The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the Timberwolves appear to be in the clear regarding their decision to shut down both Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis for the season, a move which could potentially help increase the team's chances in this season's NBA Lottery.

"It hadn't been a concern, and we understand that players get rested and it would be my preference to have teams show the fans a certain number of players," Stern said during a pre-playoff conference call with the media. "But I was thinking about this in the context of the Denver football team when they were getting ready for the playoffs in the NFL, and who they decided to play and not play. I think all sports have that issue, but I have no particular concern about it with the way our teams have been behaving."