Payne sees a familiar face in Saunders after trade to Wolves

In this case, familiarity has bred contentment.

For both sides, by the way. Before the Wolves game with Golden State on Wednesday at Target Center, new Timberwolves power forward Adreian Payne met with the media and talked about how well he already knows Flip Saunders.

"I know Flip is a good guy," Payne said.

Payne was a freshman at Michigan State when he first met Saunders, who is good friends with Spartans coach Tom Izzo. Saunders spent a lot of time in East Lansing during Payne's four seasons there. Saunders watched the way Payne prepared, how he approached games and how he handled the big stages.

So it was easy to make the move.

"Everything he's ever gotten, he's had to work for," Saunders said. "He never had anything handed to him. When you have players who have gone through that, with that work ethic and focus, they have a chance in this league."

Payne, a rather old rookie at 23, has overcome family losses and health issues. He beat a learning disability and spent some time in the Development League. Now he figures to get a good chance to stick here. In town with Atlanta on Monday night, he was getting ready to head to Boston with the Hawks on Tuesday when Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer told him of the impending trade. Payne hung around the hotel Tuesday, then came to Wolves headquarters to pass his physical.

"This is good for me," he said. "I was able to be in Atlanta, and gain some experience there from some veterans. Now I'm able to come here. I wasn't able to have that opportunity [to play] in Atlanta. But I think here, having had coach Flip see me play, this is going to be good."

Guard Gary Neal, also acquired in a Tuesday trade, was not with the team Wednesday. He came to Minneapolis to take his physical, but then had to handle a previously arranged personal matter.

Payne, though, appears ready to take advantage of his opportunity. Golden State forward Draymond Green's time at Michigan State overlapped two seasons with Payne. Green saw Payne come in as a raw freshman but also watched him grow quickly, both on and off the court.

"I think he can be an All-Star," Green said. "He has that type [of] talent. The thing about him is, he thinks he's as good as anyone and I think that's a good trait to have. He wants to be great."

And, Payne said, he wants to do that with the Wolves, for a coach he already knows well.

• Saunders said he anticipates Ricky Rubio's minutes restrictions after returning from a severe ankle sprain to be eased after the All-Star break. "I would think so," he said. "Depending on how he comes back [from the break]. His legs are really tired right now. His restriction now is probably as much about his legs being tired as anything else."

At least one person thinks the winner of the slam dunk contest over All-Star weekend is a lock.

Shabazz Muhammad has spent some time after practices watching Zach LaVine practice for the event. Wednesday Muhammad was throwing around phrases like "new generation" and "crazy stuff" when talking about the dunks LaVine was working on.