In addition to trading for Ronald Dupree, Minnesota waived forward Ndudi Ebi.

The Wolves wanted to send Ebi to the Developmental League, but the move was blocked.

The Detroit Pistons have traded forward Ronald Dupree to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a future second- round draft pick.

Dupree appeared in 47 games last season and averaged 10.0 minutes, 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds.

"Ronald is a solid defensive player and we wanted to get another big defender at the small forward position," said Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale. "He is a guy that we have looked at in the past and we are glad that we were able to add him to the team."

Latrell Sprewell still is looking for a job and Wolves officials say they don't have any interest.

All talk surrounding Sprewell has been very quiet lately with a potential destination up in the air.

The Timberwolves released point guards Lionel Chalmers and John Lucas along with forward Ryan Humphrey to meet the NBA's waiver deadline Thursday.

In a somewhat surprising move, the organization spared Ndudi Ebi.

The cuts mean the Wolves have reduced their roster to 15 players, the league maximum for the regular season, which starts Wednesday for Minnesota.

Coach Dwane Casey said the cuts were a "unified call" by team officials and that the decisions were not easy. Economics and a logjam at point guard played a role in the fates of Ebi, Lucas and Chalmers.

Ebi was a candidate to be waived because he has not developed as the team hoped he would when it drafted him in the first round (26th overall) in 2003.

Chicago Bulls guard Chris Duhon was taken to the hospital after crashing to the floor under the basket in the first quarter of Wednesday night's exhibition game against Minnesota.

Duhon was carried off the floor on a stretcher after being fouled by Eddie Griffon on a drive to the basket late in the period. Team officials said Duhon was conscious, had movement in his extremities and complained of a sore neck.

He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center to be examined for a concussion.

Duhon drove to the basket and had his shot blocked by Griffin. His momentum sent him crashing to the floor, and he landed on his rear first and then his head hit the floor.

In a scary moment, Duhon lay motionless for several minutes while being attended to by team doctors and medical staff. His teammates watched in anxious silence, then applauded as he was taken out of the arena.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett didn't sustain structural damage to his sprained left ankle, X-rays showed Tuesday. Garnett sprained his ankle in practice on Monday when he landed on Mark Madsen's foot. Garnett sat out the team's intrasquad scrimmage on Monday night and did not attend practice on Tuesday.

"He's day-to-day," coach Dwane Casey said. "It's just a sprained ankle. Nothing major."

Casey said Garnett is questionable for Wednesday night's preseason game against Chicago. Even before the injury, Casey had been limiting Garnett's minutes in the exhibition season to keep him fresh.

"Not only because of the sprained ankle; we definitely want to make sure that we preserve him in these exhibition games and not extend his minutes so he's ready and fresh," Casey said.

After playing in an intrasquad scrimmage, Wally Szczerbiak is back and will play Wednesday night in an exhibition game against the Chicago Bulls.

Two exhibition games remain for Szczerbiak to regain his physical conditioning, starting with Wednesday's visit by the Bulls. The season opener is Nov. 2 when the Portland Trail Blazers come to the Twin Cities.

Szczerbiak appeared to step somewhat gingerly on the foot early in the first quarter but looked better as the game progressed.

"I'm fine," he said after the scrimmage. "We've been smart with this injury. I've taken about an extra week. This was my first live contact stuff. We've known it wasn't too bad of an injury. We were just playing it extra cautious."

Two exhibition games remain for the Timberwolves. It remains to be seen whether that's all the time left in Ndudi Ebi's career as a Wolf.

The NBA has informed the Wolves that Ebi will not be granted an exception to play in the NBA Development League, which could give the Wolves more incentive to waive the former first-round pick by the end of the month. The Wolves had petitioned the league for an exception so that Ebi could get more playing time in an attempt to get his career off the ground.

But the collective bargaining agreement states that only players in their first two seasons are eligible. The league found no wiggle room in the bargaining agreement.

"We've informed the team that the collective bargaining agreement specifically says players in their first two years," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Saturday. "It won't be possible for Ndudi Ebi or any other player who's further along than his second year to go to the developmental league."

Wolves coach Dwane Casey said Saturday he was not surprised by the league's decision. Casey said Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale called Stu Jackson, NBA senior vice president of basketball operations, to inquire about options regarding Ebi.

"Kevin called Stu just to see more than anything else," Casey said. "It kind of got blown out of proportion."

The Timberwolves keep pushing through their practices and games.

The Wolves play tonight on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. Their first day off this exhibition season will be Sunday, almost three full weeks since training camp began.

Coach Dwane Casey believes it's up to his players to handle the workload. They get paid to be competitive, he says. And he has another concern ? their conditioning.

"Right now, we're probably in average NBA condition, and we want to be in great NBA condition," Casey said Friday after another long practice.

The players seem to be handling the rigorous schedule without complaint.

"It's challenging, but it should pay off," center Michael Olowokandi said. "Somebody once said, the more you put in, the more you get out."

Seeking a way to extend forward Ndudi Ebi's fledgling career with the team, the Timberwolves have petitioned the NBA for an exception to the eligibility rules for the new Developmental League system.

Ebi, a 2003 first-round draft pick, made only 19 appearances for a total of 86 minutes in his first two NBA seasons, yet would not qualify to play in the "D" league as a Wolves property. Currently, in the new affiliation system, a player can be assigned to a developmental team during his first two seasons only.

If the exception isn't granted, Ebi might be released by the end of the month despite a guaranteed salary ($803,600) for this season. He still could play in the minor league -- but the Wolves would lose his rights.

Team owner Glen Taylor and General Manager Jim Stack confirmed the club's request on Ebi's behalf.

"We're just looking to see if there's any wiggle room for a guy who might fall between the cracks," Stack said Thursday night before the Wolves' game against the Indiana Pacers at the MetraPark Arena.