Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press has several updates on Wednesday concerning the Minnesota Timberwolves:
Here are some additional odds and ends from around the Association late Tuesday night:
The Timberwolves, who have now been without Kevin Love for more than a month, have lost 14 of 16 and are at risk of letting their season get away from them. With Love not expected back for at least another month, there is an increasing likelihood that Minnesota will be sellers come deadline time.
Per Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, team president Davis Kahn was asked about his team's plans before Monday's loss to the Blazers, telling reporters, "We'll do something if it's in the interest of both the now and the future. We don't feel compelled to do something. But by the same token, we also don't feel that we can afford to just kind of sit it out. We have to really find out what's out there."
The Wolves are reportedly planning to reassess their situation after their current six-game homestand. Kahn has already predictably called Ricky Rubio and Love "untouchable," and has expressed interest in keeping Nikola Pekovic around long-term as well, despite the center drawing interest around the league.
With that considered, it sounds as if Kahn understands the risks of standing pat, the most notable of which being the failure to maximize return on the team's expendable assets. So what type of move will the Wolves make, if any?
Wolves forward Louis Amundson has been talking with his agent about the very real possibility that he will be traded or waived Friday if the club signs Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. "Everything's on the table right now. You never like to get traded, but sometimes the situation isn't what you hope to it to be. It can work out for the best sometimes," Amundson said. Here's more from around the Association…
Perhaps the most accomplished fourth-year player not to receive a contract extension before the season, it appears Brandon Jennings is preparing for restricted free agency this summer. According to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (Twitter link), Jennings has parted ways with agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management. It's not clear yet who will be representing Jennings as he approaches free agency, but Duffy indicated that he wishes the Bucks guard "nothing but the best" (Twitter link). Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:
Last night in Minnesota, the Timberwolves cruised to a 115-86 victory over the Hornets behind a season high 18 points from Dante Cunningham. However, the T’Wolves are eight games under .500 and are 2-8 in their last ten outings. Could a move be on the horizon? Here’s more on that and other news out of the Northwest Division..
A few random notes from around the league.
On Wednesday, when the Raptors and Grizzlies were on their way to finalizing the Rudy Gay deal, the Pistons, Celtics, and Mavericks were all mentioned as the potential third team involved, with Detroit eventually helping to facilitate the trade. According to Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, the Timberwolves were never in the mix as the potential third team in the trade, but the Hawks were in play. Here's more from Wolfson on the T-Wolves:
Brandon Roy's latest setback hasn't derailed his comeback attempt entirely, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. However, Roy's describes himself as at a "crossroads" in his career, and suggests that if he can't get healthy before the end of this season, he'll likely retire for a second time.
"I look at it like this has got to be the last season," Roy said. "I don't have any regrets because I know I tried to give it another season. So me saying this has to be the last season, it's not as difficult as it was last year. I tried. I gave it that last effort and it's time to move on. I'm at that range to where I'm at peace with things.”
Roy, recovering from knee surgery, had hoped to return to action for the Timberwolves tonight, but tweaked his knee last Saturday, eliminating any possibiliy that he'll be back before the All-Star break, says Haynes. While the setback didn't cause any damage and won't require additional surgery, it does cast more doubt on whether or not Roy will be able to return to the court at all.
As we outlined in the fall, the Timberwolves essentially insured themselves on the second year of Roy's contract. Because the 28-year-old's knee issues resurfaced, the team won't be on the hook for his $5.33MM salary next season, as it will become non-guaranteed. If the T-Wolves are pessimistic about Roy's ability to contribute to the club this season, they could also consider including his contract in a deal at the trade deadline for salary-matching purposes.
The latest news and notes around the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday evening: