Wolves exercise 2011-12 options on five players

As expected, the Timberwolves today exercised 2011-12 contract options on Kevin Love, Micheal Beasley, Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington and Kosta Koufos.

Here's how the money for those extensions breaks down:

Beasley, $6.3 million

Love, $4.6 million

Flynn, $3.4 million

Koufos, $2.2 million

Ellington, $1.1 million

But from what they've seen so far, they like his size, his agility, his shooting and he's active. And he's young, just 21.

He's also a relatively small number -- $2.2 million -- on their cap space.

Those five are all second- and third-year players who had team options on their contract.

Fourth-year Corey Brewer, meanwhile, now will become a restricted free agent next summer (if the team extends him a qualifying offer after the season) because the Wolves had little interest in reaching a contract extension with him by today's deadline.

David Kahn called such a move "premature" given the team's sudden abundance of athletic wings and the uncertainty of what contract rules will be in place when a new labor agreement is reached next summer or beyond.

The Wolves will practice in Miami this afternoon to prepare for a Heat team -- yes, THAT Heat team -- that absolutely dismantled formerly mighty Orlando here in their home opener Friday night.

Dwight Howard had 19 by halftime in that one and didn't score again. The Heat held the Magic to 25 second-half points and, my, was it impressive, especially against one of the hardest teams to defend in the league because of Howard's inside presence and the Magic's array of shooters.

And these guys only played all together for about three minutes in the preseason.

NBA commish David Stern pooh-poohed questions about the threat to the league's competitiveness balance by this alignment of superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (OK, comparatively he only counts for half a superstar).

But after watching Friday's game -- and admittedly it's just one game, but against a team that rolled through the preseason and a 29-point victory over Washington on its opening night -- you wonder.

If you didn't see the story over the weekend, you can find it here: