Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Eyeing Norris Cole

January 27th, 2015 at 6:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With point guard Brandon Jennings out for the season, the Pistons are looking into the possibility of trading for the Heat’s Norris Cole, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. The talks between the two teams have been described as exploratory, and no deal is imminent, Haynes notes. Detroit is in search of a point guard to add to its depth, and the current plan is to acquire a short-term option and evaluate that player at the end of this season, Haynes adds. This Pistons were also reportedly interested in D-Leaguer Lorenzo Brown, who is set to ink a 10-day deal with the Timberwolves instead.

“We definitely got to get a third point guard, there’s no question,” said Detroit’s president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy. “To go out and get a guy who would be a huge difference maker, you probably have to give up something that would hurt you down the road. We’re not in panic time here. We’re not going to do that and be sitting here in the summer kicking ourselves for trying to do something short-term that would hurt us in the long-term.”

Cole would certainly fit the Pistons’ criteria, since he is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. The Heat are reportedly open to dealing the 26-year-old out of Cleveland State, and Cole was reportedly a part of a proposed deal with the Nets for Brook Lopez. Miami team president Pat Riley has denied that he made any proposals to Brooklyn, and he insists that the that Heat haven’t made any offers to any team. The Hornets have also been mentioned to have interest in Cole, with Charlotte seeking to add depth in the wake of Kemba Walker‘s injury. Walker is likely to miss at least six weeks of action.

In 39 appearances this season, including 23 as a starter, Cole is averaging 6.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. His slash line is .386/.239/.711. His career averages over four seasons are 6.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.5 APG.

Timberwolves, Pistons Eye Lorenzo Brown

January 27th, 2015 at 9:32am CST by Charlie Adams

9:32am: The Wolves plan to sign Brown to a 10-day deal this week, probably in advance of Wednesday’s game against the Celtics, according to Stein (on Twitter). It’s not entirely clear whether there’s an agreement between Minnesota and the point guard or if Detroit remains in the equation, but it seems the situation is fast-moving. The Wolves can terminate their contract with Raduljica early, though they’d still be on the hook for the full 10 days’ worth of salary to him.

TUESDAY, 9:23am: The Timberwolves have Brown in their sights, too, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who says Minnesota is envisioning a 10-day deal. The Wolves are still without Ricky Rubio, though their most recent loss came at small forward, where Robbie Hummel is out for four to six weeks with a broken hand. Minnesota, which originally drafted Brown and brought him to camp in 2013, has 15 players on its roster, though Miroslav Raduljica is on a 10-day contract that expires at the end of Wednesday. Flip Saunders and company inquired about Brady Heslip recently, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities (Twitter link), but Heslip struck a deal to play in Bosnia. Even though Brown is with the affiliate of the Pistons, he’s free to sign with any NBA team.

SUNDAY, 2:03pm: The Pistons are “strongly considering” signing Lorenzo Brown, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Detroit fears that starting point guard Brandon Jennings might be out for the rest of the year, so bringing aboard Brown would help supplement the club’s backcourt depth. The Pistons’ roster stands at 14 players, so no corresponding move would be needed to accommodate a potential signing.

Charania doesn’t specify what sort of contract that the Pistons are considering offering Brown, and although it could be just a 10-day deal, it wouldn’t be surprising for Detroit to ink the former second-round pick to a deal that covers the remainder of the season. Jennings tweeted “6/9 months” this morning, presumably implying he would be sidelined for the remaining portion of the 2014/15 season.

Brown, 24, spent training camp with the Pistons after playing 26 games for the Sixers last season. In 18 D-League games for the Grand Rapids Drive this year, Brown has scored 16.8 points per night and shot an impressive 50.4% from the floor.

And-Ones: Hummel, Bullock, Celtics, Draft

January 26th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

There’s been a run of tough luck over the past few days, with Kobe Bryant, Brandon Jennings, Tony Wroten and Mirza Teletovic all likely having been knocked out for the season. There’s news on another injury this morning as the NBA hopes inclement weather in the Northeast won’t interfere with a seven-game night:

The Wolves have lost Robbie Hummel to a broken right (shooting) hand, the team announced (on Twitter), and Hummel said he’ll be out four to six weeks, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Hummel has started four of the last five games for Minnesota, which has a full 15-man roster, including Miroslav Raduljica, who’s on a 10-day contract.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek believes new acquisition Reggie Bullock will fit into Phoenix’s plans for the future, as he told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bullock engaged in what he calls a “great conversation” with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers when he found out that Rivers had pulled the trigger on the deal that sent him to Phoenix, Markazi observes.
The original plan was for Andre Dawkins to remain on D-League assignment for the duration of his 10-day contract with the Celtics, but coach Brad Stevens indicated there’s a decent chance that will change, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. In any case, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest examines the reasons why NBA teams would sign a player to a 10-day deal and immediately send him to the D-League, as Boston did with Dawkins.
Tyler Harris said the idea that he intends to enter this year’s NBA draft didn’t come from him, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. A report last week indicated that the Providence junior small forward planned to declare for early entry.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Wolves, Nuggets

January 25th, 2015 at 1:05pm CST by ChrisCrouse

LaMarcus Aldridge‘s surprise decision to play through an injured thumb, that was reportedly going to sideline the power forward for six to eight weeks, was partially made with the team in mind, as he tells Mike Richman of The Oregonian. “With me not being out there and not having [Nicolas Batum] definitely hurts us even more. So I just wanted to do some things today. Things went well. And I did some things yesterday late and it felt decent so we feel like we have a little plan to wrap it and strap it in and we’ll see, ” Aldridge told Richman. Aldridge played 36 minutes in his first game back from the injury and accumulated 26 points, nine rebounds and two steals in the victory over the Wizards on Saturday night.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The time has come for the Wolves to start looking to next season and maintain their good lottery odds, opines Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Zgoda takes a look at the top prospects in the upcoming draft including Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. Minnesota is 7-35 on the season, which puts the team atop our reverse order rankings. If the season ended today, the Wolves would be guaranteed a top four pick in the 2015 draft.
Ty Lawson remains in the Nuggets‘ future plans at the present time, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Lawson will return to the court after sitting out Friday’s game against the Celtics because of his arrest for suspicion of drinking and driving. The Nuggets sit at 18-25 on the season and remain a long shot, at best, to make the playoffs. Some of the Denver’s key players have been discussed in trade conversations with an eye on the future, including Wilson Chandler, who our own Chuck Myron looked at as a trade candidate.
Kendrick Perkins is an advocate of his new Thunder teammate Dion Waiters, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. “It doesn’t matter what you heard [in the media],” Perkins said of Waiters. “I’ve been impressed with his ability on the defensive end. The way he gets physical on the defensive end. The way he locks in. I have been more impressed with that. We already know he can score the ball. But I have been impressed with the commitment he’s shown on the defensive end.” Oklahoma City is 5-3 since Waiters’ arrival and in my latest poll, Hoops Rumors readers believe the move was the least impactful of the major Western Conference trades this season.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Bogut, Thompson, Bryant

January 24th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the NBA’s best record in the first half of the season, Golden State GM Bob Myers isn’t planning any major moves before the February 19th trade deadline, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. The Warriors are off to a franchise-best 35-6 start and are beating teams by an average of 12.1 points per game. “I don’t think anybody wants roster turnover,” Myers said. “You want to keep the group together as long as you can, and the players have earned the right to grow together and see what they can do in the playoffs.”

There’s other news from the Pacific Division:

Andrew Bogut isn’t complaining about the way the Warriors are handling his rest and physical condition, even though it may cost him money, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Reduced playing time hampers Bogut’s ability to reach a $1.9MM incentive bonus.
No one enjoyed Klay Thompson‘s 37-point third quarter Friday more than his father Mychal, who told Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle he hopes his son retires as a Warrior. The elder Thompson, who works as a commentator for the Lakers, said Golden State made the right move last summer by not breaking up the “Splash Brothers” to acquire Kevin Love from the Timberwolves. “I’m very happy they decided to keep that special backcourt together,” he said. “When you have someone like Stephen [Curry] and Klay, you let those guys retire together in a Warriors uniform.”
Although he’s likely done for the season, it’s not time for the Lakers‘ Kobe Bryant to retire, argues Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. Bryant may undergo season-ending surgery after having his shoulder re-examined on Monday, but Plaschke contends that’s no way for such a brilliant career to end. He wants to see Bryant return in 2015/16 for the final year of his contract with a better team that should include a healthy Julius Randle, a high pick in this year’s draft and possibly a quality free agent addition.

Flip Saunders On Wiggins, Muhammad, Dieng

January 23rd, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Flip Saunders, the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations and coach, sat down for an interview with Britt Robson of MinnPost.com to discuss the state of the team and the progress of some of its younger players this season. The entire interview is worth a read, and here are some of the highlights…

On the development of rookie Andrew Wiggins:

“When we made the [Kevin Love] trade, there is no question that we switched somewhat, although we thought if we kept Ricky [Rubio] together with those guys we could be a blended team [of veterans and young players]. So based on where we were, and where everyone thought Wiggins was — coming out of college in Kansas people thought he was inconsistent and that you didn’t know what you were going to get out of him — I think over the last month or six weeks we are way ahead of where I thought we would be. Andrew wants to be good and will accept criticism. He has gotten to the point now where he knows when he is making a mistake. That is the difference between him and Zach LaVine at times. Zach still doesn’t know at times that he is making a mistake when he makes mistakes.

On which kind of role he envisions for Wiggins in the future:

“We want him to be like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Scottie Pippen. Because they are all two-way players. A lot of those guys were their team’s best offensive player but also their team’s best defensive player. And their tenacity, the team goes through it. Wiggins is in a much more difficult situation than what Kevin Garnett had here [as a younger player]. Because Garnett had some vets that were going to be there for awhile and really locked in and we just don’t have the same type of guys. So we never asked KG to carry us offensively [early in his career]. We have had to ask that of Wiggins. My biggest thing, the one thing KG could always do, he could always create shots at the end of games — that’s tough when you are a power forward. Wiggins will be able to create shots for himself or for somebody else and be able to do that off the bounce.”

On what other players have been bright spots this season:

“Shabazz Muhammad. There is no question that Muhammad — Wig probably misses him a little bit now, because with those two guys in there you are always creating some type of mismatch. There will have to be a smaller guy on one of them. But if you look at where Muhammad was at a year ago compared to where he is now, he is one of the top five guys [in the league] in terms of most-improved player. Then there is the development of Gorgui Dieng. He has proven he is a solid guy and one of the top young big players in the league. And Zach [LaVine] is a lot better now than he was the first week of the season and through training camp.”

On if the team would seek to bolster its guard positions:

“I’ll put it this way: If we can get backcourt help that is someone we feel could be in a long-term situation with us, we would do that.“

Northwest Notes: Thunder, Nuggets, Wolves

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Thunder may be under pressure to win now because of Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency in the summer of 2016, but coach Scott Brooks doesn’t think about the possibility of losing his star forward, as he tells Jared Zwelling of Bleacher Report. “That’s so many days away. I understand it, but it’s not something I’m even focused on. All coaches focus on day to day, and we worry about what we can do today and keep chopping away,” Brooks said. Oklahoma City sits at 22-20 after a rough start to the season and the team recently acquired Dion Waiters with the purpose of strengthening its bench unit. It’s uncertain whether the Thunder are done dealing this season but Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors looks at how the team could benefit from trading Reggie Jackson in his trade candidate piece.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Timofey Mozgov trade will definitely help the Nuggets in the long run, argues Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. Although Dempsey understands that those acquired draft picks will most likely not be lottery selections, he is hopeful that the Nuggets can use the picks in the future as part of a bigger deal that nets them a game changer.
Erick Green is a very capable player but with Ty Lawson and new addition Jameer Nelson on the Nuggets, playing time will be hard to come by for the Virginia Tech product, writes Dempsey in the same piece. Green is currently on D-League assignment, playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
The Wolves are concerned about Ricky Rubio‘s ankle sprain but the team believes the point guard is doing everything he can to return to the court, writes Jon Krawczynski of Associated Press. ”It’s a very unique ankle sprain,” coach Flip Saunders said. ”They said at the time it’s going to be worse than a high ankle sprain, and everyone knows those go eight to 12 weeks. So it has nothing to do with him not wanting to play.”

And-Ones: Durant, Heat, Raptors, Bynum, Heslip

January 22nd, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards seem like prime contenders for Washington native Kevin Durant when he hits free agency in 2016, but the thought of a homecoming isn’t on the reigning MVP’s mind, at least yet, as he told reporters, including Royce Young of ESPN.com.

“I’ve never thought about it, to be honest,” Durant said. “I mean, I hear it in the summertime. I heard it for the first time this summer. That’s when it started heating up. I love playing for Oklahoma City, man. There’s just a certain level of pride that I have when I play with that Oklahoma City on my chest.”

The Thunder picked up a key victory Wednesday against the Wizards as they fight to grab a playoff spot and salvage this year’s chance to win a title while Durant remains under contract. Here’s more from around the league:

Miami won’t re-sign Tyler Johnson to another 10-day contract, at least for the time being, a source tells Hoops Rumors. The Heat want to maximize their flexibility in case of a trade, but it’s possible that they’ll re-sign him later, perhaps as soon as a week from now, the source added. Johnson’s original 10-day pact with the Heat expired after Wednesday.
The Raptors had interest in Tyrus Thomas before he reached a deal to sign a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
NBA interest is growing in former Pistons point guard Will Bynum, whose Chinese team has won 22 games in a row since he joined the club last month, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Still, the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs threaten to keep him off-limits to NBA teams until March, Wojnarowski notes.
Wolves camp invitee Brady Heslip will sign with BC Igokea in Bosnia, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt reports (on Twitter). Gino Pilato of D-League Digest first reported that Heslip had left the D-League affiliate of the Kings, with whom he had been playing since Minnesota cut him loose (Twitter link).
Providence junior small forward Tyler Harris plans to enter this year’s NBA draft, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. Harris is the 65th-best NBA prospect among juniors, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t have him within his rankings.

And-Ones: Russell, Malone, Covington

January 20th, 2015 at 8:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell is quickly becoming a potential top five pick in the upcoming NBA draft, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). Scouts believe that Russell has the tools to excel at both guard positions in the NBA, and he could be the next guard selected after Emmanuel Mudiay, who is a likely top three pick, Ford notes. “There’s so much to love about his game,” an NBA GM told Ford regarding Russell. “Even when he has a bad game, it looks like a good one because every time the ball leaves his lands, it looks like it’s going in. He plays with such great confidence and has a terrific feel. I think he could be a James Harden-type player at the next level. That’s what kind of scorer and playmaker he could be.” Russell is currently ranked No. 9 in the Hoops Rumors 2015 Draft Prospect Power Rankings.

Here’s more from around the league:

Michael Malone‘s stint as a special observer with the Wolves is ending, but the former Kings coach will be visiting other teams in the near future, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reports (Twitter link).
A number of NBA teams have made trade inquiries regarding the Sixers‘ Robert Covington, but Philadelphia intends to hold onto the forward, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. The 24-year-old Covington is averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 27.2 minutes per game this season, and he is a core part of the franchise’s long-term plans, Charania notes.
The Russian team Krasny Oktyabr has decided to part ways with DeAndre Liggins, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. Liggins signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat last season, but he only appeared in one game for Miami. Liggins averaged 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in Russia this season.
Former Sixers swingman James Anderson, who is playing for Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas, was asked in interview with Erildas Budraitis of RealGM about what it was like to be a part of Philadelphia’s alleged tanking last season. Anderson said, “With the players and the coaches, we had the same mindset all year. Who likes to lose? We were not going out and trying to lose on purpose. We had a lot of close games actually that we should have won. It was the same mindset; our coach [Brett] Brown did a great job of keeping everybody together and keeping the locker room close. Everybody continued to improve. We just could not get over the hump for a while. It was tough but it was not a mindset of trying to lose.“

And-Ones: Onuaku, Jackson, LeVert

January 19th, 2015 at 7:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Six NBA teams have shown interest in power forward Arinze Onuaku, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Onuaku, who was briefly with the Pelicans and Cavs last season and spent camp this past fall with the Pacers, recently turned down an offer to play in the Philippines as he continues his dialogue with NBA clubs, Kennedy adds (Twitter links).

Here’s more from around the league:

Reggie Jackson is open to signing his qualifying offer this summer in an attempt to align his unrestricted free agency with the summer of 2016, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports. Most league executives reportedly assume the salary cap will surge to around $90MM. Jackson is on pace to invoke the starter criteria, which would lift the value of his qualifying offer from to nearly $3.223MM to almost $4.434MM.
Michigan’s Caris LeVert will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his foot during Saturday’s contest against Northwestern, the university has announced. The junior is scheduled to undergo surgery this week to repair the damage. This will be the second such procedure on LeVert’s left foot, as he had a similar injury last May. LeVert is currently the No. 14 ranked prospect by DraftExpress.
ESPN’s Chad Ford (Twitter link), who has LeVert slotted No. 30 in his draft rankings, still projects the guard to be a late first round to early second round pick come this June, provided LeVert is healthy in time for his pre-draft workouts.
Former Kings coach Michael Malone isn’t expected to remain with the Wolves past Wednesday’s game against Dallas, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune reports (Twitter link). Malone has been acting as a special observer with the Wolves, but Flip Saunders, Minnesota’s president of basketball operations, doesn’t see Malone having a role with the team past this stint, Zgoda notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.