Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Jennings, Pekovic, Flynn, Draft

February 4th, 2013 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

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:

Past reports have suggested the Trail Blazers have interest in Nikola Pekovic, and Pekovic considers that a compliment, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. "That's really nice when you hear that other teams like Portland really want to bring you in," Pekovic said. "That means that I'm doing a good job and they like what I'm doing. That's something nice."
Productive players on rookie deals are among the league's most valuable commodities, but sometimes maximizing their value means trading them at the right time, says Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
Jonny Flynn's All-Star season in Australia may put him back on the NBA radar, writes Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside.
In his weekly Morning Tip piece at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge explores the Grizzlies' decision to trade Rudy Gay and speculates on who might be the next executive director of the NBPA.
In their latest look at this June's potential draft class, Jay Bilas and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) examine the nation's best big-men prospects.

Northwest Notes: T’Wolves, Jazz, Nuggets

February 3rd, 2013 at 6:28pm CST by Zachary Links

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..

All is quiet on the Timberwolves for the time being but the front office will reassess things after their current six-game homestand, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Recently, club president David Kahn stopped short of calling Nikola Pekovic “untouchable” as he did with Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, but he did say that he hopes the big man will be part of the club for “years to come”.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, Jazz head scout David Fredman attended Saturday night’s aforementioned T’Wolves–Hornets game, according to Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter).
A lack of playing time has turned Timofey Mozgov into a trade candidate, but Nuggets coach George Karl wishes he could find more minutes for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.

Odds & Ends: Calderon, Timberwolves, Harden, Irving

February 2nd, 2013 at 9:07pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

Pistons point guard Jose Calderon can't join the team until his work visa is cleared, and right now it's unclear when that will be, writes MLive.com's David Mayo. Calderon could miss Detroit's next two games.
The Timberwolves have talent in their backcourt, but unfortunately they're too small for head coach Rick Adelman's taste, writes St. Paul Pioneer-Press' Ray Richardson.
James Harden's ability to get to the rim is amazing, but just as incredible is his strength once he gets there, writes the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.
After scoring 13 points in the final three minutes of tonight's win against the Thunder, Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is getting more than a few comparisons to Derrick Rose, writes Ohio.com's Jason Lloyd.

Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Love, Pekovic, Amundson

February 1st, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

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:

While club president David Kahn recently called Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love "untouchable" in trade talks, he didn't say the same about Nikola Pekovic, though he said he hopes the big man is "part of us for many years to come."
According to Wolfson, there's still a difference of opinion in the front office about whether Pekovic is worth a big, long-term deal. Still, he's likely not going anywhere this month — Wolfson says that if a trade comes, it's more likely to be a sign-and-trade deal over the summer.
Minnesota doesn't have interest in trying to trade for Josh Smith, and also hasn't inquired on Greg Oden yet.
Wolfson hears from multiple sources that Andrea Bargnani is an unlikely fit for the T-Wolves. While one source "scoffed" at the idea, another didn't rule it out entirely, says Wolfson.
The Knicks and Sixers are believed to have some interest in Louis Amundson, who is expected to be the odd man out once the Wolves lose their ability to carry 16 players. This is my speculation, but I'd imagine both teams would be more inclined to wait for the Wolves to waive him, rather than giving up any real assets in a trade.

Brandon Roy May Retire After Season

February 1st, 2013 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Timberwolves Notes: Roy, Rubio, Gasol, Williams

January 31st, 2013 at 7:29pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes around the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday evening:

Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets that Brandon Roy had another setback in his rehab as he attempts to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Ricky Rubio defended Pau Gasol against criticism he's faced this season, saying he would welcome the opportunity to play with him (AP link via USA Today).
Krawczynski also writes that Derrick Williams, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, wants to separate himself from some other players picked in his slot that haven't worked out.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Johnson, Oden

January 29th, 2013 at 11:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will likely know by tomorrow about whether or not the NBA will approve their Disabled Player Exception for the injured Jordan Hill (Twitter link). With the roster currently at 14, an exception worth $1.78MM would be a very valuable asset for a team that would have otherwise only have a veteran's minimum deal or a small, pro-rated portion of their mini mid-level exception to offer free agents at this point during the season. You'll find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here:

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says the team currently has no needs and will wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks to get a better feel if a move has to be made or not (Adi Joseph of USA Today reports).
Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, who recently returned from an 11-game absence for family reasons, sounded like he wanted the team to keep Chris Johnson (LSU) and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Grizzlies guard Chris Johnson, whose 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday night, is making a strong case to be brought back for another deal, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. GM Chris Wallace described Johnson as a "seamless fit" so far.
Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald doesn't think the Heat are the best fit for Greg Oden, citing that if healthy, the former number one overall pick could find more playing time and a better comfort level elsewhere. Even if the team uses its taxpayer mid-level exception to land Oden this summer, Goodman thinks that the luxury tax impact might not be worth the investment either.
When asked directly about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers, Oden replied: "I'm worried about the knee. That's it," later saying that it was too early for him to be thinking of a destination. Oden added that he wants to take his rehab slow, and that while he could possibly play today if he wanted to, he wants to avoid the risk of having the same setbackthat he had in Portland (Doug Lesmerises and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer report).

Timberwolves Re-Sign Johnson, Gelabale

January 29th, 2013 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have re-signed center Chris Johnson to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). The Wolves have also inked Mickael Gelabale to a second 10-day deal (Twitter link). The initial contracts for both players expired last night.

Johnson, 27, had an excellent first 10 days with Minnesota, scoring 15 points in his debut and averaging 9.2 PPG on 72.0% shooting in five total games. He's not to be confused with the player with the same name who is currently on a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies.

Gelabale, meanwhile, got off to a strong start with the T-Wolves as well, posting 11 points and four rebounds in his first game with the club. The French forward also scored 15 in last Friday's loss in Washington.

With the signings, Minnesota's roster is back up to 16 players. The Wolves aren't required to waive anyone to get down to the usual maximum of 15, since they were granted an injury exception by the NBA earlier in the month, allowing them to carry an extra man.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Dragic, Speights, Rumors

January 28th, 2013 at 10:01pm CST by Alex Lee

With seven NBA games on the docket for Monday night, here are some odds and ends from around the Association:

J.J. Redick has made Orlando his home and hopes to stay, he told Michael Scotto of RealGM. But Redick also realizes that trade speculation is inevitable and therefore has stayed in close contact with his agent and the Magic general manager Rob Hennigan.
Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge provides a transcript of an interview of Neil Olshey in which the Blazers GM discusses his team's roster and potential future moves.
Andrei Kirilenko handpicked Minnesota as his destination this offseason because he found the roster intriguing as well as conducive to his game. Unfortunately, due to the Timberwolves' long list of injuries, Kirilenko has yet to find out if his vision was as good as it seemed this offseason, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Danny Ainge said that he fully expect Rajon Rondo to be ready for training camp come October, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. How realistic that truly is will go a long way in determining the Celtics' next move.
Despite sitting at 15-30 and in last place in the Pacific division, the Suns have a reason for optimism in Goran Dragic, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld. Dragic, Page says, is the most important piece of Phoenix's rebuilding plans.
We've already heard that Marreese Speights could be moved before the trade deadline despite rumors that the Cavaliers have coveted him for years. The Plain Dealer rounds up some Speights-related buzz, linking to a Sam Amico article that says whether the team keeps Speights depends on whether it can do so without sacrificing its financial flexibility. Amico, of Fox Sports Ohio, says that Speights will likely opt out of his deal after the season and seek a payday.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News addresses several popular rumors that are floating around the NBA of late, the most notable of which include Rudy Gay, Paul Pierce and Pau Gasol.

Odds & Ends: Pacers, Gelabale, Joseph, Wolves

January 28th, 2013 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Tonight's schedule includes a battle for Western Conference positioning between the Rockets and Jazz, Andrew Bogut's possible return to the court for the Warriors, and an opportunity for the Wizards to win their third straight game (and eighth of their last 11). As we look forward to the evening's slate of games, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the NBA….

Dominic McGuire's second 10-day contract with the Pacers has expired, and the team has elected to let him go rather than sign him to a rest-of-season deal. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter), the Pacers will likely bring back Sam Young, though it's not clear whether he'll get a 10-day contract or a rest-of-season deal. Indiana released Young before his contract became guaranteed, and shortly after he suffered an ankle sprain.
Agent Bill McCandless expects the Timberwolves to keep Mickael Gelabale for more than just one 10-day contract, as he tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype: "Based on my conversations with Timberwolves management, I understand that Minnesota is very likely to offer M.G. a second 10-day contract." (Twitter links).
With Sacramento and Seattle potentially set to battle over the Kings, Neema Hodjat of RealGM.com makes a case for why the NBA should consider expansion as an alternative to relocation.
We heard last week that Kris Joseph had signed a contract to play for Orleans in France, but David Pick of Sportando reports (via Twitter) that Joseph backed out of that deal for a possible D-League offer.
A.J. Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops makes his early picks for the top 10 European prospects of the 2013 draft class.
Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, and D.J. White are among the former NBA players in China whose CBA teams won't qualify for the postseason, according to Shaopeng Shen of Hupu.com (via Twitter). As such, those players would be free to return to the NBA sooner, assuming there's any interest.
The Timberwolves received a disabled player exception worth about $381K for Malcolm Lee, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times and HoopsWorld. Considering how small that amount is, the team is unlikely to use the exception.