- Tom Thibodeau’s style is starting to work with the Timberwolves, contends Jim Souhan of The Star-Tribune. Thibodeau can be loud and profane on the sidelines, but he is said to be fair and even-tempered with players behind the scenes. The Wolves are 17-29, but are only 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot that would be the first for the franchise since 2004. “He’s honest,’’ Andrew Wiggins said after a recent Thibodeau press conference. “He said we were flat but he likes the way we fought at the end.’’
- Michael Rand of The Star Tribune proposes five realistic Ricky Rubio trade scenarios for the Timberwolves, including one involving Nurkic and the Nuggets.
It may be time for the Wolves to trade Ricky Rubio, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders explains (video link). Minnesota isn’t contending for the playoffs this season and Kyler believes it’s likely the team makes a move by the trade deadline. Rubio has long been the subject of trade rumors and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Wolves are “actively” shopping him. The Bulls and Knicks were recently linked to Rubio and Kyler added that he could envision the Magic making a run a acquiring the point guard.
[RELATED: Trade Candidate: Ricky Rubio]
Here’s more from Minnesota:
- If Minnesota deals Rubio and hands Kris Dunn the starting job, the team should prioritize the rookie’s development, Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune contends. Scoggins believes the Wolves should resist trading for a stop-gap point guard to replace Rubio and they should give Dunn the minutes necessary to evaluate whether he is the long-term answer for the franchise.
- Dunn nearly had a triple-double in Sunday’s win over the Nuggets and coach/executive Tom Thibodeau believes the point guard is ready for a larger role, as Scoggins passes along in the same piece. “He’s been coming on for a while,” Thibodeau said. “Defensively he’s been good from the beginning. Offensively he’s figuring it out. He understands the speed and size of the game. He wants to make plays for others. Defensively there are a lot of hustle plays he makes. He’ll rebound in traffic. You’re not going to knock him around. Kris has a lot of toughness in him.”
- The Dunn-Tyus Jones backcourt works well for the Wolves, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. Dunn’s versatile game allows the team to employ several lineups with him at the shooting guard. “Kris has the ability to play two positions. He can defend three positions, actually. So you can use him in that way,” Thibodeau said.
Two NBA teams have made major announcements this afternoon regarding their partnerships going forward with D-League affiliate. The Grizzlies, who are affiliated with the Iowa Energy this season, have acquired an expansion NBADL franchise which will be owned and operated by the Grizz. According to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, Memphis’ new D-League franchise doesn’t yet have a name, but the team will play its home games at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
“It’s a complete game-changer,” said Grizzlies EVP of basketball operations John Hollinger. “Our affiliation with Iowa has been very effective for several years, both in terms of player development and basketball ops to both cities. To operate our own D-League team in your backyard – the direct access to the development process of our player talent – makes the process so much more efficient.
Meanwhile, with the Grizzlies set to end their partnership with the Energy, the Iowa franchise will be bought and controlled by the Timberwolves, who had been without a D-League affiliate up until now. While the acquisition isn’t officially finalized, an agreement is in place between the two sides, as the Wolves announced today in a press release.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Iowa Energy into the Timberwolves family,” said Wolves owner Glen Taylor. “It’s great knowing that we can develop our young players so close to home and enjoy all the other benefits that come with owning a D-League team. We look forward to growing our relationship with the greater Des Moines area, the state of Iowa and basketball fans across the Upper Midwest.”
The D-League continues to grow each year as the majority of the NBA’s 30 teams move toward controlling and operating their own affiliates. In addition to expanding the number of NBADL teams, NBA clubs have increasingly been focused on making their affiliates more geographically accessible — NBA teams whose affiliates play nearby – like the Nets and Lakers – have been able to make certain players active for both NBA and D-League games in the same day at times this season.
[RELATED: NBA D-League affiliations for the 2016/17 season]
Unlike some of those teams, the Grizzlies haven’t used their D-League affiliate to frequently assign and recall players this season, since the Energy’s Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines is located more than 600 miles from the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Memphis’ new NBADL affiliate will be located about 20 miles away, while the Wolves will be located less than 250 miles from their new affiliate in Iowa — still a trek, but not nearly as significant as the distance between Des Moines and Memphis.
Today’s announcement ensures that there will be at least 23 teams in the D-League next season, and a recent report from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com suggested that the league expects at least one more new franchise for the 2017/18 season.
The Hawks, Nuggets, Clippers, Bucks, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, and Wizards are the remaining seven teams without an affiliate lined up for ’17/18, though Atlanta will control and operate its own team by the 2019/20 season and the others are reportedly exploring their options.
NBADL teams figure to be more important than ever beginning next season, since the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will permit teams to sign two players apiece to two-way contracts. NBA teams will be able to freely shuttle players on those two-way deals back and forth between the NBA and D-League, paying them at one rate in the NBA and at a lesser rate in the NBADL.
The Bulls and Knicks are among the teams that have interest in Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, multiple sources tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. A report out of Spain also linked Chicago and New York to Rubio, who is reportedly being “actively” shopped by the Wolves.
A report surfaced on Friday suggesting that the Wolves and Pistons had engaged in discussions that involved Rubio and Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson. However, Stan Van Gundy downplayed those rumblings over the weekend, and indicated that if such a deal was discussed, it may have happened because Minnesota called about Jackson.
If the Wolves are indeed shopping Rubio, it makes sense that the team would have called clubs like the Pistons, Bulls, and Knicks, who have had some questions at the point guard spot this season. In Detroit’s case, Jackson struggled out of the gate following an injury, but has played better as of late, explaining the Pistons’ reluctance to move him. In Chicago and New York though, the long-term outlook at point guard is a little less clear.
The Bulls signed Rajon Rondo to a short-term contract last summer, but he hasn’t been an ideal fit in Chicago, and the odds of him sticking with the team into the 2017/18 season don’t look great — his salary for next year is partially guaranteed for just $3MM. As for the Knicks, they made a major offseason trade to land Derrick Rose, but Rose’s performance in New York has been up and down, and his contract expires this summer.
Rubio, under contract through the 2018/19 season, would represent a more stable long-term option at the point for the Bulls or Knicks, but it’s not clear if either team’s interest is strong enough to make a deal. To date, the Wolves haven’t received the kind of offer they’re seeking for Rubio.
- The Ricky Rubio trade rumors show that the Timberwolves‘ point guard is undervalued, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders. Rubio is one of the top defenders in the league at his position and is an asset on offense even with his shooting limitations because of his vision and passing, Blancarte argues. Plus he is signed through 2018/19 at an average salary of $14.25MM, which is a good value for a starter.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy took the unusual step of assuring point guard Reggie Jackson that there’s no substance behind a rumored deal to Minnesota in exchange for Ricky Rubio, relays Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Van Gundy said trade rumors are a normal part of NBA life this time of year and he typically doesn’t address them with players. However, Jackson’s agent called GM Jeff Bower after hearing the Rubio rumor, so Van Gundy felt the need to put Jackson’s mind at ease.
Van Gundy admits that it’s possible the Wolves called to see if there was any interest in a Jackson-for-Rubio swap, but says the fact that it didn’t happen means the Pistons didn’t like the deal. He adds that he never hears about most of the proposed trades Bower discusses.
“To be honest, I don’t know if the discussion was had, because Jeff only brings to me the stuff that we would consider. There’s so many of these discussions that he’s not even going to bring to me [smaller stuff],” Van Gundy said. “He doesn’t do that with me. He brings me the stuff, like when we got close to Reggie two years ago or Marcus [Morris] when we traded for him or Tobias [Harris]. That stuff comes to me.
“I don’t even know if that discussion took place — I’m just saying it’s very possible because we’ve had calls on Reggie; we’ve had calls on Andre [Drummond]. People are interested in those guys. If you’re not getting any calls on your guys — wow.”
Jackson has been rumored to be on the trade market because the Pistons has been less effective since he returned from tendinitis in his left knee that cost him the first 21 games of the season. His scoring and assist numbers are down from last year, and Detroit’s defense has been worse with him in the lineup. Jackson has three seasons and more than $51MM left on his contract.
The Timberwolves and Pistons have discussed a point guard swap of Ricky Rubio and Reggie Jackson, Marc Stein of ESPN reports. Nothing is imminent, as each team is in the “talking stage,” and as Stein notes, any deal would expand to involve other players, such as Shabazz Muhammad.
While the Timberwolves have reportedly been actively shopping Rubio, the Pistons have contended that Jackson wouldn’t be available via trade, though rival clubs aren’t so convinced. Both players have multiple years left on long-term deals, but could be available in the next month for different reasons. Jackson and the Pistons have struggled this year, and in their ESPN report, Stein and Haynes note that rookie Kris Dunn is regarded as Minnesota’s “point guard of the future,” making Rubio expendable.
The 26-year-old Rubio has averaged 7.7 points with 7.9 assists in his sixth NBA season. The Spaniard missed a five-game stretch in November due to an elbow injury, but has otherwise remained healthy in 2016/17. Now in the second year of a four-year, $55MM contract, Rubio has a cap hit of $13,400,000.
On the heels of a breakout 2015/16 campaign, Jackson’s statistics have slightly regressed this season; averaging 16.7 points with 5.3 assists through 23 games. The 26-year-old Jackson missed the season’s first 21 games with left knee tendinitis, but has come on strong of late; scoring 20.2 points on 46.4% shooting over his last 10 games.
If the Timberwolves are seeking a “bridge” guard to assume starting duties until Dunn is ready, as has been reported, Jackson would be a peculiar choice for a few reasons. Jackson is slated to make $16MM, $17MM+, and $18MM+ over the next three seasons, making him an expensive option to bridge the gap at point guard. What’s more, the role of (eventually) backing up Dunn may not come naturally to Jackson, who hasn’t played in a reserve role since 2012/13 with the Thunder.
Here’s more on the Wolves and some of their Northwest rivals:
A year ago, when his name came up in trade rumors, Ricky Rubio wanted to meet with management to discuss his role with the Timberwolves. However, this time around, Rubio is finding it easier to shrug off those rumors, like the one about Minnesota “actively shopping” him.
“My name or every name is going to be out there at some point, but you can only worry about things you can control,” the Timberwolves’ point guard said, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “Right now, what I can control is playing my best and do what I’ve been doing.”
- While Rubio’s name has surfaced in trade talks, one team that spoke to the Timberwolves recently was told that Minnesota “will not entertain” any trade discussions about Zach LaVine, per Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The market for P.J. Tucker, who is on track for unrestricted free agency this summer, is growing and several teams hold interest in acquiring the veteran small forward, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports. The Clippers, Bulls, Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Hawks all have interest in trading for Tucker, who is known for is defensive prowess, Gambadoro reports.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Knicks had interest in Tucker as well, but Gambadoro did not add New York to his list. Gambadoro cautions that a trade may not get done for a few reasons. The main one seems to be that Phoenix is also interested in re-signing Tucker because it does not have another player like him with his defensive and rebounding abilities, Gambadoro writes. Unless the Suns are confident they can re-sign him, however, it makes to shop him around.
The Suns likely aren’t willing to part with Tucker unless they can get a first-round pick or good prospect in return, Gambadoro reports, and for a team like the Clippers, that may be a deal-breaker, considering Tucker is only a marginal upgrade over someone like Wesley Johnson. This is simply my speculation, but of the teams listed, a larger trade would likely have to take place for it to make sense because those clubs do not have much to offer in terms of draft picks or young talent.
Tucker has made only 17 starts for the Suns this season, but has appeared in 41 games. His minutes are down a bit at 27.4 per game. Never known as a particularly strong shooter, Tucker is averaging 6.3 points per game and is attempting 5.7 field goals per game. His 5.7 rebounds per game is lower than any of his averages in that category in his three previous seasons with the Suns.