Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Timberwolves Rumors

And-Ones: D-League, Printezis, Taylor

November 12th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

NBA D-League president Malcolm Turner says the NBA is moving closer to a 30-for-30 model that would provide each NBA team with its own D-League affiliate, and Turner believes that it is a goal that could be realized within the next five years, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “All those NBA teams who currently don’t have a D-League team, we’re in active conversations with all of them,” Turner said. “Each team is at varying stages in terms of interest, and we’re trying to prioritize actionable interest and opportunities we can act on now. We’re already working on the pipeline of opportunities for 2017/18 and beyond. One of the reasons we’re focused on them so far in advance is 30-for-30 is our No. 1 initiative and we feel like we’re now within striking distance of achieving that goal.”

Turner also acknowledged that increasing player salaries in the D-League to be more competitive with overseas clubs is an important part of allowing the league to grow, Zillgitt adds. “As we grow, we obviously have additional player rosters to fill,” Turner continued. “We want to make sure we’re adding more and better talent to the league rather than less. We are taking a look at any and all opportunities to enhance our value proposition for talent. We’re in the market for top talent to fill our rosters and assessing our overall business accordingly. We have a bright future, and we’re working very hard to realize those opportunities.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Wolves owner Glen Taylor is engaged in serious talks to sell approximately 20% ownership of the franchise to a group led by Grizzlies minority partner Steve Kaplan, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. The group’s motivation for purchasing a minority share is that it hopes to position itself to buy the majority stake if Taylor decides to sell the franchise in the future, Wojnarowski adds.
  • Greek power forward Giorgos Printezis, whose draft rights went from the Hawks to San Antonio in July as part of the Tiago Splitter trade, is on the Spurs‘ radar, though at 30 years old he is running out of time if he wishes to make the jump stateside, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net writes. “It was good to meet with Giorgos. We traded for his rights last summer and this was the first time I got to spend some time with him. I have never met him before,” said Spurs GM R.C.Buford, who recently scouted the player in Athens. Printezis’ contract with Olympiacos runs through the summer of 2017, according to Barkas. As for the chances of seeing the forward in San Antonio at that point, Buford told Barkas, “I think that a part of this decision belongs to him. For sure we will be following him and if our needs fit his needs, then we will see what happens.”
  • The Bucks, who are currently without their own affiliate, are willing to invest in a D-League team, and the franchise will meet later this month to discuss the possibilities, Zillgitt tweets.
Retweet 10 Share 3 Send via email0

Henry Sims, Lorenzo Brown Join Pistons D-League

November 12th, 2015 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League affiliate of the Pistons has added center Henry Sims and point guard Lorenzo Brown to the roster, Peter J. Wallner of MLive.com reports. The Grand Rapids Drive already held Brown’s D-League rights, so they signed him directly. Sims signed with the D-League at large and was subject to the league’s waiver process, and Grand Rapids filed a successful claim that allowed the team to acquire the big man. Both players are still free to sign with any NBA team that expresses interest this season.

Brown, 25, has made a total of 55 appearances in two NBA seasons, averaging 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists to go along with a slash line of .375/.155/.656. He was in training camp with the Timberwolves this year, but Minnesota waived him prior to the regular season. Brown’s deal with the Wolves included a $75K partial guarantee, giving the player some breathing room financially this season.

Sims, who is also 25, made 73 appearances for the Sixers last season, including 32 starts. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per contest. His career numbers through three NBA campaigns are 7.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .475/.174/.760. Philadelphia didn’t tender a qualifying offer to the big man this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The big man, who was in Suns camp on a non-guaranteed contract, was waived during the preseason.

Retweet 9 Share 2 Send via email0

Western Notes: Dragic, Rondo, Suns, Fredette

November 12th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Goran Dragic remarked around the time of his trade to Miami that he saw the Lakers as a “perfect fit,” but while the Lakers were initially likely to pursue him in free agency, they abandoned the idea when they became enamored with D’Angelo Russell and were optimistic about signing a big man, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Dragic, despite his comment about the Lakers, seemed likely to re-sign with Miami in the months prior to his free agency, and he re-upped with the Heat in July. See more from around the Western Conference:

Retweet 21 Share 6 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Durant, Mitchell

November 12th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

LaMarcus Aldridge wouldn’t say much in response to a question from Jason Quick of CSNNW.com about his summer 2014 pledge to re-sign with the Trail Blazers in 2015. Aldridge signed this past summer with the Spurs instead, of course.

“I’m not going to get into all of that,’’ Aldridge said. “What is done is done. I feel like both sides kind of have what they want. Now, I’m here [with the Spurs].’’

Aldridge expressed love for Portland and its fans despite his decision to split, as Quick relays, but the power forward privately made it clear he was no fan of the culture and climate of the Pacific Northwest, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who offers a fascinating inside look at Aldridge’s free agency. See more from around the Northwest Division:

  • It was Aldridge’s decision to leave the Blazers, but the team deserves blame for failing to convince the star that it was worth it to stick around, The Oregonian’s John Canzano argues.
  • Kevin Durant need look no further than the Thunder in free agency next summer if he seeks a team with a roster that can help him win championships, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com believes.
  • Sam Mitchell‘s future beyond this season as coach of the Timberwolves is unresolved, but his lineup decisions so far indicate that he’s not merely focusing on the near term, observes Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune.
Retweet 18 Share 2 Send via email0

2015/16 Salary Cap: Minnesota Timberwolves

November 10th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from this past season, and the luxury tax line will be $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM.

With the October 26th cutoff date to set regular season rosters now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of running down the current salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:

  • 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
  • 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
  • Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $71,391,973*
  • Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $75,000
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $0
  • Total Salary Cap Commitments= $71,466,973
  • Remaining Cap Room= -$1,466,973
  • Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $12,169,205

*This amount includes the $3,650,000 owed to Anthony Bennett, who agreed to a buyout with the team.

Cap Exceptions Available:

  • Non-Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception= $1,513,999
  • Biannual Exception= $2,139,000

Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000

Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000

Last Updated: 11/10/15 @9:00pm

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Retweet 4 Share 2 Send via email0

Southeast Notes: Durant, Wittman, Dedmon, Payne

November 10th, 2015 at 11:34am CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Durant didn’t give the media much to go on as he spoke this morning in Washington, where the Thunder will play the Wizards tonight, but he elaborated on the remark in which he called the attention he received the last time he played in Washington “disrespectful,” as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater relays. The Wizards showed a photo of Durant edited to depict him in a Wizards jersey on their scoreboard when the Thunder visited Washington last season, but Durant doesn’t pin any blame on the adulation from Washington fans.

“Nah, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with what the fans do,” Durant said. “Me, I’m just thinking as a player on the other side. Fans gonna do what they gonna do. I appreciate all the support going our way. But I’m just looking at it as an opposing player and if I was on that team and they came in here and did that, I wouldn’t like it. But the fans, hey, they support us. Throughout the whole league, they make it what it is.”

See more on the Wizards and other news from the Southeast Division:

Retweet 20 Share 3 Send via email0

Western Notes: Cousins, Belinelli, Green, Wolves

November 10th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings, losers of six in a row and just 1-7 on the season, are planning a players-only meeting, DeMarcus Cousins told reporters, adding that the team’s issues are “not at all” about on-court matters, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays. Cousins cautioned that he believes in “every single person in this [locker] room,” Jones notes, though the looming question surrounds his relationship with coach George Karl, who’s used seven different starting lineups in the team’s eight games.

“Everything I can’t really speak on,” Cousins said. “We got some issues that we got to carve out. Can’t really speak on that. But one thing is, us players, we got to stick together. And just with that, that’ll get us through most battles. We got some issues in-house we need to figure out.”

Rudy Gay suggested on-court issues were at play, saying the team’s offensive and defensive schemes require examination, The Bee’s Ailene Voisin tweets. While we wait to see how the latest drama in Sacramento plays out, see more on the Kings amid the latest from the Western Conference:

  • Manu Ginobili and Marco Belinelli have known each other since they were teenagers and they forged an uncommonly tight bond that Ginobili has missed since Belinelli departed the Spurs for the Kings in free agency this past summer, observes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich seems to wish he could have kept the Italian-born shooting guard. “I just miss his presence,” Popovich said, according to Orsborn. “He was a great guy. He was a great teammate. Great sense of humor, again he was a great teammate, a real smart player. We all miss him.”
  • The release of Erick Green leaves the Nuggets shorthanded at point guard, but coach Michael Malone is confident that the team has enough ball-handling at other positions to make up for it, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post examines. The Nuggets had a chance to put that theory to the test when Jameer Nelson missed Monday’s win over the Blazers with injury. In any case, Denver remains high on Green. “He lives in the gym, everyone in this building has a positive impression of Erick, not just him as a player but him as a person,” GM Tim Connelly said. “He’s a fantastic person, and he’s going to be back in the NBA, ASAP. He’s a guys we’ll keep close tabs on. You never close the door, especially for a guy who has done as much as Erick and worked as hard as he has.”
  • Austin Peters of Upside & Motor categorizes eight Timberwolves on rookie contracts into tiers, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in their own class at the top and Gorgui Dieng joining Adreian Payne as those Peters views as long shots to make an impact.
Retweet 22 Share 3 Send via email0

Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons, Bucks

November 8th, 2015 at 3:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is not sure when rookie Bobby Portis will start to see consistent time on the court, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. The Bulls drafted Portis with the 22nd pick. Portis has not played in six of the Bulls’ first seven games, with his only appearance coming in a lopsided contest. Portis, according to Hoiberg, is not letting a lack of playing time derail his work ethic. “He says practices are his games,” Hoiberg said. “He’s getting out there, stirring things up. He’ll continue to do that every time he steps on the court.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

  • It’s Hoiberg’s first season with the Bulls, but the group is exhibiting one of the same problems it had under former coach Tom Thibodeau and that is a lack of effort, Friedell writes in a full story. With Thibodeau as its leader, Chicago was known as a hard-nosed defensive team, but this year’s Bulls have yet to discover their identity, Friedell adds, and that has contributed to the inconsistent start.
  • The Pistons need to acquire a power forward before the trade deadline or via free agency next summer, David Mayo of MLive.com opines in a mailbag response. Ersan Ilyasova is under contract through 2016/17, but Anthony Tolliver is set to be a free agent after this season, as Mayo points out.
  • The long-term success of the Bucks largely depends on Jabari Parker and how the small forward comes back from his injury, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes in a detailed piece. The Bucks have a talented young roster, but they are hoping Parker, who was the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, develops into a star after his rookie season was cut short by the knee injury in December.
Retweet 8 Share 2 Send via email0

Western Notes: Ezeli, Miller, Lillard, Diawara

November 2nd, 2015 at 5:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Festus Ezeli‘s favorable perception of the Warriors hasn’t changed in the wake of the end of extension talks between agent Bill Duffy and the team, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. The center is headed into restricted free agency in July with the extension window officially set to close at 11pm Central tonight.

“Obviously [Duffy] didn’t come up to an agreement with the team, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I want to be here for the rest of my career, and I love these guys,” Ezeli said. “I love the team. We discussed it a little bit with my family, and [Duffy] kind of told us what he thought was best moving forward, and we went with that.”

See more from the Western Conference:

  • Part of the reason the Timberwolves wanted to sign Andre Miller is because Flip Saunders wanted to shore up the team’s troubles with simply inbounding the ball at the end of games, as TNT’s David Aldridge notes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Of course, Miller’s leadership was key, too, and Saunders told Miller ahead of time that the team would be signing fellow veteran Tayshaun Prince, as Miller said to Aldridge for a piece that further shows the respect the Wolves have for the late coach/executive.
  • Damian Lillard‘s play has been surprisingly underwhelming so far this season, but it’s chiefly a product of his willingness to experiment with his game so that he can tailor it to the needs of the Blazers‘ overhauled roster, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com examines. “It’s easy for me to go out there and get 35 and have seven assists and the game not be played as well,’’ Lillard said. “But if we are going to play the game the right way and if our team is going to grow and keep getting better, then I have to make sure we are doing things the right way.’’
  • Four-year NBA veteran and Grizzlies camp cut Yakhouba Diawara has signed with CSP Limoges of France, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Freelance journalist Guido Guida first reported the news (Twitter link).
Retweet 18 Share 1 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Nuggets, Wolves

November 1st, 2015 at 4:30pm CST by Will Joseph

First-year Nuggets coach Michael Malone is frustrated with the lack of energy from his players and wondered if he has been pushing too hard, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post relays. Specifically, Malone was referring to the Nuggets’ lopsided loss in their home opener. 

“I have the propensity to push, push, push, push,” Malone said. “And after the game last night, I’m always going to look at myself in the mirror — hey, maybe we pushed too hard for too long. … So, today, we went hard, but we went short. So maybe I have to scale back a little bit, because we are banged up, we have guys who are playing fairly heavy minutes. So, I have to maybe be a little bit more judicious in how we practice.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

  • Wolves owner owner Glen Taylor has granted GM Milt Newton and interim coach Sam Mitchell “autonomy” to make important decisions and both are dedicated to carrying out Flip Saunders’ blueprint of developing young talent, Chip Scroggins of the Star Tribune opines.
  • Damian Lillard is probably deferring to his teammates too much so far for the Blazers, but in the long-term, that’s a good thing for Portland, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com opines. Lillard, who was signed to a max extension in the summer, is 1-for-15 from the field in the fourth quarter so far this season, Quick points out. With a new supporting cast, Quick argues that Lillard’s sacrifice will help the Blazers play more team basketball.
  • Mason Plumlee, who came to the Blazers in a draft night trade with the Nets, has been impressing his Portland teammates and coaches with his ability to handle the ball and make plays since early in the summer, Mike Richman of The Oregonian relays. In contrast to his days with the Nets, Plumlee fits better in the Blazers’ faster-paced system because he has the freedom to use his full array of skills, including leading fast breaks, Richman adds.
Retweet 8 Share 3 Send via email0
Load More Posts