Kevin Love Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Willing To Trade Joakim Noah

June 16th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Chuck Myron

Derrick Rose is the only “untouchable” player as the Bulls actively seek improvements to their starting lineup, several sources tell Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. That would mean First-Team All-NBA center Joakim Noah and others are available, though Cowley doesn’t specify whether the Bulls are dangling anyone in particular in ongoing talks. Carmelo Anthony remains Chicago’s No. 1 target, but the team is making a hard push to trade for Kevin Love, too, Cowley writes, suggesting the team will also make a serious run at LeBron James should he hit free agency this summer.

Noah, 29, is coming off a career year, and he’s set to make $12.7MM next season on a contract that runs through 2015/16, so his value is probably at an all-time high. Still, he’d seemingly be the last player other than Rose whom the Bulls would be willing to give up, with Taj Gibson not far behind. Noah has tried to recruit Anthony to Chicago, but the center doesn’t want to sacrifice Gibson to obtain the Knicks star forward, according to Cowley. Bulls executives have also been reluctant to part with Gibson, but it seems the hesitancy of Chicago’s brass is loosening if it would mean landing an All-Star caliber player in return, as Cowley observes.

It’s “not by choice” that the Bulls are making Rose the only player off-limits, Cowley writes, and that appears to indicate that other teams have signaled to Chicago that they’re wary of the point guard’s health. Rose has been unavailable for all but one game in the last three postseasons because of injury, and he’s missed most of the past two regular seasons.

The Bulls are open to just about any scenario, but it’s doubtful the team would part ways with Tom Thibodeau, Cowley hears. Chicago could extract valuable draft choices for the former Coach of the Year, who remains under contract, but in spite of rumors, it’s almost always seemed a long shot that he wouldn’t return to coach the Bulls next season.

And-Ones: NBPA, Anthony, Bower

June 15th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Johnson sent out a memo to the players regarding the search for the next head of the National Basketball Players Association, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. In the memo, Johnson informed the players that six candidates were interviewed on May 16th, with more scheduled for late June, and six more in mid-July. The names of the candidates were not made public yet.

Northwest Rumors: Love, Abrines, Nuggets

June 12th, 2014 at 9:08am CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Love‘s comments Wednesday painted a gloomy picture for the Timberwolves, but he did have some encouraging remarks about Flip Saunders, as Andy Nesbitt of Fox Sports details. Love spoke in response to Saunders’ assertion that the star power forward doesn’t have a right to feel frustrated about Minnesota’s lack of success.

“What some people don’t know is that Flip and I have a great relationship, and we’ve been constantly speaking about my situation,” Love said. “Flip is going to be a tremendous coach again for the Timberwolves; he did a great job last year with our team, even throughout all the injuries and different things that we had. But that’s the way of Flip of getting people motivated, whether it’s me or people you don’t even know about. Am I happy he said those things? I think he’s supposed to come out and say that because it’s a team game, not about one singular player.”

There’s more on Love amid the latest Northwest Division news:

An executive from a team other than the Timberwolves suggested to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that there’s been some “chatter” involving Love and the Heat (Twitter link). Wolfson doesn’t give much weight to the notion that Miami is pursuing Love, but he believes there is a team in the mix that has yet to be reported.
The Jazz are reportedly interested in Thunder “draft-and-stash” prospect Alex Abrines, the 32nd pick in last year’s draft, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman, who nonetheless categorizes the prospect of the Thunder sending him to Utah as a longshot. Mayberry, whose piece examines possibilities for the Thunder’s $6.5MM trade exception, speculates that a deal involving Iman Shumpert is the most likely scenario.
The Nuggets would like to sign 2013 second-round pick Joffrey Lauvergne this summer, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. Agent Misko Raznatovic confirmed the interest from Denver to Djordje Matic of Novosti (translation via Carchia). Last year’s 55th overall pick is under contract with KK Partizan in Serbia for next season, and the European club’s financial trouble could make it tough for Denver to strike a buyout agreement, Carchia adds.
It seems unlikely that the Thunder will end up re-signing Caron Butler, Mayberry writes in a separate article, pointing to Butler’s postseason shooting slump and the way his minutes cut into the playing time of Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones III.

Latest On Kevin Love

June 11th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Charlie Adams

It seems all but inevitable that Kevin Love will be traded prior to the start of the 2014/15 season. The big man spoke on ESPN’s SportsNation today and revealed his primary concern is playing for a winning team. When he was asked if he wanted out of Minnesota, Love stopped short of saying yes but replied:

“My agent is handling everything at this point … I’m hoping that everything works out for all parties involved.”

Here’s more on Love:

In the same segment, Love spoke to the appeal of playing under Phil Jackson with the Knicks: “I think any time you have Phil Jackson involved in any organization, you’re going to definitely look at it and it’s definitely intriguing. The Knicks are definitely a place where anybody would like to go.”
In a separate interview with Fox Sports, Love referred to the Wolves as “they” and didn’t sound enamored with the organization, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.
Love shot down the notion that he wouldn’t be interested in a trade to the Cavs during a Q&A session with Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead. “I don’t think the Cleveland [trade rumors] are outlandish at all,” said Love. “They have a great young foundation.“
The Rockets are losing faith that they have a shot at trading for Love, and the general belief within the organization is that other clubs can put together much better packages than anything Houston can offer, notes Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter).

Western Notes: Love, Parsons, Suns, Payne

June 8th, 2014 at 12:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The trade speculation around the Timberwolves‘ Kevin Love is heating up. Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders examines the different teams involved, what they have to offer in a trade, and which franchise would be the best fit for Love. In the same article, Ingram also looks at Chandler Parsons‘ option situation with the Rockets, and why they might be willing to let him test the free agent market.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Hornets, Dolan, Celtics

June 8th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons have big plans for their new NBA D-League team in Grand Rapids, writes David Mayo of MLive. Coach and president of basketball operations, Stan Van Gundy intends to use the D-League as a major part of their development plan for young players, reports Mayo. Van Gundy said, “If you get that coach integrated with what you’re doing, and you’re playing the same system and everything else, I think that D-League thing can be very, very valuable. And we’ll take the hiring of that coach as a very big part of our staff because I think it can be that valuable.“

More news from the east:

If the Hornets don’t want to regress next season they will have to add some offensive weapons to their roster, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
Knicks owner James Dolan needs to observe how Heat owner Micky Arison and Spurs owner Peter Holt do business, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. Lawrence cites Dolan’s tendency to meddle in basketball affairs as one of the main issues affecting the franchise’s ability to rebuild and contend.
If the Celtics want to acquire Kevin Love from the Timberwolves the possibility of re-signing him will be directly tied to what GM Danny Ainge decides to do with Rajon Rondo, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Without Love the team has less of a reason to retain Rondo, and without Rondo the team would be less likely to entice Love to stay in Boston, opines Murphy.

Western Notes: Love, Suns, Parsons

June 7th, 2014 at 6:53pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Timberwolves president and coach Flip Saunders doesn’t think Kevin Love has any right to be frustrated with the team’s lack of success, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sanders said, “Just like I told Kevin Garnett, he didn’t have a right to be frustrated. Why does any player have a right to be frustrated? You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. Should the team be frustrated? Yeah, the team can be frustrated. But I don’t think any one individual should be frustrated.”

Western Rumors: Love, Saunders, Thompson

June 7th, 2014 at 11:23am CST by Cray Allred

Quin Snyder was just introduced as the new head coach for the Jazz, expressing his excitement to develop the young Utah roster and forge a defensive identity, reports Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). Here’s more from out west, including another coaching press conference in Minnesota:

At his first press conference as coach for the Wolves, Flip Saunders said that part of the reason he was the best fit in Minnesota was his ability to be flexible considering the potential roster overhaul that could take place in the event of a Kevin Love trade. “What we did not want to do is bring in a coach who was going to be pigeonholed on a certain style of play with the players we have,” Saunders told reporters including Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune, “and then all of a sudden maybe that changes. [The decision] was made based on what’s best for us as a team, whether we make trades or we don’t.”
Saunders added that he isn’t interested in taking a competitive step back, an indication that any trade made would have the aim of short-term improvement, not a rebuilding effort.
Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune thinks that Saunders made the right decision in taking the Wolves coaching job, but doesn’t think the organization with a track record of instability is any better off.
Klay Thompson told Russian blogger Mete Aktas that he would like to remain with the Warriors for the long haul, but knows that rumors surrounding him are inevitable (Translation via Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group). “Your job is never secure in this league unless your name is LeBron James or Steph Curry,” said Thompson. “I hope [staying with Golden State] happens, but it is a fact that you never know what will happen in the NBA.”
Thompson added that he was shocked by Mark Jackson‘s firing when it happened, but is comfortable moving forward with new coach Steve Kerr.

Flip Saunders To Coach Timberwolves

June 6th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 1:10pm: The Wolves officially announced that Saunders will serve as their head coach and held an afternoon press conference.

THURSDAY, 11:19am: The move doesn’t affect Love’s thought process regarding an exit from the Wolves, sources tell Stein, largely echoing an earlier report from Holmes, as we passed along below (Twitter link).

11:05am: The coaching agreement between Saunders and Taylor is “open-ended” in terms of length, meaning Saunders will have the opportunity to revisit a search for someone else to coach the team in the future, Zgoda writes.

10:41am: Sources tell Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that they strongly doubt Saunders’ decision to coach the team himself will convince Love to stay in Minnesota (Twitter link).

10:23am: Mitchell and Sidney Lowe are expected to become assistant coaches under Saunders, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. There doesn’t appear to be a timetable for Saunders to coach, and neither Mitchell nor Lowe is a “coach in waiting,” Zgoda adds via Twitter. It’s unclear whether Billups will be a part of the staff, Zgoda also tweets, noting that he’s heard that Billups would prefer a basketball executive job, which falls in line with the guard’s assertion in March that several teams had gauged his interest in joining their front offices.

10:08am: Saunders has confirmed the news to Stein, and Saunders will continue to have the ultimate authority in the front office and work in concert with GM Milt Newton, Krawczynski hears (Twitter links).

9:54am: Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders will coach the team next season, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link). The news comes just minutes after Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that Saunders was strongly considering the move. The team failed to gain traction with several other coaching candidates, and while the prospect of Saunders returning to the team’s bench has been in play since before former coach Rick Adelman retired at season’s end, it never appeared to be the team’s first choice.

Saunders is likely to target Chauncey Billups for an assistant coaching position, even though Billups remains under contract as a player with the Pistons. Detroit has a $2.5MM team option on Billups for next season, but he’s indicated that he’s thinking about retiring. Saunders will also reach out to Israeli league coach David Blatt and one-time Wolves head coaching candidate Sam Mitchell for jobs on his staff, Krawczynski hears (Twitter link).

Saunders’ decision to coach is met with excitement from Ricky Rubio‘s camp, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, pointing out that negotiations over Rubio’s rookie scale extension will begin soon (Twitter link). Perhaps of greater concern to the Wolves and teams around the league is how Kevin Love will receive the move. The team had reportedly been holding off on trading Love, who appears to want out of Minnesota, until they named a new coach, ostensibly to allow the team to have its house in order before it lobbies a strong effort to convince Love to stay.

The Wolves had interviewed Mitchell, Scott Skiles, Vinny Del Negro and Lionel Hollins in addition to Dave Joerger, who seemed to come within a hair’s breadth of becoming the team’s coach before he patched up his relationship with the Grizzlies and signed an extension to stay in Memphis. The Wolves also reportedly went after high profile college coaches Fred Hoiberg, Billy Donovan and Tom Izzo, but apparently had no luck prying them from campus. The team also appeared to have interest in Stan Van Gundy, but it wasn’t mutual, and he wound up taking a dual front office/coaching role with the Pistons much like the one Saunders is embracing in Minnesota.

Saunders said “never say never” on multiple occasions this spring when asked about the prospect of coaching the team himself, though he had publicly downplayed the possibility. There were mixed messages about whether Saunders wanted to coach and whether owner Glen Taylor was on board with the idea, but Wolfson says Taylor was always going to proceed with whatever plan Saunders had in mind (Twitter link). Saunders returns to the role in which he took the Wolves to all eight of their postseason appearances during his tenure on the team’s bench from 1995-2005. He went on to coach the Pistons and Wizards before taking over the Wolves front office last year, and is 638-526 in parts of 16 seasons as an NBA head coach.

Hartman On Wolves: Saunders, Love, JVG

June 5th, 2014 at 9:15pm CST by Charlie Adams

The latest column by Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune features plenty of insight on the Wolves’ pursuit of Dave Joerger, the trade market for Kevin Love, and a variety of other topics. Let’s dive in and look at the most notable tidbits:

The only scenario in which Flip Saunders saw someone other than himself coaching the Wolves next season was one in which Minnesota was able to bring aboard a “superstar” coach, says Hartman.
Saunders and owner Glen Taylor saw Jeff Van Gundy as such a coach and would have had no problem “hiring him off the bat,” Saunders told Hartman. When Saunders spoke with Van Gundy, however, the former Knicks coach felt as if he wouldn’t be the best fit for the job. Saunders believes Van Gundy is the best coach available, passes along Hartman.
A report earlier today suggested Saunders made a formal offer to Joerger for the head coaching position, but Saunders told Hartman that no such offer was ever made. “A lot of that, we weren’t to that point in the situation,” said Saunders when asked if he would’ve hired Joerger. “Their guy [Grizzlies owner Robert Pera] wasn’t going to let him come. There were a lot of guys I liked, do I like him? Yeah, I like him. I like a lot of guys.”
Saunders also confirmed to Hartman that he did discuss the Wolves’ coaching job with Tom Izzo and Fred Hoiberg.
Minnesota still hasn’t made a decision on Love’s future, Saunders informed Hartman. “We probably have 16 teams that have called us [inquiring about Love],” Saunders said, “We haven’t called anybody.“
Love’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, is informing teams interested in his client that Love will enter free agency in 2015, writes Hartman. Whichever team Love finds himself on will hold his Bird Rights, however, so there will be financial incentive for him to re-sign with that club since they can offer him a bigger payday than any other team.