Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Rumors: Tolliver, Blatche, Okur, Andersen

August 29th, 2012 at 9:40am CST by Chuck Myron

We've heard a few dispatches about Wolves GM David Kahn's pursuit of an additional big man in recent days, and Darren Wolfson provides further detail on 1500ESPN.com. We've got the highlights here:

Though earlier reports seemed to indicate the Wolves weren't seeking to trade for a big man, Wolfson hears the team has asked Anthony Tolliver to be patient as the team seeks a trade to free up more cap room. Tolliver's agent has said his client is not interested in the minimum salary, which is all the Minnesota has to offer free agents. Even though Tolliver has been with the Wolves the past two seasons, the team renounced his Early Bird rights earlier in the summer to clear room for Nicolas Batum's offer sheet. Tolliver is reportedly in "constant contact" with a handful of teams, including the Wolves.
We heard yesterday that Andray Blatche and Hassan Whiteside worked out in front of a Wolves scout, and according to Wolfson, Blatche is "said to be open" to signing for the veteran's minimum.
Mehmet Okur is a "long shot" to sign with Minnesota, a source close to Okur tells Wolfson. The 6'11" outside marksman is seeking more than the minimum.
Wolfson reported last week that Josh Harrellson isn't in the Wolves' plans because the 6'10" former Knick doesn't possess the requisite length. Chris Andersen, who's the same height, apparently possesses a wingspan that fits what Kahn and company are looking for, but the Wolves aren't considering him, either.

Northwest Notes: Blatche, T’Wolves, Maynor

August 28th, 2012 at 5:38pm CST by Zachary Links

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

The Timberwolves were in the building to watch Hassan Whiteside work out yesterday and free agent Andray Blatche was also in attendance, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. It's not known if Minnesota scout Milton Barnes was in Houston, Texas to scope out both players or just Whiteside.
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld runs down the ten most important role players for 2012/13 and includes Thunder point guard Eric Maynor, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Over the weekend, I looked at what it might take for Oklahoma City to work out a contract extension for the VCU alum. While the Thunder are known to be high on Maynor for his ability to manage a game and high basketball IQ, he may not fit in their budget as they look to find the coin to keep James Harden.
The Nuggets are on the national radar thanks to their recent acquisition of Andre Iguodala, but David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) believes that the next big star to come out of Denver is backup center Kosta Koufos. Thorpe notes that Koufos is the only center in the league who finished among the top five in offensive rebound rate and in true shooting percentage last season. While Koufos may be poised to break out in similar fashion as Marcin Gortat did with the Suns and Omer Asik for the Bulls (now with the Rockets), the Nuggets wisely signed Koufos to a contract extension that keeps him in Denver through 2013/14 at $3MM per year.

Timberwolves Still Considering Free Agent Bigs

August 27th, 2012 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

With 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Timberwolves have room to add another player or two if they so choose, and it sounds as if team president David Kahn is considering the possibility. According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Kahn and the Wolves are mulling adding another big man, and have "several candidates in mind."

After signing Andrei Kirilenko, Brandon Roy, Alexey Shved, and Greg Stiemsma, the Timberwolves are not only out of cap space, but have no cap exceptions available outside of the minimum salary exception. Even so, it appears a free agent addition is more likely than an acquisition via trade.

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio wrote two weeks ago that the T-Wolves had asked around about trading for a big, but that talks never got far; and in his piece today, Walters specifically says Minnesota is eyeing the free agent market. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld adds (via Twitter) that the Wolves are watching unrestricted free agent Hassan Whiteside work out today in Houston.

The T-Wolves have also been mentioned as possible suitors for players like Anthony Tolliver or Mehmet Okur, but both free agents are expected to command more than the veteran's minimum, making them unlikely fits for Minnesota. This morning, I took a look at the top rebounders still on the market — if the Wolves are bargain-hunting, they could do worse than some of the options on that list.

Mutual Interest Between Anthony Tolliver, Hawks

August 27th, 2012 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Anthony Tolliver is still looking for a team to play for in 2012/13, and it appears four options have emerged as potential destinations. Tolliver tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link) that the Hawks, Wizards, Pacers, and Timberwolves are the teams still in "constant contact" with him.

We've heard plenty of rumors over the last month connecting Tolliver to the Wizards and T-Wolves, and the Pacers have been mentioned as a possible suitor as well. The Hawks have only been mentioned in passing a potential fit to date, but Tolliver singled out Atlanta in his conversation with Tomasson (Sulia link), noting that he's intrigued by the possible match: "I don’t think they have a guy on their roster with that skill set with shooting and versatility."

According to Tomasson, the Hawks have "great interest" in Tolliver, who has some history with members of the team's front office — when the forward cracked Cleveland's roster as an undrafted rookie in 2007, current Hawks GM Danny Ferry and assistant GM Wes Wilcox were both with the Cavs.

Still, despite apparent mutual interest between the two sides, Tolliver's agent Larry Fox suggested earlier this month that he doesn't expect his client to sign for a minimum salary. The Hawks are over the cap and have used their full mid-level exception, so if they want to offer more than the minimum, they'd have to use their $1.957MM bi-annual exception.

Odds & Ends: Anderson, Bosh, Bryant, Najera

August 24th, 2012 at 10:37pm CST by Michael Pina

According to a tweet from Spurs guard Danny Green, James Anderson may have reached an agreement with the Hawks. Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News says the possible signing would make sense, being that current Atlanta GM Danny Ferry worked in San Antonio last season, where Anderson played.

On this Friday night, here's a look around at some other NBA related news circulating around the league.

When asked who he felt was the favorite heading into next season, Heat forward Chris Boshdeclared the Lakers to be the NBA's best team, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "The Lakers, I think, right now, I mean on paper, they probably have the best team in the West and probably the league right now," he said. "On paper. I'm saying on paper. But it's a lot, a lot, it's a long season. And the best team always isn't the one who starts out the season as the best team."
ESPNLA.com's Brian Kamenetzky wonders what the Lakers should reasonably expect from Kobe Bryant this year. The future Hall of Famer turned 34 earlier this week.
Hoopsworld.com's Bill Ingram takes a look at five veterans who he believes need to step up this season. Four of them are centers.
Earlier today it was announced that Eduardo Najera was officially retiring as a player to become the head coach in the D-League. ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan discusses how Najera could open up the league's relationship with Mexico.
Steve Aschburner of NBA.com looks at the Timberwolves heading into next season.

Odds & Ends: Team Canada, Harrellson, Magic

August 23rd, 2012 at 2:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

A handful of players with NBA ties have been invited to a weekend training camp that will take place soon to give Team Canada officials a first glimpse at candidates for their national team, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports (Sulia link). Tristan Thompson of the Cavs, Joel Anthony of the Heat, Cory Joseph of the Spurs, Andrew Nicholson of the Magic and Kris Joseph of the Celtics are on the list. Robert Sacre, the 60th pick in this year's draft by the Lakers, remains unsigned, but he's been invited as well. The team has officially named former Raptors head coach and current Blazers assistant Jay Triano as head coach, Wolstat also writes, and Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson will also be an assistant with Team Canada. Lakers guard Steve Nash, serving as Team Canada's GM, said he wouldn't have accepted the position if Triano wasn't coming aboard, too, Wolstat notes. Here's more from around the Association this afternoon:

The Heat conducted a workout with Josh Harrellson today, as we heard earlier, but the Timberwolves have no interest in the 6'10" University of Kentucky product, as they prefer a center with more length, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Harrellson is just one of several big men the Heat are considering (Sulia link).
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the options the Magic have at power forward to replace Ryan Anderson.
The Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors all have some significant injury issues with training camp about a month away, and Sam Amick of SI.com checks in on the status of Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and others.
Robin Lopez is recovering from left knee surgery that took place a week after the Hornets acquired him in a sign-and-trade, but he's expected to be ready for training camp, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports. Lopez expressed his enthusiasm about coming to New Orleans, saying, "I’m excited to be here. We’ve got a young, energetic group. The good thing is we’ve got some youth that has a little bit of experience as well. Hopefully we can parlay that into something special.’’
Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations, traveled overseas with assistant GM George David to watch Jonas Jerebko and Slava Kravtsov in FIBA Eurobasket qualifying, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.

Northwest Notes: Tolliver, Maynor, T’Wolves

August 20th, 2012 at 8:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of the Northwest Division..

Even with limited cap space, the Timberwolves have not ruled out signing Anthony Tolliver, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Of course, team president David Kahn would need to create space to bring the big man is, as he refuses to sign for the minimum salary. Recently, we learned that Tolliver is receiving heavy interest from Greek team Panathinaikos.
John Rohde of The Oklahoman wonders if the Thunder will sign point guard Eric Maynor to an extension. Maynor is looking for an extension to his rookie contract, but obviously hasn't received the same amount of attention as teammates Serge Ibaka (recently signed to a four-year, $48MM deal) and James Harden. Maynor saw his season end in early January this year but has shown that he is an effective backup for the lightning-quick Russell Westbrook.
AJ Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops previews this season's European imports, including Timberwolves rookie Alexey Shved. Mitnick writes that Shved is coming into a great situation for a European transplant as he will be playing for a Euro friendly coach in Rick Adelman, alongside fellow European playmaker in Ricky Rubio, and will get to pick the brain of Brandon Roy.

Odds & Ends: Wolves, Okur, Nuggets, Muhammad

August 17th, 2012 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been a slow day for NBA news and rumors, but there are still plenty of links worth checking out. Here are a few that have trickled in over the course of the day:

The Timberwolves wouldn't mind adding another big man, and are "kicking around" the idea of Mehmet Okur, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. As Wolfson notes, however, considering Minnesota only has the minimum salary to offer, Okur is an unlikely target for the team.
If the Nuggets are able to lock up Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala to long-term deals, it would ensure that a "thrilling nucleus" is in place in Denver, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad tells HoopsWorld that he's not expecting to necessarily be a "one-and-done" player, but I'd be surprised if the top prospect doesn't enter the draft after his freshman season. Plus, as Yannis Koutroupis writes, given the NCAA's current investigation that's putting Muhammad's amateur status in jeopardy, the star recruit could be fortunate to play even one year at UCLA.
Dwyane Wade tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Sulia link) that his recovery from knee surgery is on schedule and he expects to "turn it up more" in the next couple weeks.

Timberwolves Notes: Rubio, Roster, Shved

August 16th, 2012 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Olympic basketball tournament was an eventful one for Timberwolves fans, who not only got a chance to see Kevin Love play a major role for the U.S., but also got a good look at two new T-Wolves, Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved of Russia. All three players earned a medal in London, but the Wolves would have had a player on each of the podium teams if Spain's Ricky Rubio had been healthy. Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor discussed Rubio's recovery and a few other topics of note. Here are some highlights:

Rubio is "progressing faster than normal," which might mean he returns to the T-Wolves earlier than January. Taylor says the point guard will start running in the next few weeks.
Minnesota's roster is likely set for the coming year. According to Taylor, GM David Kahn will continue to check in on other possibilities, "but my sense is that he's pretty well [done]."
It may take some time for Shved to work his way into the Wolves' lineup, says Taylor.
The Wolves' owner on whether Minnesota is now a playoff team: "That's a high challenge, but I'm not going to shy away from it. We've got a very good coach and some of the players that he wanted, and without injuries, and if Ricky can get back soon, that should be our goal, to be in the playoffs."

Latest On Joe Ingles

August 15th, 2012 at 6:01pm CST by Michael Pina

Fresh off a solid Olympic performance in London, Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from several NBA teams, writes The Sydney Morning Herald's Adrian Warren. The 24-year-old forward will play out his upcoming season with Barcelona, but afterwards will likely make a leap to the NBA.

In a tweet, ESPN Radio's Darren Wolfson suggests one solid fit might be the Timberwolves. Minnesota's general manager, David Kahn, has reportedly spoken with Ingles' agent. The 6'8" Ingles showed a complete offensive repetoire in the Olympics, averaging 15 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 APG throughout the tournament.