Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves Waive Phil Jones, Seth Tarver

October 14th, 2012 at 8:09am CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves waived training camp invitees Phil Jones and Seth Tarver to bring the roster down to 18 players, the team announced via Twitter. Both were believed to have been on non-guaranteed minimum-salary deals, having been signed right before camp began. Neither made an appearance in any of the three preseason games the Wolves have played so far.

Jones, a 6'10" center, played in Romania in 2011/12 after he was ruled academically ineligible midway through his senior season at UNC Charlotte in 2010/11. Tarver is a 6'5" swingman who averaged 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 28.2 minutes over the past two seasons for the Idaho Stampede of the D-League. He was in camp with the Blazers in 2010 and 2011.

The moves leave Jermaine Taylor, Mike Harris, Chris Johnson and Will Conroy to battle for the final roster spot, since all 14 other players on the roster have fully guaranteed contracts. Conroy would appear to have a slight edge, since his deal is partially guaranteed for $100K. The 6'11" Johnson, from LSU, is not to be confused with the 6'6" Dayton product of the same name in camp with the Magic.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Love, Carter, Thunder

October 13th, 2012 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

News and notes out of the Northwest Division..

Timberwolves forward Kevin Love talked to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press why he wasn’t happy when he had to settle for a four-year extension rather than the five-year pact he was seeking. “That’s because I wanted to be here,” Love said. “I wanted them to say, ’When people think Minnesota Timberwolves, they think Kevin Love.’ And I felt with my contract we didn’t really do that.”
The Nuggets offered guard Anthony Carter a coaching spot three weeks ago but he told Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) that he will instead look to play the year out. The 37-year-old re-joined Denver this offseason on a non-guaranteed deal.
Though he’s been criticized for being too passive and has drawn the ire of coach Scott Brooks for taking too many three-pointers, Thunder rookie Perry Jones III is nonetheless making a significant impact so far, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes.

Northwest Rumors: Blazers, Lawson, Miller, Batum

October 11th, 2012 at 10:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Oregonian's Joe Freeman examines the decisions the Blazers face in advance of the October 31st deadline for exercising their 2013/14 team options on Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams. According to Freeman, the team could come within $500K of having enough cap space to sign a free agent to a maximum-salary deal next summer if it declines all three options. Freeman seems to think, given the makeup of the Blazers roster, it would make the least sense to pick up Babbitt's option, despite the injury to Williams that's expected to keep him out the entire season. Check out other option decisions facing teams with our Rookie Contract Option Tracker, and read on for from the Blazers and other Northwest Division clubs.

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post suggests Ty Lawson and new agent Happy Walters could be in line for a five-year, $65MM extension from the Nuggets before the October 31st deadline. Hochman also passes along some advice for Lawson from new teammate Andre Iguodala, who re-signed with the Sixers in 2008 after failing to come to an extension agreement in 2007.
Andre Miller has been an ironman over his 13-year NBA career, missing only six regular season games, but he's sitting out of select preseason games for the first time, Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com notes. The Nuggets signed the 36-year-old Miller to a three-year, $14.625MM deal this summer that includes a partial guarantee for the final season.
Nicolas Batum told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune he signed his offer sheet with Minnesota this summer knowing he'd be pleased to wind up with either the Timberwolves or the Blazers. "I chose Minnesota because I knew (Portland) could match," Batum said. "I knew those two teams were going to be the best options for me. I wouldn’t have signed with anybody else. And I wanted to challenge the Blazers, to see if they really like me or not."

Northwest Notes: Murphy, Burks, Roy

October 10th, 2012 at 11:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was an offseason of relative stability for Northwest Division teams, three of which return double-digit numbers of players from last year's rosters. The other two teams, the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers, engaged in a tete-a-tete over Nicolas Batum, who eventually wound up as one of Portland's seven returnees. The Jazz pulled off a pair of trades but still have 11 players returning, though one of them is Raja Bell, whom the team instructed not to attend training camp as the two sides lurch toward a buyout. Here's the latest from Utah and elsewhere in the Northwest.

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News examines how Kevin Murphy, the 47th overall pick by the Jazz this past June, is playing catch-up after missing the first four practices of training camp to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Murphy is on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.
Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune and Randy Hollis of the Deseret News take a look at second-year man Alec Burks, who could see time at point guard for the Jazz this season. The team faces a deadline at the end of the month on whether to pick up his option for 2013/14, as the Hoops Rumors rookie contract option tracker shows.
Brandon Roy made his preseason debut for the Wolves tonight, his first NBA action since the 2011 playoffs. SI.com's team of writers debate the impact he and other players around the league who are returning from injury will have this year.

Western Notes: Roy, Conroy, Jefferson, Bogut

October 10th, 2012 at 7:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Roy's knee appears to be holding up so far for the Timberwolves, an early sign that his $10.4MM contract might prove a shrewd gamble by GM David Kahn. We've heard about the influence Roy's friend and current teammate Will Conroy had on channeling him to the Wolves, but that's not the only push Conroy gave him.

Roy wasn't sure about coming back at all until Conroy sold him on the idea, Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. "He was one of the main influences for me to take it serious," Roy said about Conroy. "I was kind of playing around at first, but he was the one who told me, 'You're not done.' He was real big for my confidence."
In the same piece, Conroy insists to Richardson that Roy's presence isn't the reason why he was invited to Wolves camp. "I'm here because they thought I could help the team," said Conroy, who was also in camp with the Wolves last year. "Kahn and (coach Rick) Adelman know what I can do."
Richard Jefferson said he experienced "culture shock" after his trade from the Spurs to the Warriors last season, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. Jefferson says the laid-back atmosphere that disturbed him last year has changed with the additions of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, the return of Andrew Bogut from injury, and a stricter attitude from coach Mark Jackson.
As for Bogut, the big man expects he'll be ready for game action when the regular season opens, but Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com says there's a legitimate chance he could need more time.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune shares initial observations from some of the Hornets about top-pick Anthony Davis, two preseason games into his NBA career.
Though to a smaller degree than Davis, 25th overall pick Tony Wroten is also making his presence felt for the Grizzlies, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines.

Injury Updates: Roy, Dirk, Smith, Hill, Nene

October 10th, 2012 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Injury news isn't usually our focus here at Hoops Rumors, but with updates today relating to recent free agent signees, roster hopefuls, and NBA superstars, there's too many updates of note not to pass them along. Here's the latest on the injury statuses of a number of players around the league….

In an appearance on KFAN in Minneapolis, Brandon Roy said that his knees are holding up great following his first few "grueling practices" with the Timberwolves (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
According to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, Dirk Nowitzki is fighting knee issues for the second straight year. Nowitzki is hoping a few days of rest will help, but if the problem doesn't improve, it sounds as if he's prepared to undergo a minor procedure: "We’ll see how it responds, but the longer we wait, obviously the worse it is. If we have to do something, it’d be better to do it quick…. But we’re still hopeful that this is a temporary thing. If we relax and rest it for a week and see how it goes, then we’ll have a better idea."
Knicks camp invitee Chris Smith will undergo patella surgery and miss three to six months, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), Smith was considered a strong candidate to make the team, so his injury could clear a spot for another player to become the Knicks' 15th man.
Jordan Hill, who re-signed with the Lakers this summer, won't need surgery for a herniated disc in his back and should be ready to play in the team's regular-season opener, reports Adrian Wojnarnowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Wizards coach Randy Wittman couldn't offer a timetable for the return of Nene, as he told Michael Lee of the Washington Post: "All I do is each morning, I come in, I ask the trainer who I got, who I don’t have. And that’s all I can worry about right now. I write down who I got and we formulate a practice plan and we come out here. And I’ll come back tonight and see who I got and who I don’t got. That’s my update."

Odds & Ends: Sullinger, Wolves, Magic

October 7th, 2012 at 10:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

Doc Rivers is formulating a plan to best utilize Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger this season, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the new offseason additions the Timberwolves made will help ease the loss of Ricky Rubio, who continues to rehab from a torn ACL.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that, after a strong preseason debut, E'Twaun Moore may have the inside track on winning the spot of backup point guard for the Magic.

Nikola Pekovic Wants To Stay With Wolves

October 7th, 2012 at 12:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nikola Pekovic is entering the final season of his three-year, $11.858MM contract, and though he could be a sought-after commodity as a restricted free agent next summer if he continues the improvement he showed last season, the 6'11" center wants to remain with the Timberwolves, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports.

"I would like to stay here because of everything," Pekovic said. "I just like everything. I like the area. I like the team. I like all the stuff. Now I got some friends here. Now it's real easy. It's just nice, nice people, nice town. I would like to be here."

Pekovic's agent is Jeff Schwartz, who has a history of netting substantial deals for big men in Minnesota. He helped Al Jefferson get a five-year, $65MM extention in 2007 and Kevin Love to his $60.826MM extension last season. Former GM Kevin McHale was still in place when Jefferson signed his deal, however, and Schwartz fell short of obtaining the maximum five years for Love, instead negotiating a player option that will allow Love to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. Pekovic said he's aware of his agent's history with the team, but isn't thinking about money right now.

Zgoda observes that Pekovic looks fit and much leaner in training camp this year after summer surgery to remove bone spurs on his ankles that caused him to miss time last season. He played in pain because of the bone spurs, but still managed to put up 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game with a 21.4 PER, wresting the starting center job away from Darko Milicic and planting himself in the conversation for the Most Improved Player award.

It's a long way until next offseason, and much could change between now and then, including Pekovic's stance on remaining with the Wolves. Still, Zgoda believes he's in line for a significant payday, pointing to this summer's maximum-salary deals for Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert and Omer Asik's contract worth $8MM a season. Pekovic seems in line for a yearly salary of something in between $8MM and the maximum, likely worth $15MM next summer, depending on his play this season.

Northwest Links: Thunder, Nuggets, T’Wolves, Jazz

October 4th, 2012 at 10:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK reports that Kevin Durant appears to have significantly added strength and bulk to his frame and could possibly find more playing time at the four spot this season. Mayberry also writes that an emphasis has been placed on rebounding at Thunder camp, and provides a collection of brief observations from practice today. Here are tonight's links from the Northwest division…

Brad Miller was invited by Rick Adelman to Timberwolves camp in Mankato for a few days as a special assistant coach, although Adelman is unsure if the former center will maintain a recurring role with the team once they return to Minnesota (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports).
Randy Hollis of the Deseret News says that Mo Williams will bring much needed leadership to a Jazz locker room that features several players in their early 20s with limited NBA experience.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post takes note of Ty Lawson's development as seen by veteran guard Anthony Carter, who was a member of the Nuggets during Lawson's rookie season and finds himself back in Denver training camp after stints with New York and Toronto. In another article, Hochman says that according to George Karl, center Kosta Koufos has been the team's "best big guy in camp so far."
Even without Ricky Rubio in practices, the Timberwolves haven't deviated from the "corner offense" that coach Rick Adelman installed last season. Adelman also lauded the shooting prowess of rookie Alexey Shved and the surprising passing ability of center Nikola Pekovic during Thursday's scrimmages (Ray Richardson of TwinCities.com reports). On a side note, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune tweets that Malcolm Lee missed practice due to groin tightness.
Heading into his third year in the NBA, Jazz forward Jeremy Evans says that he understands his role and "knows what to expect now" (Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune writes).
Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reflects on how youth basketball coach Sandy Pyonin helped turn around Randy Foye's life around, as well as provides some background on how the Jazz guard refined his shooting abilities.

Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Nuggets, Thunder

October 4th, 2012 at 11:36am CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at some items out of the Northwest Division..

A free agent in 2015, Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge says that he's happy with the direction of the organization, writes Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge. "I'm fine with it," Aldridge said. "We have some guys who are really, really good. They're young. Give them one or two years and we should be good to go." The 27-year-old has yet to advance in the playoffs with Portland and finds himself without a bonafide No. 2 star to play with as he enters his prime.
For the first time in three years, the Nuggets could go four months without a significant roster overhaul, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. It remains to be seen how long that will last, however, with Ty Lawson in line for an extension, Andre Iguodala holding an option for 2013/14, and GM Masai Ujiri in a contract year.
Thunder guard Daequan Cook doesn't expect James Harden's contract talk to be a distraction for the team this season, writes Susan Bible of HoopsWorld. Earlier this week, Harden says that he's confident that he'll get a deal done with Oklahoma City.
After a slow rookie season, Derrick Williams appears to be on the right track heading int0 2012/13, writes Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. The Timberwolves reportedly tried to trade the former Arizona star and two first-round picks to the Blazers over the summer for Nicolas Batum.