Stiemsma signs with T-Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Greg Stiemsma would have gladly returned to Boston, where he got his first true chance to play in the NBA.

When Minnesota showed new interest in the 6-foot-11, 260-pound defensive specialist, well, he didn’t exactly have to mull his decision over.

“You didn’t have to twist my arm or convince me too hard to come to this part of the country,” Stiemsma said Thursday after signing a two-year contract with the Timberwolves to be their backup center. Only the first season is guaranteed.

“It feels good to be wanted,” Stiemsma said. “It feels good to have all your hard work pay off.”

His hometown is Randolph, Wis., just a half-day-trip away and a bit north of Madison, where he played four seasons for the Badgers and currently lives and trains. Stiemsma was the only free agent who visited the Timberwolves this summer who was able to drive to Target Center.

“It was nice, from a scheduling standpoint, that we didn’t have to purchase an airline ticket,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations and general manager David Kahn said, smiling.

Stiemsma was in the background his entire career at Wisconsin, averaging a little more than 11 minutes per game even as a senior. He played in Turkey and South Korea the following season, then moved on to the NBA Developmental League.

There, behind the guidance of a coaching staff that understood his game, he began to build confidence that he could indeed become an NBA player. He was named the 2010 NBADL Defensive Player of the Year after he averaged 9.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game for the Sioux Falls Sky Force. Stiemsma actually signed with the Wolves that April and played on their summer league team but was waived before training camp in the fall.

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