At a news conference on Tuesday to introduce the newest batch of Celtics to come to Minnesota, an event delayed nearly a week by the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, Kevin McHale brushed aside any conspiracy theories.

It was the second major trade between the Celtics, the team McHale used to play for, and Timberwolves in the last 20 months.

The latest deal sent All-Star Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and two No. 1 picks.

"If all these guys had played in New Orleans and were the same type of players, it would have been the same thing," said McHale, the Timberwolves' vice president of basketball operations. "It's the players you're getting and not where they played. That has no bearing whatsoever."

Rather than focusing on his past ties to Danny Ainge and the Celtics that earned him a place in the Hall of Fame, McHale wanted to look to the future, excited about assembling a very young team that will have a completely new look next season, and beyond.

After missing the playoffs for the third straight season, McHale and owner Glen Taylor felt they had to do something drastic to avoid a total collapse.

"I had the feeling that we could probably play better than we did the last two years, but not well enough to compete for the title," Taylor said. "And I wasn't satisfied with that, nor do I think KG was after he had time to think about that. The idea here is to lay the groundwork for the potential to build something special."