The Minnesota Timberwolves received bad news on Tuesday with their regular-season opener fast approaching: guard Randy Foye's lingering left knee injury will sideline him for several weeks.

An MRI test and CT scan performed on Foye's knee revealed a stress reaction in his kneecap, and the team announced that the second-year player will be out indefinitely.

After being hindered by soreness throughout most of the preseason, Foye played 16 minutes in last Friday's exhibition game and took the court with the Timberwolves on Saturday -- but he's been unable to practice this week. An NBA all-rookie team selection last season, Foye was certain to be in the starting lineup for this revamped, inexperienced team that has only five returning players on the 15-man roster.

The Timberwolves released forward Wayne Simien on Monday in order to get under the 15-man roster limit.

Simien was acquired via trade last week from Miami.

The Minnesota Timberwolves reached a buyout with veteran Juwan Howard on Monday.

Howard was initially ecstatic when the Rockets traded him to Minnesota for guard Mike James in June. He had wanted to play with Kevin Garnett for some time and spoke about regretting choosing Orlando over Minnesota the last time he was a free agent.

But when the Wolves shipped Garnett to Boston at the end of July, Howard made it clear he was not interested in being part of a youth movement in Minnesota. He requested a trade, but the Wolves found no takers for a 13-year veteran who was owed $6.88 million this year and $7.38 million next year.

The Timberwolves negotiated on Saturday to buy out the contract of veteran forward Juwan Howard, a move that once finalized will get them to their 15-player roster limit by Monday's 5 p.m. deadline.

The Wolves also are expected to release Wayne Simien -- acquired with Antoine Walker and Michael Doleac in Wednesday's trade with Miami -- by Monday. Simien is the only one of those three players who was told not to report to the team.

"We've finally gotten down to a number," said Wolves coach Randy Wittman, who added that another roster move always could happen but that he doesn't expect one. "We can move forward now."

Howard hugged teammates goodbye after Friday's exhibition finale at Target Center and did not attend the Wolves' public scrimmage there on Saturday evening.

On Friday, newly acquired Antoine Walker -- who, like Howard, was a former Chicago schoolboy star -- joined the Wolves. By Saturday, the teammate he knew longest was gone.

"I'm disappointed," said Walker, who, at age 31, is three years younger than Howard. "I was looking forward to it. Me and Juwan grew up as kids together. He was in high school when I was in elementary school. He was a big star in Chicago. I know he's thinking of trying to play for a championship, so hopefully best of luck to him."

Expect him to choose to play for a list of teams such as Boston, where he'd finally get a chance to play with Garnett, Cleveland, Dallas, San Antonio, Miami and Phoenix.

After arriving in Minnesota, Antoine Walker sounded relieved with his fresh start ? even if contending for a playoff spot with the Timberwolves looks like a huge long shot.

Though Walker said he had a good time in Miami, he voiced his frustration Friday that coach Pat Riley went public with his criticism of Walker's weight.

"He has numbers, no matter who you are. We get weighed and body fat every week. If you're not on your number, he believes you're not in shape," Walker said during his first appearance since being shipped to Minnesota with two other players and a first-round draft pick in exchange for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.

"They were coach's rules since he got there," Walker said. "Everybody goes through it. Why it went public that I didn't make my number, I don't know."

Former NBA player Eddie Griffin had more than three times the legal alcohol limit in his system when he crashed his sport utility vehicle into a moving train and died this summer, according to an autopsy report released Friday.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's office said the 25-year-old Griffin died of "multiple blunt force injuries.'' The medical examiner's office performed tests on Griffin's bile and blood from his heart and liver and determined his blood-alcohol level was 0.26. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08.

Tests found no traces of cocaine, amphetamines or any other narcotics.

The Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday waived center John Edwards from their preseason roster.

Minnesota Vice-President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale said he might not be done making moves. If nothing else, the Wolves have to trim at least three players off the roster to meet NBA rules. How McHale will do that remains to be seen. Another trade remains a possibility, along with waiving players and/or buying out contracts.

The deal gives the Wolves 18 players, and the regular-season roster limit is 15. McHale hinted that at least one of the players acquired in the trade will not be on the roster soon, but he wouldn't elaborate.

It wouldn't be shocking to see Doleac and/or Simien not with the team by 5 P.M. Monday, the league's deadline for teams to set their Opening Day rosters.

After watching the Miami Heat sputter offensively in the preseason, Pat Riley realized his team was in desperate need of perimeter help.

He's counting on newly acquired Ricky Davis to provide an immediate boost.

Davis will slide into the injured Dwyane Wade's spot at starting shooting guard when the Heat open the regular season next week, Riley said Thursday, one day after the Heat pulled off a five-player trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Miami sent Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac and Wayne Simien to the Timberwolves, along with a conditional first-round draft pick for Davis and Mark Blount.

"The securing of a perimeter player who could score, who could shoot, who had experience as a starter transcended all other needs. And that's why we did it," Riley said. "The preseason showed we didn't have what we needed presently at that position, even though I think we have players who can help us."

The Miami Heat announced Wednesday that they have acquired guard Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount in a five-player trade with Minnesota in which they sent forwards Antoine Walker and Wayne Simien, center Michael Doleac and a conditional first-round pick to the Timberwolves.