Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyler On Rose, Gasol, Martin, Gordon

February 20th, 2012 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

As we covered this morning, Steve Kyler shared a few Dwight Howard rumors in his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld. Here's the latest from Kyler on a few more topics:

Bulls sources vehemently denied having contact with the Lakers regarding Pau Gasol, and said Chris Sheridan's report about Derrick Rose giving his blessing for the Bulls to pursue Gasol didn't originate from Rose. Kyler himself is skeptical about the rumor, noting that it would be out of character for Rose, who has avoided recruiting players.
Replying to a question about the Rockets trading Kevin Martin, perhaps to the Timberwolves, Kyler tweets that there is "real interest." It's unclear whether he's referring to the Rockets being interested in dealing Martin or the T-Wolves being interested in acquiring him, but you could make an argument that both teams would be motivated to pursue such a deal.
The Hornets are open to moving Eric Gordon, but only if he could bring back a "legit star," tweets Kyler.

Kahn: “Minuscule” Chance Of Major T-Wolves Deal

February 16th, 2012 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

While the Timberwolves could use a shooting guard and also reportedly have interest in Pau Gasol, GM David Kahn warns not to expect a major move before next month's trade deadline. Kahn tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he's receiving some calls as teams feel each other out, but he's not expecting any big deals for the T-Wolves.

"The likelihood of us doing something dramatic is minuscule," Kahn said. "That doesn't mean that maybe we [don't] do something minor. But the last thing I want to do is send a message to our players that they should be looking over their shoulders right now."

Kahn's last line suggests that even if he's exploring a significant trade, he wouldn't say so publicly and send the wrong message to his players. The Minnesota GM insists he's happy with the team's play at the two guard, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the club make a deal to bring in a shooter before March 15th.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Kyler’s Latest: Brand, Love, Lin, Anthony

February 16th, 2012 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld fielded questions from his followers on Twitter this morning, focusing on everyone's favorite topics — Jeremy Lin and Dwight Howard. In addition to his morning tweets, Kyler also has an NBA AM piece up at HoopsWorld that includes a few interesting tidbits. Here are some of the highlights:

76ers forward Elton Brand has an early termination option for 2012/13 worth about $18.16MM which will almost certainly be picked up. He intends to keep playing well past next season though, if his body allows it: "Everything hurts now but I still love playing the game and it's a joy coming out and competing against the best guys every night and having some success with the team, it feels good."
Kevin Love says the presence of Rick Adelman is a big reason why he signed a long-term extension with the Timberwolves: "He's allowed me to play with a lot of confidence and he's a coach that I enjoy playing for and I think everyone will say that in this locker room."
Addressing some Knicks trade speculation that has arisen since Lin's emergence, Kyler says it's way too early to talk about trading either Lin or Carmelo Anthony. While Kyler acknowledges that Carmelo is a tradable asset, he says the Knicks need to see the two players on the court together before jumping to any conclusions. I think this goes without saying — I don't expect we'll see Anthony leaving the Knicks anytime soon. I'm betting he and Lin will co-exist better that people are anticipating.

Timberwolves Pursuing Pau Gasol

February 16th, 2012 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets aren't the only club still trying to pry Pau Gasol from the Lakers. The Timberwolves are pursuing a deal for Gasol, dangling rookie Derrick Williams and draft picks, a source tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

According to Tomasson, the Timberwolves view Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio as their only untouchable players, and would be willing to part with their second overall pick from the 2011 draft if it meant pairing Gasol with fellow Spaniard Rubio. Given the difference in salaries between Gasol ($18.71MM) and Williams ($4.6MM), the T-Wolves would have to include other pieces as well. While Minnesota could build an intriguing package, it's hard to imagine the Lakers moving Gasol unless it nets them a starting point guard or a star at another position, like Dwight Howard.

In December, the Lakers thought they had finalized a deal that would send Gasol to the Rockets, but it was ultimately nixed by the league. Since then, Houston has maintained interest in Gasol, who has also been linked to trade rumors involving Howard and Rajon Rondo, among others.

J.R. Smith Rumors: Wednesday

February 15th, 2012 at 10:13pm CST by Luke Adams

9:56 p.m.: Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter) that Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro has reached out to Smith.

1:00 p.m.: J.R. Smith's Chinese team played its final game today, which means Smith's should be returning to America any time now. While he still needs a letter of clearance from FIBA before he can become an unrestricted free agent and sign with an NBA team, Smith figures to make his NBA debut shortly after the All-Star break at the latest. Yesterday, Chris Paul expressed confidence in the Clippers' chances of signing Smith, while Lakers coach Mike Brown confirmed he and Smith had talked. Here's the latest on the CBA's scoring champ:

The Bulls aren't in the mix for Smith, according to Larry Coon of HoopsWorld and ESPN.com (via Twitter).
It's anyone's guess how much we should trust Smith's Twitter feed, but for what it's worth, he tweeted yesterday that he hasn't been in contact with the Timberwolves at all.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel doesn't expect the Magic to sign Smith (Twitter link).

Minor Moves: Freeland, Lee, May

February 14th, 2012 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track the day's D-League and international transactions of note right here….

Former Trail Blazers draft pick Joel Freeland has agreed to a contract extension with his Spanish team, according to La Opinion de Malaga (hat tip to Sportando). The report suggests Freeland would have to pay a hefty buyout to Unicaja Malaga if he wanted to get out of the contract to pursue an NBA career. However, Portland's acting GM Chad Buchanan told Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (Twitter link) that the Blazers still hope to have Freeland next year, and that nothing is finalized between Freeland and Malaga.
The Timberwolves have recalled Malcolm Lee from their D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Rehabbing following early-season knee surgery, Lee played in three games for the Skyforce after being assigned by Minnesota last week.
North Carolina basketball fans will remember Sean May, who was drafted 13th overall in 2005 by the Bobcats after graduating from UNC. May, who saw his last NBA action in 2010, has signed with Italy's Sutor Montegranaro, according to the team's official site (hat tip to Sportando).

Paul: Clips’ Chances Of Signing Smith “Very High”

February 14th, 2012 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers may not be able to offer J.R. Smith as much money as most NBA clubs can, but Chris Paul likes his team's chances anyway. Paul told ESPN.com's Marc Stein he thinks the Clips' chances of landing Smith are "very high."

Smith, 26, is set to return from China this week, with Paul one of the NBA players said to be recruiting him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Joining the Clippers would reunite Smith with three former teammates, in Paul, Kenyon Martin, and the injured Chauncey Billups. However, the Clips aren't the only club interested.

Stein reported on Friday that the Knicks were still thought to be the frontrunner for Smith, though perhaps that's changed over the last few days. While Stein adds the Timberwolves and Pacers to the list of interested clubs, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star says Indiana's early interest has died down (Twitter link).

Yesterday, Hoops Rumors readers narrowly picked the Clippers (29%) as the favorite to sign Smith over the Knicks (26%).

Northwest Notes: Afflalo, Blazers, Timberwolves

February 13th, 2012 at 10:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets re-signed Arron Afflalo to a five-year, $43MM deal six days before the season began, and have since watched him lose a point off his scoring average (11.6 PPG this year) and turn the ball over a career-high 1.3 times a night. He's had a pair of his best performances of the season the last two times he stepped on the floor, lending credence to the idea that his unsettled contract situation and resulting lack of preparation time led to his poor early-season play, says Aaron J. Lopez of NBA.com.

Here's more from the Northwest Division:

After hinting that lineup changes could be coming, Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he's sticking with his current starting five, reports Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Fellow Oregonian writer John Canzano suggests that, in the wake of Jeremy Lin's surprising play, McMillan should find more minutes for young, unproven talent like Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams.
The Timberwolves, who have been starting Luke Ridnour, a point guard, at the two, are likely to acquire a true shooting guard via trade, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.

Odds & Ends: Jennings, Deng, Spurs

February 10th, 2012 at 11:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

On this date last year, Jerry Sloan stepped down after 23 seasons as coach of the Jazz. Earlier today we passed along the news that at least six teams are trying to convince Sloan to come back to the bench. Here are some more tidbits from around the league today:

Bucks GM John Hammond told Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he was caught off guard by what Brandon Jennings said about possibly leaving the team for a larger market. While Jennings is under team control until the summer of 2014, Ersan Ilyasova will be an unrestricted free-agent at the end of this season. There's a strong possibility Ilyasova, from Turkey, may favor a return to Europe, as HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston examines.
Luol Deng's selection as an All-Star reserve vindicates the Bulls for hanging on to him amidst many trade rumors over the years, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Manu Ginobili's return, set for Saturday against the Nets, creates a rotation puzzle for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to figure out, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
When Tyson Chandler went to the Knicks, the Mavs championship defense supposedly went with him, writes Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. But, Gosselin opines that the team's ability to play defense even without last year's shot-blocking center will help them defend their title. (Subscription link)
DeMarre Carroll, who was picked up Wednesday by the Jazz, was close to signing with Utah before the season started, Salt Lake Tribune writer Brian T. Smith tweets. Carroll signed instead with the Nuggets, who waived him Feb. 4.
Chicago, the hometown of Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade, has also produced Anthony Davis, who is projected as the top overall pick this June, and Jabari Parker, the consensus No. 1 high school player. That makes the Windy City the center of the hoops universe, opines ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
Dirk Nowitzki, who watched Ricky Rubio in Europe, didn't think the Wolves rookie sensation would have quite the impact he's having in the NBA, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Odds & Ends: Heat, T-Wolves, 76ers, Jackson

February 6th, 2012 at 5:30pm CST by Luke Adams

On this day in 2008, the Heat parted ways with Shaquille O'Neal, shipping him to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Although Shaq saw a boost in his production for the next year and a half, he didn't win a playoff series in Phoenix — the Suns fell to the Spurs in the first round in 2008, then failed to make the postseason a year later. Here are a few items of note from around the league, starting with one of Shaq's former teams:

In a perfect world, the Heat would add a bulkier center and a veteran point guard, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts today, as Chuck Myron outlined in our primer over the weekend. At SB Nation, Scott Schroeder looks at a few D-League players who are candidates for NBA contracts.
The Timberwolves have assigned Malcolm Lee to their D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. A 2011 second-round pick, Lee had knee surgery in December and has yet to make his NBA debut.
John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link) wonders if the 76ers could clear cap space and pursue Eric Gordon this offseason.
Magic GM Otis Smith shouldn't have acted on Dwight Howard's personnel suggestions and signed Glen Davis this offseason, argues Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
Meanwhile, Chris Paul, who's all too familiar with trade rumors, has some words of advice for Howard, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes.
Stephen Jackson told Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he couldn't say whether or not he's asked Bucks management for a trade.