Fred Hoiberg, who is rehabilitating from open-heart surgery, said he isn't well-versed on Eddy Curry's heart troubles. He didn't want to speak out of turn about Curry's refusal to undergo genetic testing that could determine if he is disposed to developing a potentially life-threatening heart condition.

Nevertheless, in a phone interview Monday, Hoiberg gave a simplified view on medical tests, perhaps because he believes one saved his life. An echocardiogram administered in a required exam for life insurance revealed he had an enlarged aortic root in his heart.

In late June, a short while after Hoiberg completed his 10th NBA season and his second for the Timberwolves, he had surgery to repair his heart. Doctors inserted a pacemaker later in the summer.

"For me it was an echocardiogram that saved my life," Hoiberg said. "For [Eddy], it might be a DNA test. To me, it seems like a no-brainer."

The agent for Wolves free-agent swingman Latrell Sprewell said the Wolves and the Los Angeles Lakers are discussing a possible sign-and-trade deal.

Sprewell's agent, Bob Gist, said a third or fourth team probably would need to enter the trade discussions to complete a deal that would satisfy all parties.

"Kevin (McHale) and I are optimistic we can work it out," Gist said.

The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to work on remodeling the backcourt, signing Richie Frahm on Monday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Frahm is the latest addition to Minnesota's revamped backcourt. The Timberwolves traded Sam Cassell, have no intention of re-signing free agent Latrell Sprewell and waived guard Fred Hoiberg, who has a career-threatening heart condition.

The Wolves' Kevin Garnett has been training his tender knees by running in sand in Malibu, Calif. The 7-footer, who has added muscle this summer and is up to a career-high 253 pounds, is expected to play more power forward than small forward this season.

When Garnett was drafted by the Wolves in 1995, he weighed 210 pounds.

Richie Frahm, a 6-5 guard who played for Portland last season, has agreed to terms with the Timberwolves.

Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations, compares Frahm, a former Gonzaga star, to ex-Wolves guard Fred Hoiberg as a three-point shooter.

The Timberwolves said Wednesday they were cautiously optimistic that newly acquired point guard Marko Jaric was not injured during a locker-room fight at the European Championship.

The Associated Press reported that Jaric had a fistfight with a teammate on Serbia-Montenegro's national team after their loss to France on Tuesday. Jaric's national team coach, Zeljko Obradovic, told the AP that Jaric brawled with Igor Rakocevic, who plays for Spain's Real Madrid.

Details of Jaric's health and role in the fight were still filtering in Wednesday.

"As far as we know, he's fine," Wolves spokesman Mike Cristaldi said. "He's not hurt."

Jaric has been in Europe since the Wolves acquired him when they sent Sam Cassell to the Los Angeles Clippers in a package deal in August.

Jaric's Serbia-Montenegro team, which had five NBA players, failed to reach the quarterfinals of the European Championship.

"The players had bad personal relations; their egos led to this shameful end," Obradovic told the AP. "My mistake was not throwing three or four of them off the team. They hate each other so much that they don't even look at each other. I've never seen such people before."

The Timberwolves hired Bob Thornton, Rex Kalamian, Vince Taylor and Aleksandar Dzikic on Thursday as assistants to coach Dwane Casey.

The four join former Orlando head coach Johnny Davis on Casey's staff. The team also announced that Brent Haskins has been promoted to assistant coach-advance scout.

Thornton was an assistant and scout for the Chicago Bulls from 2002-04 and played for New York, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Utah and Washington in his nine-year career.

Kalamian was Denver's assistant coach for player development last season. He coached the Timberwolves' summer league team and also spent time with the 76ers and Clippers.

Taylor, a former Duke standout, spent the previous seven seasons at Louisville and played sparingly for the Knicks in 1982-83. Dzikic (pronounced jee-KEECH) spent 14 years as an assistant for Partizan Belgrade in Yugoslavia.

A judge acquitted Minnesota Timberwolves center Michael Olowokandi on Monday of misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct at a downtown nightclub last fall.

Olowokandi was arrested about 3 a.m. on Nov. 25 after he refused to leave Tiki Bob's and had to be subdued by police with a stun gun. He was held overnight in jail and released in the morning, and the Timberwolves suspended him for their game against the Indiana Pacers that night and their next game against Memphis for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Olowokandi said he was trying to retrieve a sweat shirt from the club.

He was acquitted by Judge William Nelson in a bench trial in Marion Superior Court.

Minnesota Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale today announced the team has signed 2005 second round draft pick Bracey Wright. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Timberwolves chose the 6-3, 210-pound guard from Indiana University with the 47th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft. Wright averaged 7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 17.0 mpg in starting all three games in which he played for the Timberwolves' entry in the 2005 Minnesota Summer League at Target Center. He missed two Summer League games due to sore ankles. Wright posted 15 points, four rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes vs. Toronto on July 18 in league play.

The 21-year-old Wright was an early entry candidate for the draft after spending three seasons at Indiana (2002-03 - 2004-05). The guard ranks 15th all-time at Indiana with 1,498 career points and tied for third with 186 career three-point field goals made. He was named to the First Team All-Big 10 by the media last season. Wright was a member of the gold-medal winning USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team at the 2004 FIBA Americas World Championships.

Now it looks as if the Los Angeles Lakers will be the new home of Timberwolves free agent Latrell Sprewell, writes Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Walters doesn't divulge any terms or an indication that a league source informed him of an agreement, but popular deduction leads most to believe that Sprewell's last option has indeed been the Lakers.