«Due to his outstanding work ethic in his rookie season, Damien earned the respect of our players, coaches and fans, ... He improved as much in one season as any player we can remember and we expect that trend to continue. We believe Damien will be a part of our young, talented core for years to come.»

«We knew we were the first. It was a selling point. We also wanted him to feel the belief we had in him.»

«His assists per minutes played is one of the best in the league. What we like is that there is no unknown with him. You know what you're getting. He knows who he is.»

«We're in a playoff race, and not only in the race but fighting for home-court advantage, and he had to step up and get meaningful minutes. When he did that, he responded. Nothing is more meaningful than the playoffs in the NBA. That's why the league went after him.»

«I talked to him this afternoon and acknowledged the fact of possible starting time and (the Timberwolves) revamping their team, and his response was, 'Rick, this is home.'»

«We basically, like most teams in this league, do center by committee, ... We needed to get another committee member. We've got a couple of young guys in (Robert) Swift and (Johan) Petro with Vitaly and now Mikki. Mikki's 7-foot and a little different player than Jerome, but their stats are virtually the same. Mikki runs the floor a little better, Jerome gives a little more bulk.»

«He knows who he is,»

«Brunson had a lot of good things to say, said his feel for the game is very good.»

«One of our concerns has been, and probably always will be - unless you have a (Tim) Duncan or a Shaq (O'Neal) - having enough depth at the center position with enough flexibility so you can match up with all the different teams, because teams give you different looks, ... That was a strength last year, and it will be another strength for us this year. We have the strength with Vitaly, versatility and talent with a guy like Nick Collison, a low-post game. You have some length now and running ability in Mikki and some youth in Petro and Robert and some toughness and bulk in Danny.»

«Rick's playmaking ability, ball-handling skills and size make him a nice complement for our team, ... He is a true point guard, and I think he and Luke Ridnour will give us a good tandem at that position.»