Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid Named Players Of The Week

November 13th, 2023 at 2:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (Western Conference) and Sixers center Joel Embiid (East) have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced (via Twitter).

It’s the first player of the week award for Edwards, according to a Wolves press release. He helped lead Minnesota to a 4-0 record after averaging 31.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.0 steals (36.5 minutes). The Wolves are currently 7-2, a half-game out of first place in the West.

Embiid, who helped lead Philadelphia to its own undefeated week at 4-0, averaged 36.3 points, 12.5 boards, 5.0 assists and 2.0 blocks in his four appearances (34.2 minutes). The 76ers have the best record in the NBA at 8-1 and have now had the East’s player of the week twice in the season’s first 21 days — Tyrese Maxey won the award in week one.

According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Anthony Davis, Cam Reddish, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerami Grant, Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun, while Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Caris LeVert, Mark Williams, and Maxey were nominated in the East.

Spurs Notes: Sochan, Wembanyama, Vassell, Ginobili

November 11th, 2023 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeremy Sochan admits switching to point guard in his second NBA season hasn’t been a smooth transition, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Sochan’s passing ability made him stand out as a power forward, so Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had him change positions to get a bigger starting lineup on the court.

This is the first time Sochan has ever tried to be a point guard and he acknowledged, “There have been moments where there isn’t confidence.” However, Popovich remains committed to what he calls the “official experiment of 2023/24” even as the results have been mixed. Sochan committed six turnovers in Friday’s loss to Minnesota, but he also posted 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists while serving as the primary defender on Anthony Edwards.

“I am making a transition like this in the NBA, which is rare,” Sochan said. “You don’t see a lot of people going from power forward to point guard.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

Victor Wembanyama impressed fellow French center Rudy Gobert in their first NBA meeting, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN. The Spurs lost the matchup even though Wembanyama had 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks, with three of the rejections coming on shots by Gobert. “I think his positioning is way ahead of the positioning of a rookie,” Gobert said. “You can tell that he is well coached and also that he is studying the game. That will only get better throughout the year. He’s already affecting (shots). He’s already getting in people’s minds a bit defensively. He’s going to be a real, real problem. He’s already a problem, but I think he’s going to be a real, real problem really soon.”
Devin Vassell also scored 29 points on Friday, and Wembanyama is happy to have him as a franchise cornerstone after he signed a five-year, $135MM+ extension last month, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’m very hopeful and I have zero worries for him and for his future in this franchise,” the rookie big man said. “It’s good to have guys like this.”
Spurs legend Manu Ginobili, who now serves as a special advisor to basketball operations for the team, believes it will take three years to build a championship contender around Wembanyama, relays Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. Ginobili explained his outlook in an appearance on a podcast hosted by his former backcourt partner Tony Parker, saying, “(Wembanyama) is going to be extraordinary, almost for sure. But there’s work to be done. There’s a process. You’ve got to improve step by step. If we start putting responsibilities on him, or expecting him to take us to the playoffs or the Finals right away, that doesn’t make any sense.”

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Conley, Wolves, K. George

November 10th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The final chapter of Damian Lillard‘s fruitful 11-year relationship with the Trail Blazers was a somewhat acrimonious one, with both sides taking criticism for how they handled Lillard’s trade request this offseason. When the star guard asked out of Portland, he demanded to be sent to a specific team (Miami), and the Blazers responded by taking months to make a deal and ultimately sending him somewhere else (Milwaukee).

Still, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is confident that time will heal any wounds that this summer’s saga created, as he tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.

“Sooner or later, talks will be had,” Billups said. “Emotion will be down and that will heal itself. I really believe that. At the end of the day, what Dame did for the organization has never been done before. He’s gonna go down as the greatest. And also what this organization did for Dame was incredible. They had an incredible two-way relationship for the entire time.”

While there may be some fences in need of mending between Lillard and Portland’s front office – including general manager Joe Cronin – Billups says he stayed out of the team’s trade talks and has remained close with Lillard, who was a friend even before Billups was hired by the Blazers.

“We’ve had several [conversations], even when [the trade discussions] first started,” Billups told Goodwill. “I already knew, even however this goes, it’s not gonna change our relationship, our friendship. We talk about very personal things, we talk about hoop at times. And we’ve talked several times since it’s been over. I’m happy for him.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Even if Rudy Gobert‘s strong early-season play continues, it’s hard to imagine the trade that sent him from Utah to Minnesota ever looking like a big win for the Timberwolves, given what they gave up to get him. But Wolves fans should feel good about the other trade the team made with Utah last season, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune, who says point guard Mike Conley has been an ideal fit in Minnesota. “If you heard the reports about Mike Conley before he came here, you’d have thought he was broken down and had to be wrapped in bubble plastic everyday,” head coach Chris Finch said. “That has certainly not been the case. I think he’s exceeded our expectations by a long mile — on and off the floor.”
Multiple scouts who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype are confident that the Timberwolves‘ hot start this season is sustainable. “Anthony Edwards is a top-10 player in the NBA right now,” one scout said. “He’s the real deal and plays both sides of the ball. Minnesota has two top-10 NBA defenders: Rudy Gobert, with his rim protection, and Jaden McDaniels, one of the best defenders on the perimeter. People forget they played Denver tough the last few games of their series. I think they can be a real threat in the West.”
Keyonte George‘s first career start – which came Wednesday on the day he turned 20 – was “the best birthday present you could ever ask for,” he said this week. It also felt like the start of a new era for Utah’s backcourt, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who points out that a notable former Jazz point guard, Deron Williams, also made his first start in his ninth career game 18 years ago. Expecting George to emulate Williams’ ascent to stardom is probably unfair, but his teammates were impressed by how the rookie responded to the promotion. “(It) was a really good showing in terms of Keyonte at the point, running the show, playing his role,” Jordan Clarkson said. “He’ll have big games scoring points, big games getting assists, it was our first time having him out there, and it was really big time for him.”

Northwest Notes: Gobert, Edwards, Brogdon, Giddey

November 9th, 2023 at 5:44pm CST by Rory Maher

It’s only been seven games, but the 5-2 Timberwolves have to be encouraged by what they’ve seen from Rudy Gobert, who has looked much more like the player who earned six straight All-Defensive First Team appearances and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2016-22, as opposed to the player who didn’t receive a single vote for an All-Defensive squad last season.

In fact, Gobert believes he’s playing better than he ever has, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details.

“Not even my old self. I feel better than I’ve ever felt because I feel like I’m stronger than I’ve been,” Gobert said earlier this season. “And I just see the experience that I have now, and you add that to the rest of the abilities that I have, I think that’s the best that I’ve been.”

The Wolves have the league’s top defense thus far in 2023/24 and Gobert has been a major reason why, according to Krawczynski, who writes that the 7’1″ big man has been noticeably more mobile and athletic than he was in ’22/23. Head coach Chris Finch met with Gobert over the summer to stress that the team needed him to be more flexible defensively, and he has been pleased with the 31-year-old’s level of buy-in.

“Being able to keep your mind open and being able to adapt, I think this is the strength of the best teams in the world,” Gobert said, per Krawczynski. “And I feel like right now we are creating our identity. And soon enough, I think people are gonna have to adapt to us and not the opposite.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Speaking to Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), Gobert says Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has a chance to be an All-Defensive team member in the future. “The things he can do are incredible,” Gobert said. “He has all the tools to be an All-Defensive type of player. He has the one that you don’t teach, which is the fire, wanting to take every possession personally.” Gobert added that while Edwards is an impressive on-ball defender, he has challenged the former No. 1 overall pick to be better and more alert off the ball.
Trail Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon exited Wednesday’s loss to Sacramento due to a left hamstring strain and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, Portland announced (via Twitter). We’ll have to wait for further updates to see how long the reigning Sixth Man of the Year might be sidelined.
Thunder guard/forward Josh Giddey received a technical foul in the second quarter of Monday’s victory over Atlanta, but it has been rescinded, the NBA announced on Thursday (Twitter link). The No. 6 pick of the 2021 draft, Giddey will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason after having his fourth-year option exercised last month.

Jordan McLaughlin Has Knee Sprain, Out At Least One Month

November 7th, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jordan McLaughlin has played sparingly for the Timberwolves so far this season and he won’t play at all for at least the next month.

McLaughlin underwent an MRI on Tuesday that revealed a right knee MCL sprain, according to a team press release. He will be reevaluated in four weeks.

McLaughlin was injured during a four-minute stint against Boston on Monday. He has appeared in five games last season.

It’s a rough blow for a 27-year-old reserve who will be a free agent after the season. He had his $2.32MM salary for this season guaranteed prior to the start of free agency in July.

A member of the Timberwolves since the 2019/20 season, McLaughlin appeared in 43 games last season and a career-high 62 in 2021/22. He sports career averages of 4.6 points and 3.4 assists in 16.4 minutes over 197 career games.

Northwest Notes: Jackson, Nuggets, Towns, Edwards

November 6th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray sustained a right hamstring strain on Saturday and has been ruled out for Monday’s contest against New Orleans. Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports expects Murray to miss a couple weeks, noting that the Nuggets are often cautious when it comes to managing injuries.

Murray being sidelined means Reggie Jackson, who had been the primary backup, will likely take over as starter. As Wind writes, Collin Gillespie and Jalen Pickett could be in line for minutes at point guard behind Jackson, with Gillespie getting the nod on Saturday.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

After winning their first championship in 2022/23, the 6-1 Nuggets once again lead the Western Conference and head coach Michael Malone says they aren’t resting on their laurels, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I think we’re playing a very effective brand of basketball,” Malone said. “Our defense has been pretty good. Our offense, besides turning the ball over too much, has been very good. I’m always looking for improvement, so I think we can be playing so much better on both ends of the floor. But there has been no championship hangover from our guys coming into this season. There has been no thought that we can just turn it on because we’re the defending champs, and the guys deserve a lot of credit for that. They have understood the responsibility that comes along with winning a championship. And for most nights of the year, they have come out with that proper mindset and approach.”
The Timberwolves have the league’s best defense early on in 2023/24, but their offense looked sluggish until Saturday’s dismantling of the Jazz, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Karl-Anthony Towns, who had been in a shooting slump, finished with a season-high 25 points (on 7-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line), while Anthony Edwards had his most efficient scoring night as well (31 points on 13-of-19 shooting). Having both former No. 1 overall picks playing well at the same time may be the biggest key to unlocking Minnesota’s offensive upside, Krawczynski notes. “They’re both hard-wired scorers,” head coach Chris Finch said. “When they see it go in a couple of times, they want to see it go in 10 times in a row. That can be a good thing, but it also can be something you gotta watch. Tonight it felt good.”
Edwards admits his “selfish” play has been a detriment at times for the Timberwolves‘ offense, and he’s working on impacting the game beyond just scoring, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Starting with myself, just can’t come out being selfish, worrying about however many points I wanna score,” Edwards said. “I think that’s the main thing with me. I be worried so much about scoring and how many points I got and how many points I’m tryin’ to get instead of just worrying about the little things — rebounding, boxing out, getting back on [defense]. … I think if I come out with the mentality of not worrying about points, we’ll be all right.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

November 4th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters. The Grizzlies have been granted an extra roster spot after moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, so let’s call it 541.

Of those 541 potential roster spots, 527 are currently occupied, leaving just 14 open roster spots around the NBA. Four of those open roster spots belong to two teams, while 10 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Two open standard roster spots

Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

As we’ve previously discussed, teams can only carry two open spots on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time, so the Warriors and Clippers will each have to add a 14th man soon.

That deadline is coming up very soon for the Warriors, who have had two open roster spots since the start of the season on October 24. The Clippers, who just dipped to 13 players following their two trades on Thursday, will have a little more time to decide on their next roster move.

I wouldn’t expect either team to be in any rush to add a 15th man, since both clubs are well above the luxury tax line.

One open standard roster spot

Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Portland Trail Blazers

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all over the tax line, while the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.

The Pistons are well below the tax, however, while the Trail Blazers have more than enough flexibility to sign a 15th man without getting too close to tax territory. Both teams should be on the lookout for players who would make good candidates to fill those openings.

One open two-way roster spot

Phoenix Suns

It’s no coincidence that Phoenix, the only NBA team without a G League affiliate of its own, is also the only club carrying just a pair of two-way players instead of three.

With no NBAGL team where they can send players for developmental purposes, the Suns will be less motivated to carry a full complement of two-way players, since it’s unlikely they’ll need three of them to regularly contribute at the NBA level unless their standard roster is beset by injuries.

Sixers Notes: Trade Targets, Harden, Maxey, Embiid, Harris, Martin

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors forward OG Anunoby is a player to watch as the Sixers try to remake their roster following the James Harden trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says in a conversation with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Scotto states that Nick Nurse is a huge fan of Anunoby after coaching him in Toronto, and he would be a good fit with the current roster on both offense and defense. Scotto also points out that the Sixers would have plenty of cap room to re-sign Anunoby when he becomes a free agent next summer.

Sources tell Scotto that Philadelphia may eye a few other trade targets such as Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic. He hears the Sixers aren’t interested in pursuing Karl-Anthony Towns to play alongside Joel Embiid because he hasn’t meshed well with Rudy Gobert on the Timberwolves. Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan would provide scoring punch, but he also brings spacing issues to the offense. Scotto doesn’t believe Philadelphia currently has interest in either Raptors forward Pascal Siakam or Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant.

Pompey doesn’t see another ball-dominant scorer as an ideal fit because of Tyrese Maxey‘s strong play to open the season. Anunoby’s defense and Bogdanovic’s outside shooting would be more valuable, according to Pompey, and they’re likely to cost less than some of the other hypothetical targets.

Scotto and Pompey offer more on the Sixers:

The Clippers‘ offer that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey accepted for James Harden was the only legitimate one he received, according to Pompey. He speculates that the organization wanted to unload Harden before he was reintroduced to the team and possibly caused a distraction, and there was concern that L.A.’s interest in Harden might lessen if the team got off to a strong start. Scotto hears that the Knicks called about Harden but never made a serious offer, while the Heat weren’t involved at all.
The Sixers believe it will take a max contract to keep Maxey in free agency next summer, Scotto hears. The fourth-year guard has excelled as the leader of the offense with Harden sidelined, but Scotto believes the organization has to determine whether he’s best suited as a point guard or shooting guard.
Embiid is “monitoring the situation” to see if Morey can build a legitimate contender before making any decisions about his future, Pompey states. The Sixers are currently optimistic about keeping him happy, but Pompey warns that another early playoff exit could prompt him to ask for a trade during the offseason.
The Sixers will be interested in re-signing Tobias Harris, but they can’t give him close to a max contract because of how much they’ll have to pay Maxey and possibly others, Pompey adds. He points out that Philadelphia has Harris’ Bird rights, which will help with his next contract but would eat into the club’s cap room.
Sources tell Scotto that the Sixers are “intrigued” with Kenyon Martin Jr., who was part of the return from the Clippers in the Harden deal, and may consider re-signing him next summer if he plays well.

And-Ones: Chiozza, Haliburton, Edwards, Team USA, Olympics

November 1st, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA point guard Chris Chiozza will continue his playing career in Spain, having signed with Baskonia through the end of the 2023/24 season, according to a press release from the team.

Chiozza appeared in 91 total regular season games for the Rockets, Wizards, Nets, and Warriors between 2018-22. After seeing NBA action in four straight seasons, he was waived by Brooklyn last October and wasn’t in the league in 2022/23.

However, Chiozza thrived for the Long Island Nets in the G League last season, averaging 12.6 points and 9.1 assists in 34.1 minutes per game across 46 total regular season and Showcase Cup contests, with a .433/.404/.729 shooting line. The performance earned him a spot on the All-NBAGL Third Team — but not another NBA opportunity this fall.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Speaking to Joe Vardon of The Athletic about his experience competing in the FIBA World Cup this summer, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said that he and Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards were “recruiting each other” during their team with Team USA and that they both believe they’re deserving of spots on the U.S. roster for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Team USA has secured Olympic berths in both men’s and women’s 3-on-3 basketball, making the U.S. the first national basketball federation to earn spots in Paris in all four basketball competitions (men’s and women’s 5-on-5 and 3-on-3), per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Former NBA lottery pick Jimmer Fredette is expected to be part of Team USA’s 3-on-3 roster at the 2024 Olympics. “People are starting to understand a little bit about 3-on-3, what it is, and as they do, they’re like, ‘Oh, this is kind of a cool sport,'” Fredette said. “We’ve been trying to raise awareness, build a program and become the best in the world at it. We’re headed that direction, but we’re not there yet.”
The fact that James Harden ultimately got the trade he sought to his preferred destination in Los Angeles is proof that player empowerment remains very much alive in the NBA, Vincent Goodwill writes in a column for Yahoo Sports.

Gobert: We Can Be Premier Defense

October 30th, 2023 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, no stranger to Defensive Player of the Year trophies, says he feels stronger than ever and believes that with the athletes around him, Minnesota can have the best defense in the league, per Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “We have size. We have guys that can move their feet. We have guys that are dogs, competitors,” Gobert said. “Those three things, you put them together, why wouldn’t you want us to be the best defensive team in the league with all those weapons?”
Jaden McDaniels will make his debut against Atlanta tonight, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The Timberwolves forward has been dealing with a left calf injury. He signed a five-year rookie scale extension a week ago.