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Timberwolves Notes: Collins, Taylor, Rosas, Fans

March 13th, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves are “dying” to acquire Hawks forward John Collins, ESPN commentator Jackie McMullan said on The Bill Simmons Podcast (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “Minnesota is dying to have him. Minnesota wants him bad,” McMullan said. “What will they offer? I don’t know. They really want him. I think there are other teams too, but Minnesota particularly.” Minnesota’s interest in Collins, who will be a restricted free agent after the season, has previously been reported.

We have more on the Timberwolves:

  • Owner Glen Taylor could get approximately $1.3 billion for the franchise if he sells the team now but the owner and the franchise have major image problems, as Jabari Young of CNBC details. Former franchise player Kevin Garnett is feuding again with Taylor and top executive Gersson Rosas stirred controversy by passing over popular in-house candidate David Vanterpool when he replaced head coach Ryan Saunders with Raptors assistant Chris Finch. Rosas has also tried to build around Karl-Anthony Towns but the roster is lacking 3-point shooters to make it work.
  • The Wolves will start allowing fans at Target Center on April 5, according to a team press release. Season ticket members will get priority for the final 12 games of the season, though the release doesn’t indicate how many people will be allowed in the building.
  • In case you missed it, Hoops Rumors had an exclusive interview with Jaylen Nowell. You can check it out here.
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Jaylen Nowell Talks Career Night, Coaching Change, More

March 12th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Ben Stinar

After playing limited minutes as a rookie, Timberwolves guard Jaylen Nowell has established himself as a regular rotation player in his second professional season. But the 21-year-old still remembers his “welcome to the NBA” moment, when he went up against Russell Westbrook during the last game of Minnesota’s 2019/20 season.

“He was one of my favorite players in the league,” Nowell told Hoops Rumors in a phone interview. “Ended up guarding him and once that happened and once that happened in my head while I’m guarding him, I’m like, ‘Wow this is crazy I’m really going against this dude that I’ve been watching on TV for years now.’ I’d say that was my welcome to the NBA moment for sure.”

While fighting to earn more playing time in his second season, Nowell has adjusted to new protocols and routines both during and between games, as the NBA navigates the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s been really crazy,” Nowell said of the 2020/21 campaign. “I actually forgot at a certain point that this is not how the regular NBA is.”

Nowell, who is averaging nearly 10 points per game this season, enjoyed a career night on Thursday in New Orleans to begin the second half. The 2019 second-round pick scored 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range, adding six assists and five rebounds — and he did it all off the bench in just 28 minutes.

“It felt great,” Nowell said. “I felt really comfortable out there. I was bringing the ball up a lot, initiating the plays, so I kind of got to get into a rhythm without even shooting it.”

The performance came in a 135-105 victory over the Pelicans, which was the Timberwolves’ first win in nearly a month.

“That was amazing,” he said. “I honestly forgot what it felt like to come back to the winning locker room. It was definitely something we needed and to have it the first game after the All-Star break, it’s amazing. Hopefully we can keep this going.”

Last weekend’s All-Star festivities provided a much-needed break not only for a Timberwolves squad that had lost 13 of its last 14 games, but also for Nowell, who traveled to Seattle to see his family.

Before the break, the Timberwolves made a drastic in-season move, firing head coach Ryan Saunders and replacing him with Raptors assistant coach Chris Finch. While that sort of shake-up would throw some second-year players for a loop, Nowell isn’t unfamiliar with adjusting to a coaching change, having experienced one during his college recruitment process. Lorenzo Romar, the coach who recruited him to the University of Washington, had been replaced by Mike Hopkins by the time he began his college career.

“I’m kind of used to it,” Nowell said. “I wasn’t playing there, but it was a coaching change nonetheless. It was the year before I came in, so I was affected by it. I’ve dealt with it before.”

When Finch was hired, he spoke about simplifying and streamlining the Timberwolves’ schemes. According to Nowell, the team isn’t running a lot of plays and has been relying on the players to make more reads.

“We’ve been getting to show off our skills,” he said. “Not just for me individually, but as a team. It’s making us complement each other’s game more.”

Even though the Wolves have the youngest roster in the NBA, they possess an exciting mix of max-contract players, vets and youth. Nowell grew up watching a lot of the guys he now calls teammates.

“I used to watch guys like Ricky Rubio, Ed Davis, KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns), D’Angelo Russell,” he said. “I used to watch all these guys before I was even in the league. To call them my teammates, that’s already an accomplishment in itself. That’s been great, and being able to actually be around them and talk to them and see how they work and see how they approach the game that’s been great for me. I’ve just been watching and learning and trying to absorb everything and anything from them.”

Nowell has learned up close from Russell by watching the way he plays during games and by talking to him one-on-one.

“He’s an All-Star, so whatever he’s doing, it’s right,” Nowell said of Russell. “Every single game I’ve been watching how he picks spots; when he decides to shoot; when he decides to move the ball. I’ve been talking to him one-on-one about the point guard, how to facilitate, how to get guys in spots to put them in the best position for them to score not just myself.”

Nowell, who wants to continue to facilitate the ball at a high level by getting his teammates involved, believes the Timberwolves are making fewer mistakes than they did at the beginning of the year and envisions a strong finish to the team’s season. At 8-29, there’s nowhere for Minnesota to go but up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Wolves' Second Half Off To Good Start

March 12th, 2021 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams
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Collins Could Be Perfect Fit For Timberwolves

March 9th, 2021 at 9:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
  • With Atlanta power forward John Collins rumored to be a trade target for the sinking 7-29 Timberwolves, Michael Rand of the Star Tribune assesses how such a deal could play out. Collins, still just 23, rejected a reported $90MM+ extension from Atlanta earlier this season in the hopes of netting a much bigger offer sheet this summer. His two-way impact could greatly improve the struggling Timberwolves, who are undersized at the position and clearly in need of an interior defensive presence. Orlando power forward Aaron Gordon also may be a target.
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Rockets Rumors: Oladipo, Tucker, Gordon, More

March 9th, 2021 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

With the Rockets in the midst of a 13-game losing streak and their playoff chances dwindling, people around the NBA are wondering if general manager Rafael Stone will launch a full-scale rebuild this month in what could be a seller’s market, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

One rival scout told Fischer that he keeps hearing the Rockets will hold a “fire sale” prior to this year’s deadline, while an assistant general manager predicted that the club will “burn the house down.” Another assistant GM told Bleacher Report that Houston has been starting to call teams about deals.

The Rockets haven’t had a sub-.500 season since 2005/06 and it’s unclear whether team owner Tilman Fertitta would have the patience for a multiyear rebuild. As Fischer explains, Houston still had playoff aspirations when it traded James Harden to Brooklyn in January — the decision to flip Caris LeVert for Victor Oladipo in that blockbuster deal was made in part due to the club’s belief that Oladipo would make more of an impact in the postseason race.

However, the Rockets also have incentive not to try to fight their way back up the standings, as their first-round pick will be swapped with either the Thunder’s or Heat’s pick (whichever is worse) if it doesn’t land in the top four. Even a last-place finish won’t guarantee that the Rockets hang onto their own first-rounder, but the lower they finish, the better their odds are of hanging onto a top pick that could help them secure a long-term franchise cornerstone.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

  • Fischer suggests that if the Rockets hang onto Oladipo through the trade deadline, a sign-and-trade deal in the offseason appears to be the most likely outcome. “They’re too smart to just whiff and get nothing off of him,” a Western Conference official said. Still, getting anything of value in a sign-and-trade would hinge on Oladipo wanting to join a team that doesn’t have the cap room available to sign him outright.
  • The Sixers are on a long list of potential suitors for P.J. Tucker, according to Fischer, who says the veteran forward would welcome the opportunity to join a 76ers team led by former Rockets GM Daryl Morey. League sources tell Bleacher Report that Houston could’ve gotten a late first-round pick from the Timberwolves in the 2020 draft for Tucker, but the team will be hard-pressed to get that strong a return now, since the 35-year-old has had a down year. “If they had a first for him now, he’d already be gone,” one GM said.
  • Fischer adds that there has been a “long-whispered rumor” that the Nets and Rockets could make a swap involving Tucker and Spencer Dinwiddie. According to Fischer, wherever Tucker ends up, he’ll be looking for one last lucrative contract in the offseason, having turned down a two-year extension from the Rockets earlier in the season.
  • There’s little expectation that the Rockets will trade Eric Gordon, sources tell Fischer. However, clubs may target some of the team’s other, more affordable wings, including Sterling Brown, Danuel House, Ben McLemore, and Jae’Sean Tate.
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Several 10-Day Contracts Expire; Multiple Teams Have Roster Spots To Fill

March 8th, 2021 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

All seven of the 10-day contracts that were signed during the final week of February have now expired. As our 10-day tracker shows, that list included three Nets deals (Tyler Cook, Iman Shumpert, and Andre Roberson), along with contracts signed by the Pelicans (Sindarius Thornwell), Raptors (Donta Hall), Lakers (Damian Jones), and Kings (Norvel Pelle).

None of those players have been re-signed to a second 10-day deal so far, but that comes as no surprise. The five teams that had players on 10-day contracts won’t begin their second-half schedules until Thursday at the earliest (Friday for the Lakers), so it doesn’t make sense to sign someone to a 10-day contract now and waste the first few days of the deal.

That doesn’t mean that all the players listed above will get a second 10-day stint with their respective teams later this week, but some of them seem like good bets to stick around a little longer. Jones, for instance, looked good during his 10 days as a Laker, putting up eight points in eight minutes in his first appearance and earning a start in Sacramento last Wednesday.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Lakers and Pelicans are now carrying 13 players on standard contracts, while the Nets are carrying just 12. The NBA requires teams to have a minimum of 14 players under contract (not counting two-ways), but clubs are permitted to dip below that minimum for two weeks at a time.

So even if those three clubs decide not to bring back the same players on 10-day contracts, they’ll have to add a player (two players in Brooklyn’s case, but one will be Blake Griffin) at some point during the next couple weeks.

The Jazz are also in this boat, but will have to add a player even sooner. They dipped to 13 players on standard contracts when they waived Shaquille Harrison on February 24, so we can probably expect them to sign a player to a 10-day deal before the second-half schedule gets underway this week.

The Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Spurs, and Raptors also have openings on their 15-man rosters, but aren’t under any pressure to fill them in the near future, since they’re all at the 14-player minimum.

Most teams with open roster spots will fill them before the end of the regular season, but for the time being, it makes sense for those teams to either hold them open or fill them with players on 10-day deals in order to maximize their roster flexibility for the March 25 trade deadline.

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Northwest Notes: Wolves, Pokusevski, Thunder, Jokic

March 7th, 2021 at 5:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gerson Rosas has struggled to build a winning culture around a weak supporting cast for star center Karl-Anthony Towns, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune argues. Hine posits that Rosas’ decision to prioritize maximum roster flexibility over more veteran leadership has hurt the development of the team’s young players.

Ricky Rubio and Ed Davis are the only true-blue veterans populating the otherwise very youthful roster, Hine notes. The team has stumbled to the league’s worst record, 7-29, thus far this year.

“There is some evidence it may work like what happened with Philadelphia, I guess,” Rubio said, referring to bottoming out for multiple years while building a roster. “I kind of don’t believe in that kind of system. We have to build good habits from Day One, and I don’t think we are in the right way to be honest.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

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Larry Nance Jr. Drawing Interest From Multiple Suitors

March 6th, 2021 at 3:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Larry Nance Jr. has drawn the most interest in the trade market among Cavaliers players, including an offer that featured multiple late first-round picks, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Nance is in the second year of a four-year, $44.8MM contract that was front-loaded, adding to his appeal. The Timberwolves have been pursuing Nance since the offseason, with the Celtics, Sixers, Pelicans, Heat and Mavericks also showing interest in the power forward, sources tell Fedor.

Nance was sidelined prior to the All-Star break with a fractured left hand but is expected to return as early as next weekend. However, the Cavs’ front office is reluctant to trade the 28-year-old, viewing him as a core player.

Fedor also offered up a number of other insights with the trade deadline approaching later this month:

  • The front office still holds out hope it can deal Andre Drummond, believing that an interested party other than the Nets, Lakers or Clippers will step forward, rather than competing with those top contenders for Drummond on the buyout market.
  • The Cavs are open to dealing small forwards Taurean Prince and Cedi Osman, who aren’t considered core pieces. They could come into play in a potential deal involving Drummond, especially if a third team is needed to make the salaries fit.
  • Teams looking for a big have checked in on JaVale McGee, who has an expiring $4.2MM contract.
  • It’s unlikely the Cavs will be able to shed Kevin Love‘s contract, though the Mavericks view him as a better fit than Drummond. The Cavs tend to overvalue Love and aren’t seeking a salary dump where an asset would need to be attached.
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Latest On Potential Timberwolves Sale

March 5th, 2021 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA star Kevin Garnett expressed interest last summer in bidding on his former team, the Timberwolves, as part of a prospective ownership group, but Garnett said in an Instagram story on Thursday that he’s no longer in the running to buy the franchise.

“Sooo just got the news that this process in trying to acquire the TWOLVES IS OVER for me n my group,” Garnett wrote, adding that he plans to “focus on other places” such as Seattle and Las Vegas. “Thx Glen for being yourself n what I kno you to be!!!”

Garnett’s comments – including renewed criticism of current Wolves owner Glen Taylor, with whom KG has feuded in the past – suggested that perhaps the franchise is paring down its list of potential suitors and informed Garnett’s group that it’s no longer a candidate.

However, Taylor told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic and other reporters that neither he nor his representatives received any offer from Garnett and that he wasn’t sure what prompted KG’s public announcement.

“Kevin never contacted me at all saying that he was interested,” Taylor said. “Nor was his name listed on any of the buying groups that asked for financial information to review.”

According to Krawczysnki, Taylor was always open to considering a bid from Garnett or a group representing the Hall-of-Famer, but there was some skepticism about KG’s ability to put together the money necessary to make a competitive offer — Forbes’ latest franchise valuations projected the Wolves’ worth to be $1.4 billion.

Taylor said that he has received inquiries from at least 10 groups or families, per Krawczynski and Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). The Wolves’ owner also informed Chris Hine of The Star Tribune that he spoke to four former NBA players who expressed interest in the team and asked if they were affiliated with Garnett — they all said no.

“If he would’ve called or had been a person who wanted some help, I would’ve tried to help him like anybody else,” Taylor said of Garnett.

Taylor told Wolfson that some of the interested parties are completing their due diligence, suggesting the sale process could gain momentum soon. However, Krawczynski believes “the betting money” is on Taylor retaining control of the franchise for the foreseeable future, since the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the Wolves’ on-court struggles, and Taylor’s insistence that the club remain in Minnesota are all factors working against a bidding war.

“The process has taken longer than anticipated just because we’re not sure when we’re going to have attendance at the games,” Taylor said, per Hine. “And so that’s a hard thing to kind of figure in there, the value or lack of value. Probably the only thing that’s holding it up. I still have interest.”

Multiple reports in the last seven months have indicated that former Grizzlies minority owner Daniel Straus has gotten furthest down the road in negotiations with Taylor. Those talks seem to have hit a standstill though, and aren’t going anywhere at the moment, sources tell Krawczynski.

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Rookie Jaden McDaniels Looks Like A Keeper

March 4th, 2021 at 6:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, the No. 28 pick out of Washington in the 2020 draft, has emerged as a potential keeper for Minnesota, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Though his counting stats are currently modest, the 6’9″ McDaniels’ defensive upside and corner three-point shooting have earned him a spot on the Timberwolves depth chart. He is averaging 19.1 MPG across 30 contests.

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