Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Gay, Green, Watson

January 5th, 2023 at 8:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As the Timberwolves deal with injuries and disappointing box scores alike, it has become clear that 21-year-old shooting guard Anthony Edwards should be the one to lead them, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“All leaders have one thing in common,” head coach Chris Finch said. “People follow them.”

Krawczynski notes that Edwards is not without flaw, citing the swingman’s at-times questionable shot profile and occasional defensive gaffes. But over the past 10 contests, Edwards has emerged as the Wolves’ most reliable healthy player, averaging 28.1 PPG on 54.7% field goal shooting, 8.0 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.5 SPG.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Although veteran Jazz power forward Rudy Gay has been putting up modest numbers for Utah, he has been a huge contributor beyond the traditional stats. The 6’8″ forward is helping the club achieve a net rating of +12.9 when he’s on the court, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Todd notes that Gay has a strong connection with first-year Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who counts on the veteran’s leadership to help the team’s younger players.
The fractured left hand of Nuggets reserve power forward Jeff Green has been improving, reports Harrison Wind of DNR Sports (Twitter link). According nto Wind, Green has been wearing a protective glove on the hand in recent pregame shootarounds. Wind adds that Green is expected to have his hand reassessed in two weeks.
According to Wind (via Twitter), rookie Nuggets shooting guard Peyton Watson will miss the next few weeks with a strained left adductor. Denver has liked what it has seen out of Watson while he’s spent time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, per Wind.

Health Updates: LeBron, Walker, Prince, Bucks, SGA

January 4th, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James has been helping to keep the Lakers in the play-in race, averaging 36.6 points per game on 58.5% shooting during the club’s 3-2 road trip that wrapped up on Monday.

However, James won’t be available when the Lakers return home and host the Heat on Wednesday. He has been ruled out for the game due to a non-COVID illness, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Lakers guard Lonnie Walker will also miss his third consecutive contest, McMenamin adds. Previously listed as out due to a tailbone contusion, Walker is now on the injury report with left knee soreness.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince intends to make his return to action on Wednesday night vs. Portland, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Prince, who was dealing with a right shoulder subluxation, last played on November 23 — he has missed Minnesota’s last 20 games.
After playing on Tuesday night vs. Washington, Jrue Holiday (non-COVID illness) and Joe Ingles (left knee injury management) have been ruled out for the second half of the Bucks‘ back-to-back set on Wednesday in Toronto, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Khris Middleton (right knee soreness) and George Hill (non-COVID illness) will also remain sidelined.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed Tuesday’s game due to a non-COVID illness, but he’s not on Wednesday’s injury report, so it appears he’ll be available tonight in Orlando, tweets Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder.

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Brown, Gordon, Saunders

January 2nd, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The biggest obstacle to Nikola Jokic being named MVP may be that he won the award the past two seasons, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird are the only players to capture MVP honors in three consecutive years, and it hasn’t happened since 1984-86. Voters tend to look for alternatives rather than casting their ballots for the same player every season.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone called that type of thinking “lazy” in a pre-game meeting with reporters Sunday night. He also expressed disgust with having to repeatedly make the argument for his center, adding, “I don’t really care what people think about Nikola.”

After Malone’s comments, Jokic bolstered his MVP candidacy with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over the Celtics. It was the league-best ninth triple-double of the year for Jokic, who is averaging 25.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game — numbers very similar to his past MVP seasons.

There’s more from Denver:

With Sunday’s matchup featuring the top teams in each conference, the Nuggets showed a defensive intensity that was lacking in their November meeting in Boston, Singer adds. Denver focused on closing out on three-point shooters and limited the Celtics to 3-of-19 from long distance in the first half. The defense got a boost from Bruce Brown, who was starting in place of Jamal Murray and who always gets excited about facing his hometown team. “I definitely look forward to (these games), just me being there, me growing up a Celtics fan,” Brown said.
Bones Hyland has joined the campaign for Aaron Gordon to make the All-Star Game (video link from HoopsHype). Gordon has been the Nuggets’ second-best player this season, averaging 17.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 31 games. “He does the junkyard work for us, and I feel like he doesn’t get a lot of praise,” Hyland said. “So definitely AG an All-Star for sure.”
Nuggets assistant Ryan Saunders will make his first trip to Minnesota tonight since being fired as the Timberwolves‘ head coach in 2021, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Saunders took a year sabbatical from coaching, turning down multiple offers, before joining Denver’s staff this season. “Looking forward to seeing fans that I remember seeing in the crowd, especially before COVID hit,” Saunders said. “That’s something that you kind of forget about too. In professional sports, jobs come and go, and all of a sudden you might be in a different situation than you were the day prior. The people you saw every day, the ushers, the security guards, the parking attendants, people who are just coming by your office to say hello from Mayo Clinic Square, you don’t see them anymore. I’m really looking forward to seeing that.”

Community Shootaround: Minnesota Timberwolves

January 1st, 2023 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves got a taste of the postseason last spring and chose to make a bold move that their management believed would make them serious contenders.

They gave up a package of players and four first-round picks, including their 2023 choice, to acquire center Rudy Gobert from Utah. To this point, it’s been a disastrous move.

Minnesota is five games below .500 after losing at home to Detroit, which owns the league’s worst record. The Timberwolves were outscored 66-40 in the second half while getting booed by the home fans.

Gobert was supposed to stabilize the Timberwolves’ defense, but they still cannot get enough stops. While the Timberwolves rank a respectable sixth in field goal percentage defense, they’re 22nd in points allowed.

To be fair, Minnesota has been operating the last five weeks without its best player. Karl-Anthony Towns suffered a right calf strain and hasn’t played Nov. 28. There’s still no timetable for his return.

Without him, Minnesota is heavily reliant on the guard tandem of Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell for scoring production. Russell, who is making over $31MM this season, is headed to unrestricted free agency in the summer.

The Timberwolves have also struggled with their rebounding and the bench hasn’t helped greatly, ranking 18th in the league in scoring.

Beyond Russell’s expiring contract, they don’t have many assets to deal at this point due to the Gobert trade.

That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Timberwolves exercise patience and hope they can turn things around when Towns returns? Or should they attempt to make moves to replenish assets and build a better team for next season?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Wolves Notes: Losing Streak, Reid, Finch, Russell

January 1st, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves‘ disappointing season reached a new low Saturday night, and coach Chris Finch indicated some lineup changes may be coming in the new year, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Minnesota dropped its sixth straight game, letting a large lead slip away in the third quarter of a loss to the Pistons, who have the NBA’s worst record.

“Old demons,” Finch said in trying to explain the collapse. “Got outcompeted in the third. Just lifeless and not sure exactly where it comes from.”

Finch also cited a need for “people who want to go out there and try to rebound.” Detroit pounded the Wolves 52-37 on the boards and held a 9-0 lead in second-chance points. Finch also indicated that the team’s struggles may be mental as well as physical.

“Tonight was the first time I saw them frustrated with each other through a lot of different ins and outs of the lineup, tough losses on the road,” Finch said. “But tonight I think it manifested itself in a different way. A lot of frustration with guys not making the right and simple play.”

There’s more on the Wolves:

Saturday’s loss prompted a players-only meeting, tweets Dane Moore of Blue Wire Pods. The locker room didn’t open to the media until 45 minutes after the game as the players tried to sort through the many issues surrounding the team. “I feel like every team does at some point,” Naz Reid said of the meeting (Twitter link). “So moving forward, I feel like we could be heading in the right direction. I feel like we had the right conversation.”
Finch’s job appears to be safe despite the losing streak, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. He points out that new president of basketball operations Tim Connelly emphasized continuity while building the Nuggets into a contender and doesn’t seem inclined to rush into a coaching change. Connelly recently told Krawczynski that Finch, who received a multi-year contract extension in April, is “one of the best coaches I’ve been around.”
D’Angelo Russell‘s poor transition defense and questionable shot selection contributed to the second half collapse, Krawczynski adds. Russell was just 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter and he launched an ill-advised pull-up three-pointer with 2:15 left that cut short a comeback attempt. Russell will be a free agent this summer, but any trade market for him has been limited because of his $31.4MM salary.

Lore, A-Rod On Track To Buy Next 20% Stake In Timberwolves

December 30th, 2022 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

The plan for Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to succeed Glen Taylor as the controlling owners of the Timberwolves continues to move forward, according to Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who report that Lore and Rodriguez have exercised their option to buy another 20% of the team.

When Lore and Rodriguez reached an agreement with Taylor in the spring of 2021, the succession plan called for the new owners to initially come aboard as minority stakeholders with a 20% share of the franchise. The duo had until the end of 2022 to exercise an option to purchase another 20%, bringing their total stake in the club to 40%.

Now that Lore and A-Rod have exercised that option, they’ll have until March 15 to formally close on their second 20%, according to Krawczynski and Charania.

The final stage of the ownership change would see Lore and A-Rod exercise an option to buy another 40% of the team by December 31, 2023. Assuming that happens, the duo would then control 80% of the Timberwolves. Sources tell The Athletic that the plan is for Taylor to retain a 20% stake after giving up majority control of the team.

A report in August raised questions about whether Rodriguez had the liquidity necessary to contribute his half of the purchasing price and suggested that the deal could be in jeopardy, but it appears it’s still moving forward as planned.

As Krawczynski and Charania point out, Taylor would have the right to nix the succession plan and retain Lore and Rodriguez as limited shareholders if they miss either of the next two payments. However, the buyers have expressed confidence that those payments remain on track to be completed, per The Athletic’s report.

According to Krawczynski and Charania, Lore and Rodriguez have recruited other investors to join their Purple Buyers Holdings LLC, and should be in good position to bring in more if they need to do so. The recent $4 billion valuation the Suns received as part of their sale to Mat Ishbia was good news for Lore and A-Rod, since the Wolves – who are selling at a $1.5 billion valuation – look like a bargain by comparison.

Once they control 40% of the franchise, Lore and A-Rod will have invested $600MM in the Wolves, with another $600MM to come. The duo has already been involved in front office and personnel decisions in preparation of assuming majority control in another year.

Wolves Notes: Gobert, Anderson, McLaughlin, Prince

December 28th, 2022 at 10:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves need much more from center Rudy Gobert, who hasn’t been the player they thought they were trading for, according Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

As Krawczynski writes, the Wolves lost a winnable game on Monday when Miami was down its two best players in forward Jimmy Butler and center Bam Adebayo. Gobert was outplayed by undrafted two-way Heat rookie Orlando Robinson, which is inexcusable for a player of his stature.

Gobert’s numbers are down across the board, and he doesn’t appear to be as mobile or changing shots at the rim like he did while winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Jazz. Krawczynski points out that perhaps the most concerning statistic is that Gobert’s blocked shots have plummeted down to 1.2 per game — the lowest since his rookie year in 2023/14, when he averaged fewer than 10 minutes per contest.

There’s still time to turn things around, and injuries to key rotation players haven’t helped. But to this point, the blockbuster trade is looking like a disaster for the Wolves, per Krawczynski.

For what it’s worth, Krawczynski said (via Twitter) that Gobert played “great” in Wednesday’s one-point loss to the Pelicans, which dropped the Wolves’ record to 16-19.

Here’s more out of Minnesota:

In a Q&A with Tania Ganguli of The New York Times (subscriber link), Gobert says he isn’t worried about being under a microscope as he adjusts to a new team. “It’s not hard for me. I want to win, I’m a competitor, so it’s hard to lose. But at the same time, I’m able to understand the bigger picture and to understand that you got to go through pain to grow. I’ve said every time people ask me, it’s going to be some adversity. And when adversity hits, obviously everybody will have something to say. People are always going to have opinions,” he said.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, head coach Chris Finch told reporters, including Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link), that forward Kyle Anderson is nearing a return. The Wolves hope to have him back for Friday’s game in Milwaukee. The veteran play-maker has been dealing with a non-COVID illness and back spasms.
Finch also provided injury updates on point guard Jordan McLaughlin (left calf strain) and forward Taurean Prince (right shoulder subluxation), two key role players for the Wolves. As Hine relays (via Twitter), Finch said McLaughlin will be reevaluated in about a week, while Prince has been doing on-court work, but there’s still no timetable for his return. McLaughlin has now missed 10 straight games with his calf injury. Prince has been out since November 25, missing 17 consecutive games.

Gobert Addition Hasn't Resolved Rebounding Issue

December 27th, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Despite the trade for Rudy Gobert, rebounding remains a major issue for the Timberwolves, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune writes. Minnesota began the week 25th in the league in defensive rebounding percentage. Coach Chris Finch has said the problem is mainly due to a lack of effort from their wings and guards, rather than Gobert and the other bigs.

Krawczynski Story On Close Bond Between McDaniels, Reid, Nowell and Knight

December 25th, 2022 at 1:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Four Timberwolves role players — Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell and Nathan Knight — have a special bond, and their camaraderie has helped the team during tense moments, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I want to see the whole team succeed. But those are guys that I’m very, very close with,” Nowell said. “They’re really like blood brothers. It hits a little different when you see your family being successful.” All four are at key junctures in their careers — McDaniels is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer, Reid and Nowell will be unrestricted free agents, and Knight is playing on a non-guaranteed deal.

Gobert Pleased With Team's Effort Despite Inconsistency; Edwards Showing Growth As Play-Maker

December 23rd, 2022 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves continue to have an up-and-down season. They won three straight with Rudy Gobert sidelined with an ankle injury (though they were playing three similarly inconsistent opponents in the Thunder, Mavs and Bulls), and have now dropped two straight with him back. Still, Gobert says he’s pleased with the team’s effort, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’m really happy about the way we come in every day working, putting in the extra work,” he said. “And then when it’s game time, I’m really happy with the physicality, the competitiveness. I think that’s what’s going to take us as far as we can go.”
Anthony Edwards has shown improvement as a play-maker for the Timberwolves, and La Velle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune believes the 21-year-old has higher upside in that role than Karl-Anthony Towns. Edwards still needs to find more consistency, but it would be a good thing if Edwards becomes the face of the franchise sooner rather than later, according to Neal.