The Timberwolves have been hit with a $250K fine by the NBA, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link).
According to the NBA, the Wolves violated league rules prohibiting teams from arranging or paying for offseason practices or group workout sessions outside the team’s home market.
New incoming Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez reportedly hosted the club’s players for scrimmages and practices in Miami for a week in early September, culminating in a dinner at Rodriguez’s house. Those team activities came in the final days of Gersson Rosas‘ tenure as president of basketball operations.
[RELATED: A-Rod, Lore Approved By Board Of Governors, Join Wolves Ownership Group]
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), the NBA’s rule prohibiting teams from arranging and/or financing out-of-market offseason workouts is actually the very first one listed in the NBA’s 786-page operations manual.
Given that Lore and Rodriguez are reportedly paying $1.5 billion to take over the Timberwolves from Glen Taylor, a $250K fine will be a drop in the bucket for them.
Still, the penalty may compel the duo to pay closer attention to the NBA’s rule book going forward, or at least to be more discreet about arranging offseason workouts — Minnesota probably isn’t the only team to violate that rule in recent years, but the fact that management and ownership were in attendance and photos were all over social media meant the NBA couldn’t ignore it, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
If they can get the fine reduced upon a showing that they gained no competitive advantage, I think they have a great case.
Tremendous case… just show game film and current standings – that should do it!
Color me shocked that the second Arod is in the picture, the Timberwolves start breaking rules.
Especially when all he has to do is pay minimal fines to get out of trouble. It’s a dream come true for him.
The kinda have a history of going beyond the salary cap in the past. This is a nothing by comparison.
And where will that $250K go to? No one ever has an answer…
Rules meant very little to A-Rod as a player. No reason to think there’s going to be any difference in him as an owner, especially if the penalties are only money.
So they literally broke rule #1?
I don’t get this rule. No one is living in Minnesota during the off-season. This is literally why teams go to the lakers, it almost helps tampering .
Yeah, Minnesota is just unlivable for a week in early September. *face palm*
Must’ve been cool to see A-Rod’s pad!!!