T-wolves won't be sold to A-Rod's group
The ownership transfer of the Minnesota Timberwolves slammed to a halt when Glen Taylor declared on Thursday he won't take the final step of his drawn- out $1.5 billion deal to hand Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez the majority stake because they didn't meet all of the deadlines in the sale conditions.
Lore and Rodriguez, who agreed to the purchase nearly three years ago, strongly disputed Taylor's stance. They said he simply had cold feet about letting go.
“We went through the process, and I spent a lot of time. We've got a really good team, we've got a lot of good things going for us, I enjoy it and I'm healthy enough to do this,” Taylor said in an interview with The Associated Press after the announcement. “I don't need the money, so I think I'll just keep running it and enjoy it. I like my coach. I like my staff. This way everybody gets to keep their jobs, and I'll be happy.”
Lore, the e- commerce entrepreneur, and Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star, issued a joint statement expressing disappointment in Taylor and contending that they've upheld their end of the deal that was to also include the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. Lore and Rodriguez already own about a 40% stake.
“We have fulfilled our obligations, have all necessary funding and are fully committed to closing our purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its approval process,” the partners said. “Glen Taylor's statement is an unfortunate case of seller's remorse that is short sighted and disruptive to the team and the fans during an historic winning season.”
The Timberwolves (50-22) beat Detroit on Wednesday to reach the 50win mark for just the fifth time in the 35-year history of the franchise. They're tied for second place in the Western Conference with Oklahoma City, a half-game behind Denver.
Taylor, who turns 83 on April 20, bought the Timberwolves for $88 million in 1994 to keep them in his native Minnesota. Before Lore and Rodriguez entered the picture, Taylor had flirted with selling multiple times only to pull the club off the market.
Golf
SCHEFFLER A SHOT BACK AT HOUSTON OPEN >> Scottie Scheffler had his 28th consecutive round under par to start the year, a 5-under 65 that left him one shot behind Taylor Moore and Wilson Furr in the Houston Open.
Scheffler also extended his streak to 49 holes without a bogey dating to the third round of The Players Championship two weeks ago, where he became the first back-to-back winner in the 50 years of the PGA Tour's flagship event.
The streak that matters is his bid for a third straight PGA Tour victory, a feat last accomplished seven years ago by Dustin Johnson.
Canadians Adam Svensson and Mackenzie Hughes were at 66 with Alejandro Tosti, Aaron Rai and Beau Hossler. Peter Malnati, coming off a victory last week at the Valspar Championship in Florida, shot 68. KORDA BIDS FOR ANOTHER LPGA WIN >> Nelly Korda shot a 6-under 66 in the first round of the Ford Championship in Gilbert, Ariz., leaving her three shots back in a bid to win three straight LPGA Tour starts.
Pajaree Anannarukan took advantage with a bogey-free, 9-under 63 after starting on the back nine at the 6,734-yard course in suburban Phoenix. She had a one- shot lead over Lilia Vu, Gabriela Ruffels, Isa Gabsa and former Arizona State players Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda.
NHL
ISLANDERS EDGE PANTHERS 3-2 >> Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves and Jean- Gabriel Pageau scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period to help lift the New York Islanders past the Panthers 3-2 in Florida.
Tennis
DIMITROV OUSTS ALCARAZ AT MIAMI OPEN >> Eleventh- seeded Grigor Dimitrov came out strong against top- seeded Carlos Alcaraz and went on to win 6-2, 6- 4 in the Miami Open quarterfinals, his first victory over a top- five player in nearly five years.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat unseeded Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5, will play Dimitrov in the semifinals today. Second-seeded Jannik Sinner will face No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal, a rematch of last year's final that Medvedev won.