Devean George is not looking for the best contract offer or playing opportunity in the NBA.
The Minneapolis native, now 34, wants to stay home and build a career with the Timberwolves, either as a player or in the area of player development.
George, who played seven of his 11 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers – winning a championship ring in each of his first three years with the club – has been invited to the Wolves’ training camp. If the veteran small forward doesn’t make the 15-man roster, he hopes to become a mentor to the team’s younger players.
“What better way to get advice than from someone who has seen the movie you’re watching right now,” said George, a first-round pick of the Lakers in 1999 after starring at Augsburg College. “I can tell you how the ending is going to happen. That’s where all this started with the Wolves, bringing some experience to the locker room and a mentor presence.”
George’s chances of making the roster could be slim. The Wolves have 13 players with guaranteed contracts and new coach Rick Adelman is facing a potential overload at small forward with Michael Beasley, rookie Derrick Williams, Martell Webster and Lazar Hayward.
George hasn’t played in the NBA since he appeared in 45 games with Golden State in 2009-10, averaging 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and shooting 43.2 percent from the floor. He was a teammate that season of Wolves forwards Anthony Tolliver and Anthony Randolph.
George went through an individual workout Monday with the Wolves’ training staff and admitted he needs to improve his conditioning.
“I just need to get my wind back,” he said.
George, who grew up in north Minneapolis, indicated he has no desire to go to other NBA camps or play overseas and said he has talked with Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn about working with the club.
During George’s career with the Lakers, he recalled how he was mentored by former veteran teammates such as Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone, Mitch Richmond, Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, Glen Rice and John Salley.
“No matter what was going on, somebody had a solution for me,” George said. “I was very thankful to have some hall of fame guys give me good knowledge. I listened and learned from their examples.”
Darrick Martin, an assistant under former Wolves coach Kurt Rambis, and former University of Minnesota player Randy Carter handled most of the player development responsibilities last season. Kahn, who briefly watched Kevin Love and rookie guard Malcolm Lee work out Monday, said Martin will not return to the team but that no decision has been made on Carter’s status.
Lee, a second-round pick from UCLA, grew up in Riverside, Calif., and recognized George from his days with the Lakers. Lee said he was surprised to see George at the Wolves’ facility.
“He has a lot of experience,” Lee said. “You can’t teach experience. I hope to pick his brain as much as I can.”
George and Lee will continue to work out at the Wolves’ practice facility this week. Kahn said most of the players are expected to be at the facility by Wednesday.
The league set Friday as the date for all 30 teams to open training camps after the owners and players’ union reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The owners and the union are working to ratify the agreement before Friday.
Briefly: Monday was the first day coaches could talk to players since the end of the lockout, but coaches still are prohibited from supervising individual workouts.
Kahn said the restriction will be lifted when the labor agreement is ratified. He also said Adelman arrived in Minnesota on Sunday and was in his office Monday.
— Wolves guard Ricky Rubio is not expected to join the team until Wednesday. Rubio had to go to Canada to finalize his visa papers.
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