Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Sixers, Wolves, Kennedy

September 20th, 2013 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Few NBA teams had less roster turnover this offseason than the Grizzlies. As our free agent tracker shows, the only player who signed with the team for more than the minimum was Tony Allen, who has played in Memphis since 2010 and emerged as one of the club's leaders. However, the team will be in for some changes on the bench, where former assistant Dave Joerger takes over the head coaching job from the departed Lionel Hollins. Joerger tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that while he'll stick to many of the things that made last year's team successful, he expects to add a few new wrinkles to the mix as well.

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

Former Pistons head coach John Kuester is currently the top candidate to be hired as Brett Brown's lead assistant with the 76ers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype spoke to Ricky Rubio, who identified the Timberwolves' new deals with Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger as the club's best signings of the summer.
Rebuilding is often a necessary process, but it has to give way to something substantial eventually, writes Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com. Deeks examines the free agent fates of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, noting that the Hawks were able to land Millsap for fewer years and dollars than the Bobcats signed Jefferson in part because Charlotte is paying a sort of "Bobcats tax" based on its reputation as a perennial lottery team.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Larry Coon lists the Nets, Bobcats, and Rockets among the winners of the league's new CBA, while placing the Celtics, Bulls, and Thunder in the losers column.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside takes a look at D.J. Kennedy's persistent quest to earn a spot on an NBA roster. Kennedy will be in camp with the Mavericks in October.

T-Wolves Mulling Offer To A.J. Price?

September 19th, 2013 at 8:44pm CST by Ryan Raroque

1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson reports, per a source, that the Timberwolves are discussing the possibility of bringing point guard A.J. Price into training camp, adding that the 6'2" guard had a nice year with the Wizards while current Minnesota GM Milt Newton had been a team executive in Washington. According to Wolfson, Price's agent Jeff Schwartz had also spent plenty of time speaking with president of basketball operations Flip Saunders this past summer (Twitter links).

In 57 games and 22 starts for the Wizards last season, Price put up career highs in minutes (22.4), points (7.7), assists (3.6), and three point field goal percentage (35.0%).

Wolves Notes: Turiaf, Williams, Camp Roster

September 18th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves held a press conference today to introduce offseason signee Ronny Turiaf to the media, and while no groundbreaking news emerged from the presser, Turiaf did express enthusiasm about joining a potential playoff team in Minnesota.

"I'm so excited about joining this team because of what they already are and what I can bring to the table," Turiaf said, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press (link via the Star Tribune). "It's this kid excitement, this pureness about really wanting to accomplish something special."

Here's more out of Minnesota…

When GM Flip Saunders called him during July's free agent period, Turiaf felt like Minnesota was where he belonged, he told reporters today (Twitter link via Timberwolves PR).
Saunders was asked about the looming decision on Derrick Williams' $6.33MM fourth-year option, which is due by the end of October, and replied "I think he's going to be here," according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune says that he doesn't think there's any real debate over whether the Wolves will pick up Williams' 2014/15 option, adding that Saunders seems to view it as a straightforward decision (Twitter links). Meanwhile, Wolfson suggests (via Twitter) that he thinks the team will exercise Williams' option, but eventually trade him.
The Wolves continue to talk to agents and could add at least one more player to their training camp roster, tweets Zgoda.

Rick Adelman Confirms Return For 2013/14

September 16th, 2013 at 8:27am CST by Zachary Links

There wasn't a tremendous amount of doubt surrounding Rick Adelman's status for the upcoming season, but it wasn't until recently that everything was 100% locked in. Over the weekend, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor confirmed to Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that the veteran coach will be on the sidelines to open the 2013/14 season.

Adelman was expected to be with the team going forward, but it wasn't for sure until he brought his coaching staff out to his home in Portland, Oregon last week and laid out the plans for this season. While the 67-year-old is undoubtedly excited about the upcoming season, he has much more important matters to tend to at home with his wife facing some health issues. Hopefully, this week's news means that Adelman's wife is feeling a whole lot better and on the road to recovery.

The highly-respected coach has yet to see the playoffs during his two years in Minnesota, but optimism is high around the T'Wolves that they'll be able to find their way in. For his career, Adelman owns a 1002-707 record with the Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings, Rockets, and T'Wolves.

Contract Details: Sanders, Pekovic, Harris, Bost

September 10th, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com is back with another round of salary details for several of the new contracts signed in recent weeks. Here's a round-up:

Larry Sanders' new four-year contract extension with the Bucks will pay him an even $11MM in each season. Those figures will increase slightly if Sanders reaches contract incentives currently considered unlikely.
The Timberwolves' five-year deal with Nikola Pekovic will pay the big center $12.1MM in each of the next four seasons, before dipping to $11.6MM in year five. His potential incentives are also listed as unlikely, meaning they don't count against the cap for now.
Elias Harris' deal with the Lakers is a two-year, minimum-salary pact. It's guaranteed for $100K in year one, and fully non-guaranteed in year two.
The Cavaliers inked Matthew Dellavedova to a two-year contract that looks virtually identical to Harris' — his minimum salary is partially guaranteed for $100K in 2013/14.
Like Harris and Dellavedova, Dee Bost also signed a two-year minimum contract, but his deal with the Trail Blazers is only guaranteed for $25K this season.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Celtics, Davis, Valanciunas

September 9th, 2013 at 9:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lakers started last season with a Hall of Fame-bound backcourt of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash with Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks in support. They ended it with two former second-round picks – Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock – playing close to 40 minutes apiece in a playoff game. Last season proved that backcourt depth is important for L.A., and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com breaks down the Lakers' guards from top to bottom, including the return of Jordan Farmar and newcomer Nick Young. Here's tonight's look around the NBA…

Former NBA player and new Wolves assistant coach Bobby Jackson has been putting Chase Budinger and rookie draft picks Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng, and Lorenzo Brown through tough two-a-day workouts, writes Dennis Brackin of Star-Tribune.
The HoopsWorld staff previewed the season ahead for the Bobcats and the potential impact of top acquisition Al Jefferson.
The Celtics will have offseason additions Kris Humphries and rookie Kelly Olynyk vying for time at the power forward position, writes Marc D'Amico of NBA.com. Humphries was a staple in the Nets' starting lineup for some time but coach Brad Stevens could wind up starting the offense-oriented Olynyk right out of the gate.
Magic forward Glen Davis, who has been recovering from a broken left foot, is expected to be cleared to resume basketball activities by month's end, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Big Baby is a trade candidate in Orlando and the Magic would like to move him if he can show that he is healthy and productive.
RealGM's Jonathan Tjarks looks at the Raptors' Jonas Valanciunas and sees the evolution of today's big man. Valanciunas is big and skilled enough to push smaller defenders around, but still quick and active enough to survive in a more wide-open game. The 21-year-old was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft.