSThere is relative certainty surrounding Towns ability to assert himself as an elite big man in the league. It remains a little unclear just how great Wiggins will be. He has worked tirelessly to improve his ball-handling and perimeter shooting to become an All-Star caliber player. If Thibodeau and Wiggins can form the relationship that helps the supremely talented wing play with fire more consistently, look out.DUNNS DEVELOPMENTThe Wolves grabbed point guard Kris Dunn with the fifth overall pick in June, and there is a lot of speculation that he will eventually supplant Ricky Rubio as the starter. But point guard is the most difficult position to play in the league, and the Wolves have no reason to rush him into that role on a team that desperately wants to make the playoffs. Dunn has shot poorly in the preseason, but Thibodeau has already proclaimed him NBA-ready on defense, which is a big thing for the coach.BJELICAS BOUNCEBACKNemanja Bjelica came to the Timberwolves last season after being named Euroleague MVP in Turkey, but struggled with injuries and making an adjustment to the NBA game. He has looked much more comfortable during the preseason of Year No. 2. If he can emerge as the playmaking, sharpshooting, stretch 4 with the second unit, the ceiling for the team raises significantly.BYE, BYE KGFranchise icon Kevin Garnett retired earlier this month, leaving the pups he mentored last season to strike out on their own. The best players on this team are very, very young, so watching the leadership element develop will be intriguing. Towns has quickly asserted himself as one of the teams hardest workers and most vocal communicators, so he is a natural candidate.We talked. I know what I must do, Towns wrote on Instagram after KG retired. Ill take it from here.FINANCIAL MATTERSWith so many young players under contract, the Timberwolves enter the season with cap space galore. But that space will be chewed up in the coming years when Wiggins, LaVine and Towns come up for extensions. One of the interesting pieces in the immediate future is versatile big man Gorgui Dieng. If the Wolves do not reach agreement on an extension with him by the end of the month, he will become a restricted free agent next summer and likely command a salary on the open market of $17 million a year or more. Thibodeau is a big fan of Diengs game, but it remains to be seen if the two sides can come to an agreement.---Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski Wholesale NCAA Baseball Jerseys . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. USA College Jerseys Outlet . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. http://www.cheapchinancaajerseys.com/ . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Cheap College Football Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Discount NCAA College Jerseys . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane pleaded not guilty Monday to charges alleging he grabbed three women during an altercation at a downtown bar in June.Kane didnt speak as his attorney entered the plea for him in Buffalo City Court during the brief appearance. Judge Barbara Johnson-Lee scheduled his next court date for Sept. 9.Kane, who turns 25 Tuesday, was arrested July 22 after turning himself in to police. He was charged with non-criminal harassment, disorderly conduct and trespass and was released after being processed.The charges stem from an alleged incident that occurred early on June 24 at Bottoms Up, a nightclub in Buffalos popular Chippewa Street entertainment district. Three women said they were grabbed by Kane inside the bar. A male bar employee said he also had a run-in with the NHL player.His lawyer, Paul Cambria, has questioned why Kane was charged with trespassing when he was invited to the bar by its owner. Cambria called the allegations extremely exaggerated while saying his client denies strenuously any wrongdoing.Cambria also played down reports that some of the encounters were captured by the bars video surveillance cameras.Erie County Acting District Attorney Michael Flaherty said, its our opinion that the evidence does support the charges, but wouldnt go into details about what the video showed.According to the complaints given to police by the three women, Kane either pulled their hair or grabbed them by neck during encounters inside the bar.dddddddddddd One of the women said Kane told her, Youre coming to my house with me and youre going to like it.When the woman told him no, Kane grabbed her around the neck with both hands, the woman told police.Another woman told police that Kane grabbed her hair from behind, while the third said he grabbed her throat and pulled her hair.A bouncer told police that the DJ sent him a text around 3 a.m. saying, Kanes gotta go. The bouncer said that after he told Kane he had to leave the nightclub, Kane pushed him twice before someone else grabbed Kane and walked him out the back.After the bar closed, employees watched video surveillance that showed Kane grabbing one of the women by the throat on the dance floor, the bouncer said.In March, prosecutors announced that Kane would not face a sexual assault charge stemming from a December incident in Buffalo because there was no evidence to support the allegation.The fourth player selected in the 2009 draft, Kane was acquired in a multiplayer trade with Winnipeg in February 2015. He scored 20 goals and added 15 assists in 65 games last season. He has two years remaining on his contract. 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