Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyler On Dwight, Hornets, Beasley, Gay, Magic

January 12th, 2013 at 3:34pm CST by Sean Highkin

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions from his Twitter followers on Saturday regarding various free agency and trade rumors.

Just as they plan to make a run at Chris Paul (link below), the Hawks will aggressively pursue Dwight Howard as well, Kyler says.
Hornets GM Dell Demps tells Kyler he wants to give his roster more time to play together, so New Orleans is unlikely to be active at the deadline.
The Lakers almost traded for Michael Beasley last year, but Kyler can't see them doing so again (Twitter links).
Kyler speculates that the Wizards are the most logical destination for Rudy Gay.
The Magic, who possess a trade exception worth more than $17.8MM from the Dwight Howard deal, aren't likely to use it for a "splashy" move.
If the Magic deal away J.J. Redick, he'll look to sign with a contender as a free agent this summer.

Earlier updates:

Kyler tweets that the Hawks intend to make a strong push for Chris Paul this summer. The Bobcats will also attempt to lure him, but Kyler does not think he will leave the Clippers.
Kyler says that Andrew Bynum will be seeking a max contract on the open market, although there is some doubt that he will get such an offer. He points to the Rockets as one team willing to take a gamble.
The Magic value J.J. Redick highly, and it would cost several draft picks for them to move him.
Kyler sees the Grizzlies' recent Rudy Gay trade discussions as an attempt to understand roster value.
If Derrick Williams continues his strong play, Kyler thinks the Timberwolves may opt to move Kevin Love instead.
The Celtics may be open to trading Paul Pierce, Kyler writes, if the return makes them more competitive right now.

Wolves Turned Down Trade Offer For Gay?

January 11th, 2013 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported that if the Grizzlies and Timberwolves had discussed a Rudy Gay trade, talks had been very casual. Now, Wolfson says that the Grizzlies did make Minnesota an offer involving Gay, but that Wolves president David Kahn "said no immediately."

According to Wolfson, the Timberwolves were very interested in Gay when he hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2010, and had planned to meet him face-to-face to discuss an offer sheet. However, Gay agreed to re-sign with Memphis before meeting with Kahn and the T-Wolves. The Wolves maintain interest in the 26-year-old, however, and are worth monitoring as the trade deadline approaches, despite their reluctance to take on the money remaining on his contract.

Wolfson speculates that the Grizzlies' offer to the Wolves included at least one of Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic, and suggests that three- or four-team scenarios may have been briefly discussed as well.

The Suns, Kings, Celtics, Warriors, Raptors, Nuggets, and Cavs are among the other clubs that have linked to Gay and the Grizzlies to varying degrees within the last few days.

Northwest Notes: Williams, Lillard, Thunder

January 10th, 2013 at 9:23pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest links and updates in the Northwest Division on Thursday:

Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press praises Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams for taking advantage of the opportunity created by Kevin Love's latest hand injury.
Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News writes that Oakland native Damian Lillard is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year with the Blazers.
Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports that Eric Maynor has no interest in a D-League assignment despite falling out of the Thunder's rotation as backup point guard.
Mayberry also has a quote from Nick Collison, who cites his ability to take a lesser role as a major reaso he's been able to stay relevant in the NBA.

Heat Re-Sign Josh Harrellson

January 10th, 2013 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

Three days after being released by the Heat, Josh Harrellson has rejoined the team, according to Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Richardson reports that Miami has re-signed Harrellson to a 10-day contract.

The Heat opened up two roster spots earlier this week by cutting Harrellson and Terrel Harris before their non-guaranteed contracts became guaranteed for the season. However, the club didn't waste much time in filling those spots. Besides Harrellson, Jarvis Varnado also signed a 10-day contract with Miami yesterday.

The pair of signings means that, for now, there's no room on the Heat roster for Chris Andersen, who worked out for the team this week. However, Miami will have the opportunity to reevaluate their frontcourt options in 10 days, when Varnado's and Harrellson's contracts expire.

Before Harrellson re-signed with Miami, he was in contact with the Timberwolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).

Kevin Love Breaks Hand, Out 8-10 Weeks

January 9th, 2013 at 2:26pm CST by Michael Pina

WEDNESDAY, 2:26pm: Love is expected to undergo surgery on his broken hand next week and then miss an additional eight to ten weeks, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 4:23pm: According to a tweet from the Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda, Kevin Love has re-fractured the third metacarpal in his right hand. Love will see a hand specialist in New York City this week, and his return to action is pending whether or not the doctor decides surgery is needed, tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger.

The injury occurred Thursday night against Denver. It's the same hand he infamously broke before the season while doing knuckle push-ups. Minnesota is currently 15-14 fighting for their first playoff appearance in nine seasons. Already rumored to be an active team before the trade deadline, Love's injury could have a major impact on whether or not they become sellers or buyers.

Raptors Seriously Interested In Rudy Gay

January 9th, 2013 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

A flurry of Rudy Gay rumors on Tuesday suggested that the Suns and Grizzlies were discussing a possible deal for Gay that could include Jared Dudley, and that the Warriors, Kings, and Celtics were among the other teams that had at least preliminary talks with Memphis. With six weeks still to go before this season's trade deadline, it's unlikely that the Grizzlies make a move this early, but the reports continue to pour in, so we'll round up today's Gay-related rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Nuggets also spoke to the Grizzlies about Gay, but those discussions appear to be fruitless, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick adds that the Mavericks aren't currently pursuing Gay.

Earlier updates:

The Raptors are seriously interested in making a run at Gay and are believed to be dangling young big man Ed Davis and Jose Calderon's expiring contract, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Toronto previously made a run at Gay, offering packages headlined by Calderon and their No. 8 pick in last year's draft, which eventually became Terrence Ross.
The Grizzlies haven't made a decision one way or the other yet on whether they'll trade Gay, says Stein, who adds that some rival GMs believe Memphis could wait until the summer to make a move. According to Stein, the Grizzlies don't intend to just move Gay's salary if it significantly weakens the team in the process.
Responding to Stein's report, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun expresses uneasiness about the Raptors parting ways with Davis, and suggests that Ross may make more sense as a target for the Grizzlies (all Twitter links).
At least eight teams have expressed some interest in Gay, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Kyler adds in a second tweet that the Grizzlies are "geniunely torn" on whether or not to move the veteran forward.
If the Grizzlies have contacted the Timberwolves about Gay, it was a very casual conversation, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Finding a big man is the more pressing concern for Minnesota, according to Wolfson.

Injury Updates: Rose, Gasol, Varejao, Shumpert

January 8th, 2013 at 11:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While injury news may not be part of our main scope at Hoops Rumors, we have a handful of updates to share this evening:

Kevin Love will travel to New York on Wednesday in order to determine whether or not he'll need surgery on his broken right hand, according to Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
Derrick Rose should be cleared for full-contact practice within the next two weeks, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Subscribers only). Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times provided another look at the superstar's return to practice today, noting that Rose looked good in "predictable contact" drills.
Kevin Ding of the OC Register (via Twitter) notes that Dwight Howard's injury is actually a separated shoulder (not a torn labrum) and that he hopes to return after a week of recovery. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets that Dwight's injury will not require surgery.

Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Murray, Bucks

January 8th, 2013 at 11:14pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With Kevin Love's uncertain health status for the rest of the season, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN says that the Timberwolves have made it a "pressing priority" to add another big man to their roster, and that there is a strong likelihood that Minnesota makes a move by the trade deadline. Also, Wolfson writes that the team has not been engaged by the Grizzlies in exploratory trade talks involving Rudy Gay. Here's more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the NBA:

Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com wonders if it may be time for the 76ers to make a drastic move the way Brooklyn did in order to right their ship. Although firing Doug Collins may not be the answer, dealing Thaddeus Young might be a painful-but-necessary move worth considering.
Several months removed from telling the Hornets that he wanted to be in Phoenix, Eric Gordon is ready and willing to take on the leadership role expected from him in New Orleans (Steve Kyler of USA Today reports).
Ronald Murray has signed with Azovmash Mariupol of the Ukraine, according to Basket-Planet.com (credit goes to HoopsHype for the translation). The 6'3 guard's resume includes an eight-year stint in the NBA from 2002 to 2010, last playing for the Bulls and subsequently the Bobcats during the 2009-10 season.
Zach Lowe of Grantland explains why Scott Skiles was not the Bucks' main problem and looks into the bigger decisions ahead with regards to the futures of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. Lowe mentions that if Ellis decides to opt-out this summer, Milwaukee could have max-level cap room to work with at that point.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside examines Demetris Nichols and Sean Evans, two former standouts from New York colleges who have started to make some waves in the D-League. Schlosser thinks that both have shown some characteristics of being possible contributors in the NBA.
Emilio Carchiano from Sportando.net notes that Gary Forbes has officially signed a deal with Atleticos de San German.

T-Wolves Re-Sign Lazar Hayward

January 8th, 2013 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

5:05pm: The team has officially signed Hayward to a 10-day contract, according to Mark Remme of NBA.com.

12:00pm: The Timberwolves are expected to re-sign Lazar Hayward to a 10-day contract, assuming he clears waivers later today, reports Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Hayward was released by the Wolves on Sunday.

Hayward, who was playing on a non-guaranteed deal, was cut before his contract became guaranteed for the season. The T-Wolves will have the option of keeping him around for 20 more days (two 10-day contracts) before deciding whether or not they want to sign him for the remainder of the season.

The 26-year-old, who was acquired by the Timberwolves on draft night in 2010, was traded to the Thunder before the 2011/12 season, and then sent to the Rockets in the James Harden deal before the 2012/13 season. The Wolves scooped Hayward back up after he was released by the Rockets.

Western Notes: White, Nowitzki, Wolves, Blazers

January 8th, 2013 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

So far, votes are virtually evenly split on whether or not the Lakers will earn a playoff spot this season in the competitive Western Conference. You can weigh in with your vote and/or comments on our afternoon poll right here. As the Lakers prepare to face the Rockets tonight in Houston, let's check in on a few Western Conference notes relating to the Rockets and a handful of other clubs….

Royce White appeared on Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast, and went into detail in discussing his relationship with the Rockets and the mental health protocol he's hoping to establish. You can listen to the conversation at about the 24:15 mark of the podcast or view the complete transcript over at Slate.com.
Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says he expects Dirk Nowitzki to remain with the Mavericks for the rest of his career, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Nowitzki recently questioned some of the Mavs' roster-building strategies, but insisted he wants to remain in Dallas and not be traded.
Even though Kevin Love will be out for an extended period, the Timberwolves, like every other team in the NBA, aren't currently interested in Kenyon Martin, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey isn't looking to make superficial changes to his team's roster, but is ready to make a move if the right kind of deal arises, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes.
Terrel Harris, who was cut this weekend by the Heat, will join the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle clarifies (via Twitter) that Harris won't be part of Houston's 15-man roster, but the Vipers are operated by the Rockets, who want to take a look at the guard.