presence on special teams will be helpful.Well wait and see, Arians said. Hes just practicing this week, and well see whos avail

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves are preparing for life without Kevin Garnett as training camp approaches.The Wolves have been working on a plan to buy out the final year of Garnetts contract if he does not retire, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no deal has been completed.Garnett has yet to fully engage with the Timberwolves on substantive discussions about his desire for the upcoming season. That has caused the Timberwolves leadership to consider a number of options and scenarios for the 40-year-old franchise icon, including a buyout or the possibility that he decides to retire after 21 seasons in the league, including 13 1/2 in Minnesota.If he decides to play, it would be his 22nd season in the league, something no NBA player has ever done.Training camp opens Tuesday, with new president and coach Tom Thibodeau, who worked with Garnett in Boston, and GM Scott Layden coming in with a mandate from owner Glen Taylor to speed the rebuilding process in hopes of ending the longest active playoff drought in the NBA.Garnett is under contract for $8 million next season, but has been hampered severely by recurring knee and leg problems over the last two years. He played in just 38 games for the Timberwolves last season and only played in five games down the stretch for the Timberwolves in 2015 after returning to Minnesota in a trade deadline deal.But Garnett has served as a valuable mentor to a young and impressionable roster, helping Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Gorgui Dieng learn about what it takes to be successful in the NBA. Towns, in particular, has lauded Garnetts influence and has taken to wearing a throwback Garnett Wolves jersey during several public appearances this summer.ESPN first reported the buyout discussions.Garnett was very effective when he was on the court, providing a defensive presence and value that belied his paltry averages of 3.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. But his body would not allow him to play for sustained stretches. The Timberwolves also have center Nikola Pekovic under contract for two more seasons. Pekovic has chronic foot issues that have rendered him unable to play, so the prospect of having two big men with bad legs on the roster is a daunting one for a team that is hoping to end the longest active playoff drought in the league this season.Garnett spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Wolves, being drafted in 1995 straight out of high school and helping turn one of the leagues moribund franchises into a perennial playoff team. When the team plateaued after a run to the Western Conference finals in 2004, Garnett was eventually traded to Boston in 2007, where he won a championship alongside Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.Coach Flip Saunders engineered a reunion between Garnett and the Wolves in 2015, convincing the proud veteran to come back home and help him rebuild a franchise that bottomed out after Garnetts exit. The charismatic star was revered by the youngsters on the roster and talked openly of one day hoping to become an owner in Minnesota.But Saunders died suddenly after a battle with Hodgkins lymphoma just before last season started and Taylor has sold two minority stakes in the franchise this summer and had discussions with other groups about eventually selling his majority share, leaving little indication that Garnett will be able to assume that kind of a role. Wholesale RB Sunglasses . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Clearance Ray Ban Sunglasses . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. http://www.salerayban.com/ . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Wholesale Ray Ban Store . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Ray Ban China . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. TEMPE, Ariz. -- The?Arizona Cardinals secondary might be getting a boost a few weeks earlier than expected.Coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that safety Tyrann Mathieu will play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, although the Honey Badger wouldnt fully commit to taking the field for the first time since suffering a shoulder subluxation in Week 8 at Carolina. But Mathieu also said Arians declaration wasnt premature.I think Im ready to go, Mathieu said. Well see how the week goes. If I continue to progress well and everythings OK, Ill be out there Sunday.In addition to regaining Mathieu, the Cardinals secondary will also be getting safety Tyvon Branch back in the next couple of weeks. With Branch practicing Wednesday, it signaled he was the player Arizona had designated to return from the injured reserve list, which ended the seasons for running back Chris Johnson and linebacker Alani Fua, both of whom previously were candidates, along with Branch, to return from the IR.According to NFL rules, Branch cant play for two weeks after his first practice, making him eligible to play in Week 14 at Miami.We just need him, special teams andd defensively, Arians said.dddddddddddd.Mathieu will be the nickel corner when he returns this week, Arians said, and Arizona will figure out Branchs role when he returns. Branch played 129 of his 166 snaps in the slot before getting hurt, and with key special-teams players injured, Branchs presence on special teams will be helpful.Well wait and see, Arians said. Hes just practicing this week, and well see whos available next week. Tyrann Mathieu will be the nickel, and well see where [Branch] fits in.With Arizona choosing to bring Branch off the injured reserve list, Johnsons season was officially over.Johnson signed a one-year deal last offseason worth $1.5 million to be?David Johnsons backup. In four games before suffering a groin injury that required surgery, Chris Johnson ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.Picking Branch over Johnson from the IR was the hardest decision, Arians said.I put it off as long as I could to make sure that we could do the right thing for the team, Arians said. ' ' '