The Timberwolves signed free-agent small forward Josh Howard to a one-year, veteran minimum contract Thursday. And coach Rick Adelman isn't going to waste any time getting him on the court.
"Well, obviously, right away," said Adelman when asked how he would use Howard, who, assuming there were no problems with his physical, will start his 10th NBA season against Golden State on Friday night. Guard Will Conroy was waived to make room for Howard.
The move was prompted by Chase Budinger's injury in Chicago on Saturday. Budinger will be out three or four months following surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. Without Budinger, Andrei Kirilenko has played 44 minutes in consecutive games, and that had to change.
"You don't want to keep playing him those minutes," Adelman said.
The plan is to play the 32-year-old Howard five or six minutes in relief of Kirilenko on Friday. Should Howard prove to be both healthy and in good condition, those minutes could grow. The Wolves worked out Howard while in Dallas on Monday, and Adelman said he looked good.
The 6-7 Howard -- a standout at Wake Forest often remembered by Wolves fans as one of the players the team passed over in 2003 to draft high schooler Ndudi Ebi -- averaged 8.7 points and 23 minutes coming off the bench for Utah last season. He injured his knee in March and had surgery to repair cartilage, but he returned in time for the playoffs.
"He's had some injury problems, but I thought he looked fine in the workout," Adelman said. "He's a versatile player. He's long, he's a good defender. He should fit in and help us."
Adelman said the plan is for Howard to get a crash course in what the team is doing on offense, then get right into action. Howard, an NBA All-Star with the Mavericks in 2007, has been working out on his own but wasn't in a training camp to get into game condition.