The white BMW X3 raced up I-95, blaring Jadakiss and revving at 110 mph. The clock in the luxury car’s center console was ticking; the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks tipped in less than two hours at Madison Square Garden.
Roughly 75 minutes earlier, Sean Kilpatrick smiled for the Delaware 87ers’ 2014-15 team picture. The camera’s flash still stung his eyes when head coach Kevin Young broke the news: Minnesota had called Kilpatrick up from the D-League for a 10-day contract, requiring the Cincinnati product to reach the Big Apple by game time. Without Kilpatrick, the Wolves would have failed to dress the league-mandated minimum of eight players in uniform.