Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Garnett, Randolph, Kings, Warriors

March 28th, 2012 at 10:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Don't look now, but the playoffs begin just one month from today. Most NBA teams are in action tonight with 10 games on the schedule, so let's dive in and check on the news from around The Association:

Kevin Garnett will be a free agent this summer, but a return to the Wolves might not be at the top of his wish list. He gave a nod to Minnesota fans, but says he had "nothing positive to say" about the franchise, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee noticed Shavlik Randolph walking through the Kings' locker room tonight, though there's no word if the team is looking to sign him (Twitter link). Randolph reportedly worked out for the Heat earlier this month and has apparently spoken to at least two clubs regarding a deal.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com looks ahead to next year for the Warriors and concludes they need to get a solid third guard, a quality backup for David Lee and Andrew Bogut, and an upgrade at small forward:
Don Nelson, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, says he's been informed he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. Nelson coached the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavs after a playing career spent mostly with the Celtics. The official announcement of the 2012 Hall class will come Monday.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com takes a look at stars who've changed teams in recent years and says what's happened to them since should be a cautionary tale to Dwight Howard and others who could be looking to make a move (Insider link).
A year after the Jazz parted ways with Jerry Sloan in the wake of a rift between the coach and Deron Williams, new coach Tyrone Corbin has established rapport with his players, which has been key to the team's playoff push this year, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
The Nets have an open roster spot and might look to fill it after finishing tonight's 100-84 victory over the Pacers with only eight healthy players, as the Associated Press reports, via The New York Times. Centers Shelden Williams and Jordan Williams went down, so if those two are to miss any time, the team may target a big man.
Rookie Malcolm Lee is adjusting to life as an NBA point guard as he finds his way into the Wolves' rotation, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.

Northwest Notes: Petrie, Rubio, Crawford

March 23rd, 2012 at 7:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Northwest Division is home to five playoff contenders, but it could boast only one playoff team in the end. The last-place Blazers are within three and a half games of the final postseason berth, but if the playoffs began today, only the first-place Thunder and the Nuggets, who would be the No. 7 seed, would qualify. Here's the buzz from around the Northwest:

While a report came out earlier today suggesting Kings GM Geoff Petrie was about to sign a new deal with the team, co-owner Gavin Maloof said that's not the case, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. In a separate story, Jones passes along that Petrie says his job status for next season is the "last thing on my mind."
The discovery of a torn LCL will not affect the timetable of Ricky Rubio's return, according to an Associated Press story published on ESPN.com. The six to nine month timetable, however, suggests Rubio may not be ready for the start of next season. However, Wolves GM David Kahn is optimistic he'll recover in time for 2012/13.
In a Q&A with Brendan Bowers of Slam magazine (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge), Jamal Crawford says he was surprised he wasn't among the exodus at the trade deadline in Portland. Crawford also asserts he had nothing to do with any uprising against former coach Nate McMillan, citing a connection that dates back to when Crawford was 16 years old.

Kevin Love Talks Future In Minnesota

March 23rd, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Love signed a four-year extension in January that should keep him in Minnesota until at least 2015 (he can opt out of the final year of the deal). When Love and the Timberwolves agreed to that extension, the team received some criticism for not simply offering its star forward a maximum five-year contract. The fact that Love can opt out after three years raises questions about his long-term future with the T-Wolves, a topic the All-Star discussed with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

"For me, at the end of the day, I want to win. My first three years were 24 wins, 15 wins, 17 wins," Love told Spears. "Now things are finally turning around. Losing Ricky [Rubio to a season-ending knee injury] was terrible for us. We didn’t make a move at the deadline, which is tough. But we just got to rock with the guys we have now…. At the end of the day, if we continue to progress as we get older, learn the system, learn to play together, things are going to look up for us. But am I going to be here my whole career? That’s really up in the air."

When superstars like LeBron James and Dwight Howard have considered leaving their teams to sign elsewhere, terms like "marketability" and "brand" have been used liberally. The idea that playing in a bigger market increases a player's off-court opportunities is one that Love acknowledges.

"Building a brand is definitely big," Love said. "If someone said they didn’t want to do that they’d be lying to you. If you win everything takes care of itself. That’s how greatness is formed. But guys in bigger markets are going to get more endorsements because that’s just what sells."

With a solid core in Love, Rubio, and rookie Derrick Williams, the Rick Adelman-coached Timberwolves appear to be headed in the right direction. The continued growth of the club over the next few years will be crucial in Love's eventual decision on whether to stay or go.

"Heading into my prime, if I’m here all four years, I’ll have my chance to pick and be 27," Love said. "I will have my chance to go wherever I want. But if we are rolling? Who’s to say what will happen."

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Bulls, Hornets, Lakers

March 19th, 2012 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

With the Bulls' 85-59 victory over the Magic this evening, Tom Thibodeau reached 100 victories and hit that mark in the least time of any coach in NBA history. Here's more on Chicago and the rest of the league..

Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan originally wanted the Nets 2012 first-round pick sans protection in the Gerald Wallace deal but compromised in the end for top-three protection, tweets Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com.
Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com spoke to a number of Bulls players and people around the team about the prospect of picking up a free agent. The general feeling around the club is that while they would gladly welcome a new acquisition, they don't feel as though they need one to win.
David Aldridge of NBA.com takes a look back at the deadline deals that went down and also the ones that didn't. Aldridge opines that the Hornets, Wolves, and Hawks all should have made moves rather than stand pat.
Most of the big names in this summer's free agent class are veterans on the downslope of their career, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com.
The Celtics, Suns, and Pacers will all be flush with cash this summer, writes Larry Coon for ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Teams with limited cap flexibility going forward include the Bulls, Heat, and Lakers.

Brad Miller To Retire After Season

March 19th, 2012 at 8:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Two-time All-Star Brad Miller intends on retiring at season's end, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Timberwolves center plans to turn his attention to his hunting TV show after walking away from the game.

In 14 NBA seasons, Miller has suited up for six different clubs and had two separate stints with the Bulls. The soon-to-be 36-year-old averaged 11.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG for his career.

Miller has a $5.1MM team option for next season that comes with a very small buyout, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. If Miller is interested, Wolves president David Kahn would like to see him remain with the organization in some capacity after he's done playing, Zgoda tweets.

Latest On Lakers’ Failed Trade For Beasley

March 16th, 2012 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

1:36pm: Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reports a slightly different story on how the Beasley talks broke down, saying the Lakers were trying to send Luke Walton and other "salary dump type pieces" to Minnesota. Ingram suggests the reports on Fisher's inclusion causing Minnesota to back out are Lakers' spin.

10:42am: We heard yesterday that the Timberwolves had backed out of a potential three-team trade that would've sent Michael Beasley to the Lakers, Derek Fisher and Jamal Crawford to Minnesota, and a first-round pick to the Trail Blazers. The Lakers ultimately moved Fisher and that first-rounder to Houston for Jordan Hill, but a few details have surfaced on that failed deal have surfaced today.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Anthony Tolliver would have also been involved in the deal, heading from Minnesota to Portland. McMenamin says the T-Wolves pulled out of the deal with just seven minutes left before the trade deadline, leaving Lakers officials "puzzled and disappointed."

Mike Breshanan of the Los Angeles Times hears from a source that the trade was "whisker-close" to being completed, but that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor blocked the deal. Presumably, if ownership vetoed the deal, it was for financial reasons rather than basketball reasons, though that's just my speculation.

Anthony Carter Interested In Spurs, Wolves, Heat

March 16th, 2012 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors officially waived Anthony Carter yesterday, giving the team a chance to play more of its young players over the final few weeks of the season. For Carter, the move means he'll likely get a chance to catch on with a contender.

Carter will have to clear waivers before becoming a free agent and signing anywhere he likes, which is no guarantee. But Carter tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that agent Bill Duffy has already talked to the Spurs and Timberwolves about a potential signing (Twitter link). Carter would be interested in joining either team, and wouldn't mind going to Miami either, though the Heat haven't expressed interest yet (Twitter links). Tomasson finds Miami an unlikely destination, since the Heat are more focused on adding a big man (Twitter link).

Carter, 36, spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career playing with the Heat, Spurs, and Timberwolves, respectively. Since then, he's joined the Nuggets, Knicks, and Raptors. In 623 career games, the point guard has averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.

Odds & Ends: Beasley, Bucks, Spurs, Nash

March 15th, 2012 at 10:49pm CST by Sean Highkin

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

The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda talked to Michael Beasley, who was shopped heavily by the Timberwolves prior to the trade deadline. Beasley would like to remain in Minnesota past this season but recognizes that it is not in his control.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Michael Hunt believes the trade of Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown makes sense for the Bucks in both the short and the long term.
Spurs GM R.C. Buford hints that there may be another roster move to come, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News's Tim Griffin.
The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro highlights the loyalty Steve Nash has displayed to the Suns as something that distinguishes him from other stars in the league.

Timberwolves Backed Out Of Beasley Deal

March 15th, 2012 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers and Blazers had agreed to a three-team trade that would've sent Michael Beasley to the Lakers, with Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher heading to the Timberwolves, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. However, the T-Wolves pulled out of the deal, says Cooper (Twitter link).

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune echoes Howard-Cooper's report, saying that Minnesota decided upgrading from Beasley to Crawford wasn't enough to justify the additional salary heading to the T-Wolves (Twitter link). The Wolves also had no guarantee that Crawford would exercise his player option and remain in Minnesota next season, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter).

Zgoda adds that Luke Ridnour and Steve Blake don't seem to have been involved in the discussed deal, as the Blazers would have received Dallas' first-round pick from the Lakers (Twitter links).

Failed Deals: Beasley, Crawford, Allen, Pierce

March 15th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

You've read about the trades that were completed prior to the deadline, but there were also plenty of moves that didn't quite work out. Here are a few that have been reported so far:

The Lakers had been in talks to acquire Michael Beasley in a deal that would've sent Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher to the Timberwolves, with Dallas' first-round pick going to the Blazers, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (on Twitter).
Crawford also could've gone to the Lakers, but the Blazers didn't want to take on Derek Fisher, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Before they acquired Nick Young, the Clippers talked extensively with the Rockets about trading for Courtney Lee, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
The Clippers were also "this close" from acquiring Ray Allen, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
The Celtics had serious talks with several teams about both Allen and Paul Pierce, but nothing came together, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Another interesting tidbit from Amick: He says the Nuggets tried to engage the Kings on Nene/DeMarcus Cousins swap about a month ago, but the Kings weren't interested (Twitter links).
The Bucks made a "strong late push" for the Hornets' Carl Landry, but couldn't work anything out, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
GM Otis Smith told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com that the Magic explored many deals to bring in help around Dwight Howard, but that the risk/reward factor didn't make sense (Twitter link).