Karl-Anthony Towns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves Exercise Options On Four Players

October 23rd, 2016 at 5:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have exercised third-year options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones and fourth-year options on Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins, the team announced today.

Adreian Payne has been told his fourth-year option will not be picked up, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis (Twitter link).

Towns and Wiggins are the last two Rookies of the Year and Levine is part of the rotation, so all of those moves were expected. Minnesota has reportedly been in ongoing trade talks involving Jones, with the Sixers as the current front-runner.

Payne, a 6’10” power forward, appeared in 52 games for the Wolves last season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per night. He was acquired from the Hawks in a 2015 trade.

NBA GMs Weigh In On 2016/17 Season

October 18th, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

NBA.com has completed its annual survey of NBA general managers, asking each of the league’s 30 GMs an array of questions about the league’s top teams, players, and coaches. As John Schuhmann of NBA.com details in his piece announcing the results, it comes as little surprise that NBA GMs are just as bullish on the Cavaliers‘ and Warriors‘ chances in 2016/17 as the rest of us are — those are the only two teams GMs predicted to become this season’s NBA champion, with Golden State getting 69% of the vote and Cleveland getting 31%.

While there are many responses in the GM survey worth checking out, we’ll focus on rounding up some of the more interesting ones related to rosters and player movement. Let’s dive in…

LeBron James led the way in votes for 2016/17’s MVP award, but Karl-Anthony Towns was the clear choice for the player most GMs would want to start a franchise with today.
The Warriors were the only team to receive more than two votes for which team made the best offseason moves — Golden State was the runaway winner at 83.3%, largely due to the signing of Kevin Durant. The addition of Durant was easily voted the move most likely to make the biggest impact this season, and it was also viewed as the most surprising move of the summer, just ahead of Dwyane Wade joining the Bulls.
The Jazz‘s trade for George Hill received at least one vote for the move likely to have the biggest impact, and it was the winner for the most underrated player acquisition of the offseason.
Dejounte Murray (Spurs), Kris Dunn (Timberwolves), and Patrick McCaw (Warriors) were considered the biggest steals of the draft by GMs, who voted Milos Teodosic and Sergio Llull as the top international players not currently in the NBA.
NBA general managers view Tom Thibodeau as the new coach most likely to make an immediate positive impact on his new team, and think Chris Paul is the player most likely to become a future NBA head coach.
The rules that GMs wants to see changed or modified include the draft lottery system, the number of timeouts per game, and intentional fouling.

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Griffin, Rubio, Towns

August 19th, 2016 at 10:31am CST by Arthur Hill

New Orleans has been selected to replace Charlotte as the host for the 2017 All-Star Game, reports Brett Martel of The Associated Press. An official announcement from the league is expected later today, tweets Brett Dawson of the New Orleans Advocate. The NBA announced last month that it was pulling the game from Charlotte in protest of a controversial new North Carolina law regarding protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. The league offered to give Charlotte the 2019 game if changes are made to the statute. New Orleans also hosted the event in 2008 and 2014. The game is scheduled for February 19th, which coincides with the start of Mardi Gras parades.

There’s more NBA-related news this morning:

Eric Griffin, a former D-League All-Star whose quest for the NBA was halted by an attempted murder charge, has agreed to a contract in Israel, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The state of Florida dropped the charges against Griffin in June, clearing him to resume his basketball career. He will join the Galil Gilboa club, says his agent, Tod Seidel. Griffin had been charged with attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and spent a week in jail in May. The Florida state attorney’s office investigated the case and determined that Griffin had an alibi and did not match the victim’s description. Seidel says the incident cost Griffin the chance to play in the NBA’s summer league and in the Philippines.
The death of Ricky Rubio‘s mother made him consider skipping the Summer Olympics, writes Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. The Spanish point guard talked regularly to his mother through video chats after Timberwolves games last season and was distraught over her battle with lung cancer. “Sometimes at night during the season I was going through hell,” he said. “Waking up in, who knows, Sacramento, in L.A., in the middle of the night alone in a hotel and thinking, ‘Why am I here? Is it really worth it?'”
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns tops the list of the best NBA sophomores heading into 2016/17, according to Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. Both have the reigning Rookie of the Year listed at No. 1. Ford has Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis ranked second, while Pelton opts for Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Ibaka, Murray, Dunn

June 25th, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City remains the favorite in the Kevin Durant free agency sweepstakes, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The Thunder have a significant advantage in the amount they can offer Durant, Slater notes, as he can make $229.5MM over the next six seasons if he opts out of a two-year deal next summer and signs a five-year max contract. OKC can also offer a guaranteed contender, as the Thunder just fell one game short of reaching the NBA Finals. Slater rates the Warriors, Spurs and Celtics as having the best chance to take Durant away, with the Heat and Clippers as long shots and the Wizards and Rockets as “delusional pipe-dreamers.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Durant gave at least his unspoken approval to the draft-day trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic, writes Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. Given the uncertainty surrounding Durant, Amick says the Thunder never would have made such a major deal if they didn’t know he was on board with it.
New Nuggets guard Jamal Murray can expect to begin the season in a sixth-man role, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Denver GM Tim Connelly says veteran shooting guard Gary Harris will continue to start, with Murray used for instant offense off the bench. “It’s Gary’s job,” Connelly said. “Certainly I hope Jamal does everything he does to potentially take the job, but Gary’s our starting two guard. [Drafting Murray] was an addition to what we think is a very strong backcourt already. We like the flexibility he provides us.”
The Nuggets haven’t decided whether to bring over No. 15 pick Juan Hernangomez next season, Dempsey writes in the same piece. The 20-year-old power forward played for Real Madrid this season. “Both options are open,” Connelly said. “There are some pretty good international situations, if we want him to marinate a bit overseas. I think certainly he has the game to come over. If you’re productive at the ACB level, it usually translates. But it’s a conversation we’re going to have with his representatives and figure it out.”
No. 5 pick Kris Dunn likes the situation he is entering with the Timberwolves, relays Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The Providence point guard will be surrounded by young talents such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine. “All those athletes … [who] like to play up and down, and that’s how my game is,” Dunn said. “I like to play at a fast pace, that up-tempo. We’re all young so I think it’s going to make the relationship even stronger because we’re all trying to learn together, we’re all trying to build together, and we’re going to try to compete every game.”

Karl-Anthony Towns Named Rookie Of The Year

May 16th, 2016 at 9:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Karl-Anthony Towns has officially been named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for the 2015/16 season in a unanimous vote, the Timberwolves announced today (via Twitter). A 20-year-old out of Kentucky, Towns was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month each month this season.

Towns was the top pick in the 2015 draft and immediately moved into Minnesota’s starting lineup. He started all 82 games and averaged a double-double with 18.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per night.

Towns quickly won the respect of Wolves veteran Kevin Garnett, who praised the rookie center for his IQ and understanding of the game. Sometimes [it’s] a little difficult teaching him because he is so smart,” Garnett said. “I guess that’s a young thing. But he gets a lot of things you teach him very quickly.’’

Towns’ Rookie of the Year nod represents the second consecutive time a player from the Timberwolves organization has earned the honor. Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins was named Rookie of the Year in 2015.

ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links) first reported on Sunday that the Wolves were expected to announce that Towns had been named Rookie of the Year at a news conference Monday, adding that it wouldn’t be surprising if the final vote was unanimous.

Here is this year’s full list of vote-getters for the award, along with their point totals:

Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves): 650
Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks): 363
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets): 59
Devin Booker (Suns): 49
Jahlil Okafor (76ers): 34
Justise Winslow (Heat): 7
Emmanuel Mudiay (Nuggets): 4
Myles Turner (Pacers): 3
D’Angelo Russell (Lakers): 1

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Towns, Lyles, Gallinari, Pleiss

April 3rd, 2016 at 6:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle views Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns as a “next generation” type of player with his combination of size and ability, according to The Associated Press. “There are going to be guys like him,” Carlisle said, “that have the great size and length and still can play the ‘4’ [power forward], those super athletes with super length that now are still damn quick and can do anything on the basketball court. He’s an unbelievable weapon for them.” Towns is a heavy favorite to give Minnesota its second straight Rookie of the Year winner, following Andrew Wiggins last season.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Towns has won every Western Conference Rookie of the Month award this season, but even that doesn’t reflect how dominant his first season has been, writes Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders. Towns’ player efficiency rating of 22.80 is the second highest in NBA history for a 20-year old, trailing Shaquille O’Neal by a tenth of a point. He also ranks among the best-ever 20-year-olds in win shares, scoring average, blocks per game, rebounding, true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage and overall field goal percentage.
Towns has been impressed by the play of fellow rookie and former Kentucky teammate Trey Lyles, according to Samuel Benson of The Deseret News. Utah made Lyles the 12th overall pick of last year’s draft and eased him into its rotation. He is averaging 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds a night through 74 games but made an impact with 17 first-half points in Friday’s win over Minnesota. “[Lyles] has been a tremendous player since high school and proved in college how great he was,” Towns said. “… “He’s going to be the future of this [Jazz] team.”
The Nuggets will miss the postseason for the third straight year, and Danilo Gallinari expressed frustration to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post about the lack of progress. Gallinari has fond memories of the years when George Karl coached in Denver and the Nuggets were regular contenders. “Honestly, we didn’t make the playoffs this year,” Gallinari said. “I’m asking you; do you think that the same thing that didn’t make the playoffs this year is a championship team next year? I don’t think so.”
The Jazz have recalled center Tibor Pleiss from their Idaho affiliate in the D-League. Pleiss, who has made five D-League trips this season, has appeared in 12 games for Utah, averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds.

Nuggets Rumors: Nurkic, Mudiay, Jokic, Gallinari

March 20th, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic is trying to pick up the pieces of an injury-plagued second season in the NBA, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. After earning second-team all-rookie honors in 2014/15, Nurkic has seen his playing time and effectiveness limited by an aching left knee. He had surgery during the offseason to repair a partially torn patellar tendon, but the knee hasn’t responded the way he hoped it would. He is averaging 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 23 games. “I can’t control this stuff,” Nurkic said. “When I hear my name I go in. I haven’t heard it a lot this season for some reason, but I will be a professional until the end and try to finish the season the right way.” In October, Denver picked up his option for 2016/17 at $1,921,320. He also has a team option for 2017/18 at $2,947,305.

There’s more news today out of Denver:

Both Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic have strong cases to be first-team choices on this season’s all-rookie team, Dempsey contends in a separate story. Mudiay, the seventh player selected in the 2015 draft, leads NBA rookies in assists with 5.7 per game and is fourth in scoring average at 12.3 points per night. His main competition for first-team honors in the backcourt will come from the Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell and the Suns’ Devin Booker, Dempsey believes. Jokic was a second-round pick in 2014 who played in the Adriatic and Serbian leagues before coming to the NBA. He ranks second among rookies behind the Wolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns in player efficiency rating and is fourth in rebounding and eighth in scoring.
The Nuggets don’t know if Danilo Gallinari will play again this season, but the injured small forward plans to be part of the Italian team in the Summer Olympics, according to Marco “Barzo” Barzizza of Eurosport [hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando]. Gallinari suffered two torn ligaments in his right ankle during a late February game. The injury was expected to keep him out of action for about a month, but the Nuggets may shut him down for the season even if he does recover. “I don’t know if I’ll be back before the end of the season,” Gallinari said. “I am very happy to be in Denver and before thinking about new teams I hope to win something here and to play for the Denver Nuggets for many years.”

Northwest Notes: Garnett, Towns, Durant, Jazz

January 23rd, 2016 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wolves‘ Kevin Garnett had glowing words for rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns, but sidestepped a question on interim coach Sam Mitchell, according to Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune. “Next question,’’ the veteran forward said when asked if Mitchell is the right coach for the team’s future. But he had much more to say about Towns, who is among the favorites for Rookie of the Year honors. “He’s very smart,” Garnett said. “He has a high IQ. He understands basketball. Sometimes [it’s] a little difficult teaching him because he is so smart. I guess that’s a young thing. But he gets a lot of things you teach him very quickly.’’

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Towns’ skills weren’t fully appreciated coming out of college because he was sharing minutes on a deep, talented Kentucky team, writes Jonathan Tjarks of Real GM. Tjarks compares Towns to a larger version of the Hawks’ Al Horford and says he has a chance to be like Garnett, only with the ability to play center and hit 3-pointers.
Although Brooklyn seems like an improbable free agency destination for the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com warns not to count out the Nets entirely. Durant’s representatives are Roc Nation Sports and Jay Z, who used to hold a minority ownership stake in the Nets. Also, Roc Nation’s president/chief of branding and strategy is Michael Yormark, whose twin brother Brett is CEO of the Nets. If Durant decides he wants to play in a big market and get away from the Warriors and Spurs in the Western Conference, Mazzeo believes Brooklyn could be on his radar.
There is a bright side to the injuries that have limited the Jazz to a 19-24 start, claims Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. With Dante Exum out for the year and Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors missing big chunks of the season, rookies Trey Lyles and Raul Neto have gotten valuable playing time. Neto has emerged as the starting point guard and is averaging 5.8 points and 2.4 assists per game, while Lyles overcame a slow start to become an effective scorer and 3-point shooter.

Western Notes: O’Brien, Suns, Towns

January 16th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

J.J. O’Brien‘s gamble on the D-League has paid off, according to Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. The 6’7″ forward signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz today and will be available for tonight’s game with the Lakers. O’Brien played for Utah’s summer league team and earned an invitation to training camp. After being cut, he decided to join the franchise’s D-League affiliate in Idaho rather than seek a larger contract with an overseas team. He averaged 9.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 24 games with the Stampede. “I had a pretty good confidence in myself that I could get to this level,” he said. “It’s the ultimate dream to get here. The best way to do that is to be here playing in the D-League.”

There’s more from the Western Conference:

GM Ryan McDonough is remaining positive about the Suns‘ future, even as losses pile up, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Phoenix has dropped 12 of its last 13 contests, but is still on the edge of the playoff race, trailing eighth seed Utah by just five games. The team’s performance in the next few weeks will determine McDonough’s course of action. “Over the next month or so,” he said, “we’ll evaluate where we are and what our options are and be realistic about who we are as a team and what we can do this year as we get closer to the trade deadline.”
Karl-Anthony Towns may have landed with a struggling franchise, but he’s very happy to be in Minnesota, writes John Krawczynski of the Associated Press. The top pick in the 2015 draft has made an immediate impact, averaging 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds over the first half of the season and putting himself in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. He also feels comfortable in Minneapolis, even though the Wolves are off to a 12-28 start. “I think I’m more and more a part of this community every day,” Towns said. “I love it here. I love absolutely everything here.”

Northwest Notes: Garnett, Towns, Waiters, Kanter

November 25th, 2015 at 10:47am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge admits he was careful about the sort of young players he brought around Kevin Garnett, who “could be intimidating — and destructive — if the player didn’t respond in the right way,” he tells Jackie MacMullan of ESPN The Magazine. That’s evidence that Minnesota’s plan to use Garnett as a mentor for its host of young players isn’t foolproof, but the intense Garnett and No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns have taken to one another, and Garnett has accepted his purpose as a team leader, even giving Towns uncharacteristic advice to ease up at times, as MacMullan details. The edginess that Garnett brings to the Timberwolves has been a positive, GM Milt Newton tells MacMullan, and the late Flip Saunders cited Garnett’s ability to work well under Sam Mitchell when Saunders reacquired Garnett for Minnesota last season, MacMullan notes. See more on the Wolves and other Northwest Division teams:

Jahlil Okafor outplayed Towns this week in a matchup of two of the top three picks, but the Timberwolves still chose wisely when they went with the former Kentucky big man, opines Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune. “It was an off-game for Karl,” Mitchell said, “but you look at the other 11, 12 games that Karl has played, he’s been unbelievable.”
Kevin Durant lifts the performances of many around him, but that’s especially so with Thunder teammate Dion Waiters, notes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Both are set to become free agents at season’s end, and Waiters has denied rumors that he wants to jump to the Sixers to play in his hometown of Philadelphia, a most unlikely destination for Durant.
Enes Kanter elicited questions about his maturity from some executives around the league in the wake of pithy comments he made about the Jazz after they fulfilled his request for a trade last season, but the Thunder big man is contrite these days, The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater observes. “I think that I was a little, you know, harsh,” Kanter said. “But I just want to clear, I have no problem with the players or the fans. I respect the guys and they helped me a lot with my career. They helped me a lot in my first three and a half years.”