Belt said. "I dont know how they measure that someti

MINNEAPOLIS - Throughout most of last season, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders and owner Glen Taylor remained steadfast in their stance that they would not consider trading Kevin Love. They were determined instead to convince the All-Star forward that he should sign an extension to remain after next season. With the NBA draft lottery coming up this week and an increasing concern that Love will leave for another team after next year, that stance has softened, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The Timberwolves are now open to the idea of trading Love if the right deal comes along. The people requested anonymity because the team has not made any final decisions on Loves future in Minnesota. A likely asking price would include a high first-round pick in this years draft and a solid veteran or two who would come in and contribute right away to a team that is lacking in veteran leadership. If the Wolves do not get an offer they feel is worthy of parting with the second-best player in franchise history, they are content to move forward with a plan to show Love that Minnesota is where he belongs, much the way the Portland Trail Blazers did with LaMarcus Aldridge last off-season. Love just finished the second year of a four-year deal that includes an option for him to opt-out in the summer of 2015. The contract terms were the first signs of strife for Love and the organization when former basketball boss David Kahn declined to give him the full five-year maximum deal that Love wanted. Kahn was fired in 2013 and Saunders has worked tirelessly to try to convince Love that he should stay in Minnesota where he can make about $26.5 million more than he can anywhere else. But the Wolves have not made the playoffs in 10 years, including all six of Loves seasons with the team, a lack of success that has one of the best power forwards in the game growing more and more impatient. Neither Love nor his representatives have gone so far as to ask for a trade, but as the NBA draft lottery approaches on Tuesday, the trade market figures to heat up. The Timberwolves are slotted to pick 13th in the first round. But they are holding out hope that they get lucky for the first time in franchise history in the lottery and jump up. Getting one of the top three picks in a strong draft could be an encouraging sign for Love. If that doesnt happen, the Wolves could look at making a trade if they felt it had a chance to make them better in the long run. Love has made three All-Star teams and helped Team USA win the gold medal at the London Olympics. He averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists last season, but the Wolves finished a disappointing 40-42 and missed the playoffs in the Western Conference. While there remains some question whether Love can be the best player on a championship-calibre team, there figures to be a long list of suitors to line up for his services via trade this summer or free agency next year. But Love would likely have to give any team that makes the Wolves an offer some kind of indication that he is open to signing an extension, much the way Chris Paul did when he was dealt from New Orleans to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011. The uncertainty surrounding Love has also complicated the Wolves pursuit of a coach to replace Rick Adelman, who retired after the season. Saunders has been in the market for a proven, experienced head coach who can come and command respect right away while also handling what most assuredly would be a difficult season filled with constant questions about Loves status. Not surprisingly, most of the names near the top of Saunders list have been reluctant to entertain the idea of taking the job without knowing what is going to happen with Love. Some luck on lottery night could also make the job more attractive for an incoming coach. In the absence of any long-shot lottery luck, the Wolves will ramp up their coaching search after their draft position solidifies on Tuesday night. Names such as Lionel Hollins, Sam Mitchell and Scott Skiles will all get consideration. And return runs at Michigan States Tom Izzo, Floridas Billy Donovan or Iowa States Fred Hoiberg arent out of the question after all three gave them a tepid response early in the process. ___ Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski CHINA JERSEYS AUTHENTIC . Not only that, when Julian de Guzman first stepped on the pitch for Deportivo de la Coruna he became the very first Canadian to play in Spains top tier. WHOLESALE JERSEYS CHINA .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. http://www.wholesaleauthenticjerseysshop.com/ . The punch happened in the fourth quarter of Milwaukees 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday when the two players became entangled while battling for rebounding position. CHEAP BASEBALL JERSEYS . -- Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has a broken bone below his right eye after being struck by a bad-hop grounder, sidelining the star slugger for at least a week with opening day on deck. WHOLESALE NFL JERSEYS CHEAP . Scotlands Greg Laidlaw made one of two penalty kicks and all three conversions, and Stuart Hogg added a try in the second half. "The most important thing to come out of the game is that we did not get scored against," Laidlaw said.DENVER -- Hunter Pence sidestepped questions about his home run, the one that cleared the top row of seats in left field. No, he didnt hear anything special when the ball made contact with his bat in the first inning. And no, he didnt realize it was going to travel an extra-long way. Pence wanted to avoid that topic all together after the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Tuesday night. Instead, the outfielder hinted, why not focus on the performance of pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, who won his first game in four years? Nice try, but that homer was hit too far to simply dismiss. Officially, Pences shot went 457 feet. But teammate Brandon Belt thinks it wasnt measured properly. "Thats 500 feet at least," said Belt, who kept up his torrid hitting with four singles. "Im marking that down -- 500 feet." As for Chad Bettis, the one who delivered the fastball to Pence, well, he had a little postgame regret. "Probably shouldve thrown him a different pitch there," Bettis said. "Youve got to tip your hat to him." Pences two-run homer was followed by Pablo Sandovals solo shot, marking the first time all season the Giants have hit back-to-back homers. "It feels good to get some runs on the board," Pence said. "But Petit really set the tone for us." Indeed. Petit (1-0) was recently called up from Triple-A Fresno to fill in for Matt Cain, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list last week with a bruised right forearm. Petit lasted six innings, allowed six hits and two runs. He also struck out six. Bettis (0-3) settled down after a rough start, allowing four runs and nine hits over six innings. "He kept the Giants in check after that and he did his job," manager Walt Weiss said. "His makeup is pretty good. He handles himself really well." Troy Tulowitzki returned to the lineup for the Rockies after sitting out the past two games with a sore oblique. He finished 1 for 3 with a run scored. The Rockies were without Dexter Fowler, who sat out with a bruised knee. Given his roots as a reliever, Petit pitched out of the stretch even with no one on base. He also pitched his way out of trouble on several occasions as he earned hhis first major league win since beating the Giants on Aug.dddddddddddd 27, 2009, as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the fourth, Petit loaded the bases with two outs, only to wiggle out of the jam by fanning Bettis with a low slider. An inning earlier, Petit struck out Corey Dickerson and enticed DJ LeMahieu to fly out to strand a runner at third. Just that kind of night for the Rockies, who finished 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Pence put the Giants on the board early when he hit a two-run homer that appeared to land on the concourse beyond the left-field bleachers. Three pitches later, Sandoval lined a slider over the fence in centre. Getting Pence to talk about his homer, though, just wasnt going to happen. Feel extra sweet when he made contact? "I dont know," Pence said. Watch it sail out of the park? "No," he responded. Catch a replay of it yet? "No," Pence said. So Belt did the bragging for Pence. "Thats one of the hardest balls Ive ever seen hit in my life," Belt said. "I dont know how they measure that sometimes. But Im pretty sure they go further." He suddenly chuckled. "All of my hits combined probably werent hit as hard as his," Belt said. Before the game, Carlos Gonzalez provided some fireworks of his own as he launched several pitches into the upper deck during batting practice. This with an injured middle right finger, too. Gonzalez said his dinged-up digit is feeling better and hopes to soon leave for a rehab assignment. The All-Star has been on the disabled list since early August. "Its something I can play through right now," Gonzalez said. NOTES: Giants OF Andres Torres (bone spurs) is scheduled for season-ending surgery on Wednesday. ... OF Angel Pagan (left hamstring surgery) could be reinstated on Sept. 1. ... The Rockies activated C Yorvit Torrealba (concussion) from the seven-day disabled list. To make room, the team optioned utility player Ryan Wheeler to Triple-A Colorado Springs. ... The Rockies will send Jhoulys Chacin (12-7) to the mound on Wednesday, while the Giants counter with Madison Bumgarner (11-8). ... OF Michael Cuddyers 10-game hitting streak was snapped. ' ' '