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Stein On Pau, Raptors, Varejao, Jazz, Gentry

December 14th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Marc Stein has published his Weekend Dime, and leads off the jam-packed column with a look at a handful of players that are candidates to be dealt before February 21st's trade deadline. Here are the highlights on those guys, and from the rest of Stein's piece:

  • The Lakers continue to recognize that they're unlikely to get fair value for Pau Gasol, given his health, salary, and performance, and would prefer to avoid another major shakeup anyway. So for now, they're still not seriously considering a Pau trade.
  • Multiple front-office sources view the Raptors as the team most motivated to make a move. The team would like to make Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon in tandem, but Bargnani's elbow injury may force Toronto to deal Calderon on his own. The Lakers and Mavericks have interest, though neither team is an obvious match for Calderon's $10.5MM+ salary.
  • NBA teams believe Anderson Varejao is "highly available," but are skeptical he'll be dealt, since the Cavaliers' high asking price is only increasing. Cleveland is seeking multiple young assets for Varejao, according to Stern, who says the Thunder, a potential match, have exhibited little interest.
  • Teams around the league aren't sure whether the Jazz would be more inclined to trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson, but the general consensus suggests one of the two will be dealt by the deadline for a front-line point guard.
  • Stein lists a few other names that come up repeatedly in talks with sources as trade candidates: Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Michael Beasley, Courtney Lee, and D.J. Augustin.
  • Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley may already be interested in buying another team, with the Bucks as a potential target, according to Stein.
  • Robert Sarver's assurances that Alvin Gentry will keep his job as Suns head coach shouldn't be viewed as a "dreaded" vote of confidence. Sources tell Stein that Sarver likes Gentry "too much personally to make an in-season change."
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Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Varejao, Love, Roy

December 14th, 2012 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

It's Friday, which means Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has checked in with his weekly edition of Scoops. Here are Wolfson's Timberwolves updates from his latest piece:

  • The Timberwolves are likely to make a deal before the February trade deadline, but aren't making any calls yet while they wait to see how the lineup looks when Ricky Rubio returns.
  • David Kahn has been answering incoming calls, however. Wolfson reports that the Raptors and Cavaliers have both been in touch with the Wolves, to gauge interest in Andrea Bargnani and Anderson Varejao, respectively. Minnesota likes Varejao a lot, according to Wolfson, though in my opinion it would take a massive package for the Cavs to move him this season.
  • One league source doesn't believe money is a source of frustration for Kevin Love, since the All-Star forward is still in position to earn as much or more over the long-term as he would have if he'd received a five-year extension. The source points to a Kahn quote from 2009 ("On a championship-contending team… Kevin might be the fourth-best player") as something that still irks Love.
  • Obrad Fimic, the agent for Alexey Shved, on the Timberwolves recruitment of his client: "Honestly, the whole deal was done thanks to David, who convinced us that Shved is a perfect fit for coach Rick Adelman's system. Alexey and I liked what we heard and here we are."
  • Although Brandon Roy denied that retirement wasn't something he thought about following his latest knee procedure, a league source insists to Wolfson that Roy at least considered it.
  • There should be closure on the Martell Webster compensation case soon, with the Wolves expecting to receive cash and/or a second-round pick from the Trail Blazers.
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Roy Says He’s Not Considering Retirement

December 13th, 2012 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Roy spoke to reporters today after the Timberwolves' shootaround for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee last month. When asked if he was considering retiring after his latest setback, Roy said the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

"A few people asked me that," Roy said, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. "And I don’t pay attention much to the media. I don’t really read that stuff. But I don’t know where that could have come from. But no, I never thought about walking away. It was, for me, just do I want to go through another procedure or do I want to play through it. that was more my question than walking away."

Roy himself acknowledged following the surgery that "if it ends in three weeks, it ends." However, he seemed to be referring to a scenario in which his knees didn't recover from the procedure. The former Trail Blazer confessed again today that further issues would be cause for concern, but said his knee feels good, and that the nagging discomfort he felt earlier in the season no longer seems to be an issue.

The Timberwolves signed Roy to a two-year contract this summer, though the second year figures to become non-guaranteed, given the time the 28-year-old has missed already due to knee troubles.

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Injury Roundup: Rubio, Bargnani, Lowry

December 12th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest updates on the statuses of several high-profiled injured players from around the NBA:

  • Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com reports that Ricky Rubio will play for the Timberwolves on Saturday for the first time this season.
  • The Raptors announced that forward Andrea Bargnani, recently the subject of widespread trade speculation, has a ligament tear in his right elbow and a strained wrist and is out indefinitely.
  • Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is also expected out 10 days with a partial tear in his right triceps.
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Kevin Love Unsure About Future With Wolves

December 12th, 2012 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

12:29pm: In a follow-up tweet, Wojnarowski says it's clear that Love feels "deeply connected" to the T-Wolves' fanbase, loves Minnesota as a sports town, and badly wants to win a championship there. As Wojnarowski's original column suggested, however, it seems that Love isn't sure whether Wolves management is as committed to him long-term.

WEDNESDAY, 11:58am: Love spoke to the media today to clarify some of the comments he made to Wojnarowski. Here's a recap of what he said, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (all links go to Twitter):

  • While he meant everything he said, Love added that he also said many positive things about the Timberwolves that weren't included in the piece.
  • Love has spoken to Rick Adelman and David Kahn about his comments, and plans to speak to Glen Taylor as well.
  • Love didn't intend to alienate the team or T-Wolves fans with his comments.
  • Love would "love to" end his career with the Timberwolves.

TUESDAY, 2:44pm: Adrian Wojnarowski's latest piece at Yahoo! Sports features plenty of discussion with Kevin Love about his current contract, his future with the Timberwolves, and the team's roster decisions. The story includes plenty of eyebrow-raising quotes from Love, so let's dive right in and check out a few of the highlights from the All-Star forward….

On the T-Wolves' perception of him, and the team's decision not to offer him a five-year contract extension:

"I don't know who labels people stars, but even [Timberwolves owner] Glen Taylor said: I don't think Kevin Love is a star, because he hasn't led us to the playoffs. I mean, it's not like I had much support out there…. That's a tough pill to swallow."

On questions about whether his broken hand happened in the way he described:

"Even people in my own organization were asking if it was a legitimate injury, people calling my honesty and integrity into question. And that's what really hurt me."

On the T-Wolves' frequent roster changes:

"You walk into the locker room every year, and it's completely turned over. There's new guys everywhere. And then it happens again and again. You start to wonder: Is there really a plan here? Is there really any kind of a… plan?"

On his future:

"I have a very, very good memory, and I always remember the people who have done right by me, and the people who have done wrong by me. It will be embedded in my brain, and something I won't forget about. There's no telling what will happen. I would love to compete for a championship in Minnesota, but….

"I haven't been in the playoffs yet. I'm looking at my contract in the eye of two years from now, and if I haven't been to the playoffs – or it's been one playoff berth – well, it's going to be tough to say, 'Oh well, I'm going to stay here and continue to rebuild.'"

On Minnesota's decision to trade Al Jefferson after Love's second season:

"We should've at least tried [making it work with Jefferson], especially with way things were going. I was beginning to figure things out in my second season. Everybody knew what Al was capable of, and is still capable of. It was definitely worth the risk of seeing what would happen. If it didn't work, then go another way. But we never tried it."

On how feeling slighted by members of the Wolves' organization has fueled him:

"That's the crazy thing about this: There's this whole [expletive]-up, cynical thing going on in my head, where I love people telling me what I can't do, telling me this what you're going to be, this is your ceiling. Just everybody projecting for me. I'm not breaking any bounds or barriers saying this, but I think all kids – white, black, purple, whatever color – in basketball should never put a limit on themselves. I've had plenty of people tell me who I was going to be, and I feel like, for the time being, I've exceeded that."

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Northwest Notes: Love, Lindsey, Blazers, Lawson

December 11th, 2012 at 10:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

The most significant news coming out of the Northwest today was Kevin Love's criticism of the Wolves, and there's plenty of reaction to that along with other notes from the division.

  • Matt Moore of CBSSports.com surmises that Wolves GM David Kahn is at the center of Love's frustration with the franchise, and believes owner Glen Taylor may be forced to choose between the two at some point.
  • Taylor remains a fan of Kahn, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who points out the team holds an option on Kahn's contract for next season.
  • The timing of Love's comments could have been much better for a team on the verge of creating excitement in Minnesota for the first time in a while, opines Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  • Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune agrees with Love's remarks, based on what he's heard from others inside the Wolves organization, and believes that if Love departs in the summer of 2015, it will represent the most significant mistake of Kahn's tenure.
  • New Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is slowly implementing some of the principles he learned while working with the Spurs, but plenty of similarities already existed between the two franchises, as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune examines.
  • Blazers GM Neil Olshey hinted at a move around the trade deadline that would help the team's rebounding, but The Oregonian's Jason Quick doesn't think the Blazers have enough assets for a swap, believing the team must instead look to the draft and free agency (Twitter links).
  • Jim Cavan of The New York Times examines how Jrue Holiday, who got a four-year, $41MM extension from the Sixers before the season, has outplayed fellow point guard Ty Lawson, who's fresh off a four-year, $48MM extension from the Nuggets.
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Odds & Ends: Williams, T’Wolves, Mirotic, Gasol

December 10th, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 1995, the (Vancouver) Grizzlies lost to the Raptors 93-81 in the first ever meeting between Canadian NBA franchises.  That Grizzlies squad went 15-67 on the year and finished 14-68 in their sophomore campaign.  Today, they play 2,500 miles away from Vancouver and are lightyears ahead of where they once were as they boast the third-best record in the Western Conference.  Here's more from around the Association..

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Odds & Ends: D-League, Odom, World Peace

December 9th, 2012 at 5:44pm CST by Chuck Myron
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld spoke with Dan Reed, the president of the NBA's developmental league, and heard that there is growing interest from several NBA teams in either purchasing or having a joint affiliation with a team in the NBDL. According to Reed, Koutropis notes that with an increase in the assignments of young players from the NBA to the D-League, it will make for a great opportunity for developmental affiliates to market themselves with some of the NBA's top young talent. Here are more of today's odds and ends from the Association: 
  • Lamar Odom is starting to get in shape and is displaying flashes of his old Sixth Man of the Year form, as Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News observes.
  • The Lakers' decision not to amnesty Metta World Peace before last season is paying off, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, who adds that this summer's discovery and treatment of a nerve issue that had been bothering World Peace for four years has reinvigorated his play.
  • Nuggets guard Ty Lawson admits he can do better than his slumping performance this season, and Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post outlines what the point guard must do to return to the form that netted him a four-year, $48MM extension in October.
  • Despite GM David Kahn's denial of Pau Gasol trade rumors, the Timberwolves "would love" to acquire the big man and play him at center, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
  • Finnan also hears from sources within the ranks of media, agents, assistant coaches, GMs and scouts who tell him they are convinced LeBron James will opt out of his contract in 2014. 
  • Center Solomon Alabi is close to a deal with a Chinese club, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 7'1" Alabi was let go by the Hornets at the end of training camp. He spent the last two seasons with the Raptors, but saw little playing time, averaging 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 7.0 minutes a game over 26 total contests.

 

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Odds & Ends: Cavs, Bargnani, Green, Wolves

December 8th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Now is not the right time for the Raptors to trade Andrea Bargnani, but it might be the right move to make anyway, writes Eric Koreen of the Toronto Star.  The big man doesn't fit the culture that Dwane Casey is trying to instill in Toronto and moving him could help get the locker room back on track.  The Raptors have spent years trying to make the team work around Bargnani and Koreen argues that the relationship should have been working the other way around.  Here's more from around the league..

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Odds & Ends: Raptors, Blatche, Rubio, Kings

December 7th, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

While the Raptors might not be willing to part with Andrea Bargnani just yet, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes that there is plenty of pressure on Bryan Colangelo to win, which might fuel him to pull the trigger on a deal.  The Raptors have a lot that makes sense for the Lakers in a Pau Gasol deal beyond the forward too in Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza.  The question is whether Raptors believe Gasol will make them contenders and whether he’s worth taking on $19MM next season.  Here’s more Friday night linkage..

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