Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Training Camp Notes: Kobe, Marion, Price, Dedmon

October 3rd, 2013 at 5:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Kobe Bryant will be heading back to Germany over the next several days to have platelet-rich plasma therapy treatment on his right knee, which is the same procedure that the Lakers superstar underwent in 2011 and credited with rejuvenating his career (Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports). One source tells Wojnarowski and Spears that the thinking behind pushing back the procedure until now is to give Kobe maximum benefit once he's able to return to action this season. Here's some more of the buzz coming from NBA training camps this evening:

Mavericks forward Shawn Marion will become a free agent after this upcoming season, but there's no guarantee that the 35-year-old will continue his playing career beyond 2014, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Timberwolves training camp invitee A.J. Price is expected to make the team, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN in Minnesota.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks that DeWayne Dedmon's size gives him a chance to make the Warriors' opening night roster.
Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal explains why New York should keep recently-invited swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts on board for the regular season.

Northwest Notes: Robinson, Williams, Trail Blazers

October 2nd, 2013 at 9:01pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Northwest Division.

Nuggets point guard Nate Robinson signed a two-year, $4.1MM contract this summer, with a player option in the second season. He wants a stable home, and is looking forward to picking up that option, unless, he says, Denver's management doesn't want him. Ultimately, the decision will be up to Robinson, writes the Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey.
1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson tweets a statement from Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams regarding his 2014/15 team option, saying "everyone would be a little shocked if it wasn't exercised."
OregonLive.com's Joe Freeman writes about the Trail Blazers' new roster depth, and how head coach Terry Stotts can now experiment with more versatile lineups.

Northwest Notes: OKC, Nuggets, Aldridge, Wolves

October 1st, 2013 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing 2012/13 with a knee injury, Chase Budinger re-signed with the Timberwolves this summer, with both sides looking to put a lost season behind them. However, Budinger's year is off to an ominious start — the team announced today that he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, a procedure that will sideline him indefinitely (Twitter links). As Minnesota looks to avoid further visits from the injury bug that plagued the club last season, let's round up a few items out of the Northwest Division….

Budinger isn't the only notable Northwest player who has recently undergone arthroscopic surgery. The Thunder have announced in a press release that Russell Westbrook had the procedure performed on his right knee today, and that he'll likely miss the first four to six weeks of the regular season.
Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post explores the 10 most interesting stories to come out of the Nuggets' Media Day, including GM Tim Connelly's willingness to shake up the roster, if necessary. "If we enjoy the success we want to have, maybe we’re not as motivated to be deal-seeking," Connelly said. "But I want to be opportunistic, I want to be aggressive. I don’t think we’re where we want to be at this point."
At Media Day in Portland, GM Neil Olshey encouraged reporters to "get over" their fascination with LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors and "move on," while Aldridge indicated that he's looking forward to spending the season with the Trail Blazers. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian and Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge have the details.
At the Timberwolves' Media Day, Kevin Love wasn't too interested in discussing the past, including his injury-plagued 2012/13 season or his relationship with ex-GM David Kahn, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
In a separate piece for the Star Tribune, Zgoda talks to T-Wolves head coach Rick Adelman about why it took so long to determine that he'd definitely be back on the bench for the coming season.
The Jazz finalized their camp roster today by signing Lester Hudson.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Martin, Aldridge, Corbin

September 30th, 2013 at 10:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders consulted coach Rick Adelman this summer as the team was debating the merits of signing J.J. Redick, O.J. Mayo and Kevin Martin. It was Martin, Adelman's former player on the Rockets and the only one of the trio who signed with Minnesota, who stood out to the longtime coach.

"All of them could help us," Adelman said, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes. "Anybody who could make a shot was going to help us. But Kevin I knew so well and I knew he’s going to get you 20 points every time he steps on the floor."

Zgoda passes along more from Adelman on his decision to return to the bench this season and his working relationship with Saunders, and we have more on Minnesota's rivals in the Northwest:

Blazers GM Neil Olshey was testy with reporters when asked about LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors at media day today, as Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge notes. For his part, Aldridge reiterated that he's not angling to get out of Portland. Golliver has a complete transcript of Olshey's media day comments here.
Olshey and Blazers coach Terry Stotts both expect the team to make the playoffs this season, as Mike Tokito of The Oregonian observes.
Tyrone Corbin, entering the final season of his contract with the Jazz, will be judged on how well the team's players develop this season rather than wins and losses, opines Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune.
We rounded up the latest from the Nuggets earlier this evening, including the team's addition of Kyle Fogg to its training camp roster.

Odds & Ends: Heat, Jazz, Bulls, NBPA, Collins

September 30th, 2013 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The potential expiring contracts for the Heat's Big Three will be a major topic of conversation throughout the 2013/14 season, but LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both downplayed the subject at Media Day in Miami today.

"You have concern when you feel people want to go elsewhere," Wade said, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). "I don't think nobody is looking to go elsewhere."

Here's more from around the NBA:

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey confirmed that the team is still in talks with Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward about possible rookie-scale extensions, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
In talking to reporters, including Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, about why he decided to sign with the Bulls, Mike Dunleavy Jr. pointed to the team's "high character."
Dahntay Jones is ready to compete in training camp for a spot on the Bulls' regular-season roster, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details.
Former Illinois guard Brandon Paul, who went undrafted in June, explains to Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside why he's heading overseas rather than to NBA training camp. According to Paul, he received and passed on camp invites from the Wolves, Nets, Blazers, and Heat.
After previously having tackled ten of the best contracts of the offseason, Mark Deeks of HoopsWorld shifts his focus and identifies ten of the worst contracts, including the Bobcats' signing of Al Jefferson, and the Pistons' deal with Josh Smith.
The NBA Players Association is aiming to have a new executive director in place by the 2014 All-Star break, sources tell Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweets that Jason Collins continues to work out "a ton" as he attempts to stay in shape in the hopes that an NBA team will show interest in signing him once the season gets underway.
Evaluating the Kings' signing of DeMarcus Cousins to a max extension, Daniel Leroux of RealGM.com gives the team a grade of D+ and the player a grade of A.

Western Notes: Wolves, Mavs, Lakers, Cousins

September 30th, 2013 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

As a number of NBA teams hold their annual fall Media Days, let's check in on a few items out of the Western Conference….

With Chase Budinger expected to be sidelined with a knee injury for the near future, the Timberwolves are getting calls about potential replacements, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). According to Wolfson, Josh Howard is one possibility, but the Wolves aren't making any moves for now.
Mavericks GM Gersson Rosas sat down with Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com to talk about analytics, his transition from the Rockets, and the advantages of a one-to-one D-League affiliation. He admits that the Mavs must catch a few breaks to be successful this season, pointing to defense and rebounding as weaknesses (video links).
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni and executive Jeanie Buss are now on the same page, despite the fact that Buss had initially hoped to see Phil Jackson hired by the team.
DeMarcus Cousins' contract extension with the Kings, which was officially announced today, is built on trust between Cousins and the team's new ownership group, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, T-Wolves, Clibanoff

September 28th, 2013 at 9:53pm CST by Spencer Lund

Tyrone Corbin is entering his fourth year as the coach of the Jazz. We mentioned earlier ESPN Insider Amin Elhassan's belief Corbin is on the coaching hot seat this season, with front court nucleus Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson gone in free agency to the Hawks and Bobcats, respectively.

Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune profiles Corbin as he enters the final year of his contract with the Jazz "where an extension is unlikely." Corbin will shepherd an inexperienced group unlikely to cause much of a ruckus in the tough Western Conference. His place as part of the rebuilding Jazz is murky, at best.

Here's what else is happening around the Northwest division on a jam-packed Saturday night as NBA training camps finally open…

The Deseret News' Jody Genessy details the 20 training camp Jazz invites, including Justin Holiday, the older brother (Twitter) of Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday.
Justin Holiday, Genessy adds via Twitter, is one of 7 players who will be in Jazz camp with non-guaranteed deals, as well as the 13 players (Twitter) already with guaranteed deals.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune details the five major issues facing the Timberwolves as they enter training camp. The primary issue is health with their nucleus of Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, all missing time last season as the 'Wolves again failed to reach the playoffs.
Zgoda also goes through the uncertain contract status of power forward Derrick Williams. If the 'Wolves don't exercise their option paying him $6.33MM next season, the former No. 2 overall pick will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
With the 'Wolves facing a lot of contract unknowns in the near future Williams place with them is uncertain.
The Timberwolves' Chase Budinger may miss 6-8 weeks as swelling and discomfort continue in the same left knee that sidelined him for all but five games last season, Zgoda reported earlier today. An MRI revealed, according to coach Flip Saunders, "a little something in there." The news comes fresh after Budinger re-signed with the 'Wolves for three years and $15MM this summer.
Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman asked Thunder players Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka what nicknames they'd put on their jerseys if the NBA allowed the practice.
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that the Nuggets have hired Jim Clibanoff as Director of Scouting. Previously, Clibanoff ran a respected private scouting service.

T-Wolves To Sign A.J. Price

September 27th, 2013 at 1:57pm CST by Ryan Raroque

FRIDAY, 1:57pm: Price's contract will be fully non-guaranteed, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, but Wolfson still believes the veteran guard should be able to stick with the team (Twitter link). Zgoda agrees that Price should have a fair shot, pointing out that the Wolves could waive Chris Johnson if they want to keep two of their camp invitees, rather than just one.

THURSDAY, 9:44pm: Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are expected to add guard A.J. Price to their training camp roster tomorrow. Earlier today, Zgoda mentioned that the team had been in talks with the UConn product about a training camp invite, and we had relayed the possibility from ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson about a week ago.

Assuming that Price signs on with a non-guaranteed deal, Minnesota will have 14 guaranteed and four non-guaranteed contracts, leaving one spot potentially up for grabs. Based on what head of basketball operations Flip Saunders intimated last month about the team currently not having any needs, it's likely that the Timberwolves would only look to bring on another guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deal if one of the training camp invitees were to make a very strong impression. As we noted last week, Price has some familiarity with Minnesota GM Milt Newton, as the point guard had been somewhat of a steady rotation player for the Wizards while Newton had served as a team executive in Washington D.C. last season.

Timberwolves Sign Brown, Hummel, Jeffers

September 26th, 2013 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

With training camp set to get underway next week, the Timberwolves have officially added three players to their roster, the team announced today. 2013 second-rounder Lorenzo Brown, 2012 second-rounder Robbie Hummel, and free agent Othyus Jeffers have signed with the Wolves, according to the club's PR Twitter account.

All three players had been expected to participate in camp in Minnesota this fall, though given the makeup of the roster, it's very unlikely that more than one of the three earns a regular-season roster spot. The Wolves are currently carrying players on 14 guaranteed contracts, leaving just one opening. Based on a report from Darren Wolfson earlier in September, it doesn't seem as if the Wolves will bring additional bodies to camp — at least not to compete for that final roster spot.

In Brown and Hummel, the Wolves are adding the 42nd-ranked players in the 2013 and 2012 draft classes, respectively, based on Chad Ford's lists at ESPN.com. Brown, a point guard was selected 52nd overall by Minnesota this past June, while Hummel was drafted 58th overall a year ago. As our international player movement tracker shows, the former Purdue forward spent last season in Spain.

As for Jeffers, the 6'5" shooting guard went undrafted in 2008 and has bounced around between the D-League and international leagues since then, with a few NBA stops along the way. Jeffers, who appeared in 31 total games for the Jazz, Spurs, and Wizards from 2010 to 2011, averaged 14.7 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 33 contests for the D-League's Iowa Energy last season.

Western Rumors: Budinger, Lakers, Vasquez

September 20th, 2013 at 9:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

A handful of teams were reportedly suitors of Chase Budinger this summer, but after just a single injury-shortened year in Minnesota, the Timberwolves had already won his heart, as he told reporters today, including Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (video link).

"It was a fairly easy decision." Budinger said of re-signing with the Wolves. "I just fit perfectly in Rick Adelman's system. He trusts me. I know the coaching staff. I know what they expect of me. Just all in all, I was very comfortable here, and that was the main reason why I came back."

Zgoda's video also shows Budinger and Dante Cunningham talking about the club's offseason additions. Here's more from Minnesota's Western Conference rivals:

Dave Murphy of Forum Blue & Gold confirms that Nick Minnerath will pass up a training camp invitation from the Lakers to play for Obradoiro in Spain (hat tip to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times). We suspected as much when the Spanish team announced its deal last month with the undrafted former University of Detroit forward.
Greivis Vasquez hasn't yet played a game for the Kings, who acquired him via trade from the Pelicans this summer, but the team already faces a decision about whether to extend his rookie-scale deal. Sacramento GM Pete D'Alessandro is among those who praises the Venezuelan point guard in Alex Kramers' piece for Kings.com, which chronicles Vasquez's unlikely journey to the team.
The Kosta Koufos trade figures to open up the Nuggets starting center job for JaVale McGee, but Timofey Mozgov is also in line for more playing time as the primary backup at the position after inking a new three-year deal in the offseason. The big man recognizes the opportunity before him, as he tells Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.