Kevin Love Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Poll: Where Will Kevin Love Begin 2014/15?

June 5th, 2014 at 8:25pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Wolves made headlines today by revealing that team president Flip Saunders will take the reigns as head coach and enter into a role similar to the one possessed by the likes of Doc Rivers and Stan Van Gundy. The news wasn’t overly shocking since Saunders had long been rumored as a potential successor to the now retired Rick Adelman, but the move might ignite Kevin Love trade discussions since the team was reportedly going to hold off talks to deal the big man until they hired a coach. A recent report identified the Celtics, Bulls, Warriors, Suns, Lakers and Rockets as the teams poised to make a run at the All-Star. Let’s round up the merits of Love’s suitors:

Celtics: While Love would reportedly be willing to consider signing a long-term deal with Boston, the Wolves aren’t enamored with what GM Danny Ainge can bring to the table. No matter how appealing of a destination the C’s might be for Love, Minnesota holds final say whether or not he’ll actually wind up there.
Bulls: The assets Chicago can offer are reportedly more appealing than those of Boston, but it’s up in the air whether Love would consider re-signing long-term for the Bulls, and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com hears Chicago won’t give up a combination of Jimmy Butler, draft picks and/or Taj Gibson, Carlos Boozer, and Nikola Mirotic unless they know Love will remain a member of the Bulls.
Warriors: Golden State’s biggest trade chips are likely Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson, but David Lee would need to be part of almost any trade scenario featuring Love in order for such a deal to work financially. It’s tough to see the Warriors parting ways with Thompson, but that might be the only way they could land Love.
Suns: Phoenix has a multitude of first-round draft picks, including three in this year’s draft, and Love might be the missing piece their roster needs to propel them into becoming serious contenders. Still, it’s tough to see the Suns trading for him without commitment he’d stay long-term.
Lakers: Love is a Southern California native and played his college ball at UCLA. A move out west makes sense, but the Lakers might not be able to put together an impressive enough package to steal him from Minnesota. If Love is dedicated to finding his way to LA, he might have to wait until he’s free agent eligible in the summer of 2014/15.
Rockets: Acquiring Love would almost certainly mean Houston would have to part with Chandler Parsons, and it’s still difficult to come up with a trade that benefits both sides while working financially. Still, Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been a creative trade artist in the past, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Houston make a play.

Other teams have been linked to Love as well, including the Kings and Wizards, and any team would certainly have some level of interest in acquiring the Second Team All-NBA forward. There’s a chance he’ll remain in Minnesota past the summer, but it seems the odds of such a scenario are decreasing daily. Where do you think Love will be playing to open 2014/15? Vote in the poll below, and leave a comment sharing your thoughts!

Central Rumors: Cavs, Van Gundy, Love

June 5th, 2014 at 6:20pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Cavs’ head coaching vacancy could filled within the next 10 days, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter). The team has been linked to Alvin Gentry, Vinny Del Negro, Lionel Hollins, and Tyronn Lue, but Amico adds in the same tweet that there’s a mystery candidate in the mix for the job who hasn’t been revealed to the media. Here’s the latest from the Central:

The Cavs have interest in LaMarcus Aldridge, but it’ll be tough to pry the big man away from Portland after the Blazers’ unexpectedly strong season, writes Amico in a full-length piece. Cleveland has also shown interest in Joakim Noah, says Amico, noting the club is just “lukewarm” on Al Horford.
Two teams with lottery picks have contacted the Cavs, passes along Amico in the same piece. Each club would ostensibly be interested in moving up in the draft by dealing for the number one overall selection.
When Stan Van Gundy was hired by the Pistons, he told staff members left over from the previous management team that they would have a six week working interview to prove they belong in the organization, explains David Mayo of Mlive.
Bulls management holds Carmelo Anthony in higher esteem than Kevin Love, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Friedell says it’s true Chicago would be excited to add Love, but the team sees ‘Melo as their primary target this summer.

Wolves Rumors: Love, Saunders, Hoiberg

June 5th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

There was a time when Flip Saunders thought he had convinced friend Tom Izzo to take the Wolves coaching job, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Saunders also asked Jeff Van Gundy, with whom he is also close, about his interest in the job, Zgoda adds. The Wolves president of basketball operations ultimately picked himself to fill the team’s coaching vacancy, and he joins Doc Rivers, Stan Van Gundy and Gregg Popovich among NBA coaches with front office decision-making power. Here’s more on the Wolves:

Love wouldn’t have been convinced to stay with the Wolves even if they had hired Phil Jackson as coach, a source tells USA Today’s Sam Amick.
The power forward became disconnected from the team toward the end of the season, and the club grew to accept he didn’t want to stay, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com details. Saunders’ decision to coach wasn’t as much about convincing Love to remain as it was about taking a hands-on approach with whomever the club can get in return for him, according to Aschburner, echoing a sentiment that Zgoda expressed earlier via Twitter.
Saunders had concerns that he’d clash with a veteran coach if he hired one, and Izzo, Fred Hoiberg and Billy Donovan were all wary of Love’s uncertain future when they turned down the job, Aschburner also hears.
It’s far more likely that Saunders will target experienced players in a trade for Love than he is to go after draft picks, as Amick surmises in his piece.

Earlier updates:

The Wolves made Dave Joerger an offer to coach the team before he decided to remain with the Grizzlies, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com says in a video report. Joerger interviewed with Saunders and Taylor and appeared quite close to becoming the team’s coach, but it wasn’t entirely clear whether the team had indeed offered the job to him.
Chauncey Billups told James Herbert of CBSSports.com earlier this season that he didn’t want to coach, lending credence to earlier reports suggesting the same and casting doubt on the idea that he’ll become an assistant coach for the Wolves next season (Twitter link).
David Blatt looks like Saunders’ top choice if he decides to hire an assistant he can groom to take over the coaching duties in a year or two, according to Darren Wolfson and Nate Sandell of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Blatt is the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
Minnesota will likely offer Kevin Garnett a front office role and a chance to buy a minority stake in the team once he retires, writes Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com. We rounded up more from her story centering on Kevin Love‘s future late last night.
Love is a calculating type, and he wants to get to the Knicks or the Lakers as quickly as possible, The Oregonian’s John Canzano believes, opining that the Knicks would be an especially appealing suitor for the power forward in free agency next summer.

Wolves Find Celtics Unappealing Suitor For Love

June 5th, 2014 at 7:55am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 7:55am: The Celtics have yet to make an offer for Love, though they are prepared to do so, reports Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. It’ll almost certainly include the No. 6 pick, though Ainge has been in contact with two teams in the top five about moving up, Murphy adds.

WEDNESDAY, 11:48pm: Kevin Love is willing to consider a long-term deal with the Celtics, sources tell Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com, but the Wolves aren’t thrilled with what the Celtics can offer, MacMullan hears. The Wolves privately maintain they’ve received better offers from Bulls and others, according to MacMullan.

Minnesota owner Glen Taylor is reluctant to deal with Boston, stung by the divergent fortunes of the Celtics and Wolves following the 2007 Kevin Garnett trade, MacMullan writes. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has hard feelings about Flip Saunders, who holds the same title in Minnesota, feeling as though Saunders undermined former Wolves boss Kevin McHale, Ainge’s longtime teammate, as MacMullan details. There are basketball-related stumbling blocks, too. Minnesota, like most others, is enamored with Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker, but Boston’s pick, at No. 6 overall, isn’t as nearly as attractive as one in the top three, MacMullan notes. Still, the Wolves aren’t interested in trading with the Cavs, either, according to MacMullan, in spite of Cleveland’s possession of the No. 1 overall pick.

Taylor would be willing to re-sign Love for the max if he changed his mind about wanting out, and he’s otherwise not eager to take a drastic step down in a trade involving Love, MacMullan writes. MacMullan lists the Celtics, Bulls, Warriors, Suns, Lakers and Rockets as teams that will make a run at trading for Love. Certainly every team in the league has some level of interest in the Second Team All-NBA power forward, but MacMullan appears to indicate that those six are the clubs poised to make the most aggressive pushes.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported about two weeks ago that Boston was becoming more and more appealing for Love, who, with agent Jeff Schwartz in tow, made a high-profile visit to the city this past weekend. Still, Love is not yet a free agent. The Wolves will have the final say over where he plays next season, and it doesn’t look like they’re as high on the Celtics as Love is.

And-Ones: Wolves, Jazz, Warriors

June 4th, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Alex Lee

With Donald Sterling reportedly agreeing to allow the sale of the Clippers, the league focus can shift to where it belongs this time of year: the NBA Finals. The Heat are in San Antonio tomorrow night for Game One. Until then, let’s look at what else is going on around the Association:

Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 is confident the Timberwolves will hire a new coach before the NBA Draft on June 26 and expects the announcement to happen in the next week or two. (Twitter links) This timeline makes sense, as we know the Wolves intend on trying to sell the new hire to Kevin Love but could still trade him, presumably in a deal that involved draft picks, before June 26 should it not work out.
A one-to-one affiliation between the Jazz and the D-League’s Idaho Stampede is likely to be announced soon, reports Gino Pilato of the D-League Digest. This news comes several months after the Blazers decided to end their relationship with the Stampede. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are poised to become the only D-League team with multiple affiliations.
With Steve Kerr hired to restore order in Golden State after the firing of Mark Jackson, it’s time for the Warriors to “let peace and harmony reign,” opines Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News.