Kevin Love Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Rubio, Love, Nuggets, Crabbe

March 25th, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Charlie Adams

With the Timberwolves’ loss to Memphis last night, Minnesota appears to be all but officially eliminated from playoff contention. Hollinger’s Playoff Odds at ESPN.com now have the team making the postseason 0% of the time in 5,000 simulations of 2013/14’s remaining schedule. Here’s more on the Wolves and the rest of the NBA’s Northwest Division:

Ricky Rubio wants to remain in Minnesota, but he also wants to take part in the playoffs, as he tells Nacho Albarran of As.com (translation via HoopsHype). Rubio, who’ll become eligible to sign an extension in the offseason, predicts that 2015 free agent Kevin Love will stay with the Timberwolves.
The Nuggets are another Northwest club set to miss the postseason, but coach Brian Shaw is excited for what his squad will be capable of next season now that they understand the system he’s putting in place, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. “Everybody now has an understanding of exactly what I expect of them, how we want to play and what we want to do going forward,” said Shaw. “I’ve said that this is going to be a year of discovery to really understand what it is that we have to work with“
The Blazers have assigned Allen Crabbe to the D-League, the team announced. It will be Crabbe’s second such assignment this season. The rookie has averaged 2.1 points in a meager 5.1 minutes per contest this season for Portland, but he’ll be in line to see more playing time for the D-League’s Idaho Stampede.
Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune thinks that Jazz fans should blame coach Tyrone Corbin for Utah’s lack of overall enthusiasm in recent weeks. The club has won just four of its last 19 games and figures to finish the season near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Lakers, Faried, Butler, Ledo

March 13th, 2014 at 7:32pm CST by Alex Lee

After Kobe Bryant‘s news conference on Wednesday, the Lakers may have to abandon any strategy not aimed at an immediate turnaround, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Pincus has an intricate plan in mind for the purple-and-gold that entails trading their 2014 first rounder for Kevin Love, waiving Steve Nash, re-signing Pau Gasol and much more, all designed at arming the aging Bryant with running mates capable of staging one last run at a title.

Let’s take a look at what is going on elsewhere in the Western Conference:

Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried is happy that the trade speculation is behind him, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Faried is having an impressive March, scoring 21.1 points per game and grabbing 10.1 rebounds on 64.5% shooting from the field. Teammate Ty Lawson also believes that the trade talk was hurting his play somewhat, noting that he has been more aggressive since the trade deadline came and went.
Thunder trainer Joe Sharpe had a lot to do with Caron Butler‘s decision to sign with Oklahoma City this season, Jeff Caplan of NBA.com writes. Sharpe held a similar position at UConn when Butler was there.
While we pointed out a pair of D-League success stories earlier tonight, Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram opines (via Twitter) that Ricky Ledo may have become a high lottery pick with the proper collegiate seasoning. Ledo, who has bounced between the Mavericks and the Texas Legends in his rookie season, attended Providence College though he never played for the Friars. He was selected 43rd overall by the Bucks last June.

Knicks Rumors: Anthony, Noah, Love

March 7th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony isn’t changing his mind about his desire to opt out of his contract this summer, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who adds that the Knicks, long confident about keeping their star, are starting to worry. Windhorst nonetheless believes Anthony would be better served opting in for 2014/15 and testing free agency next year, when a more attractive list of teams will have cap flexibility. Here’s more on a Knicks franchise producing more news than victories these days:

Joakim Noah calls the report that he attempted to recruit Anthony to the Bulls “gossip,” but when asked whether it’s accurate, he said the answer doesn’t matter, observes Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. Sam hears that Anthony also had a conversation with Kevin Love, though Sam doesn’t make it entirely clear if they spoke about teaming up.
The Knicks will place their D-League affiliate in Westchester, New York, Jonah Ballow of Knicks.com confirms via Twitter. A formal announcement is due Monday. A report late last month indicated a Knicks-owned affiliate in Westchester was in the works to replace New York’s relationship with the Erie BayHawks, who will remain but have a different NBA affiliation next season.
The “general consensus” when the Knicks hired GM Steve Mills was that they would eventually seek a talent evaluator to complement him, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who wonders if that’s the role the team is considering for Phil Jackson.

Isola’s Latest: Carmelo, Dolan, Love

March 5th, 2014 at 2:23am CST by Ryan Raroque

Should the Knicks decide that it’s in their best interest to keep Carmelo Anthony and try to surround him with the requisite pieces needed for title contention, it’s almost a given that one plan would involve adding a big-name free agent during the summer of 2015 – when names such as Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo could hit the open market and New York would have plenty of cap room to work with. Such a plan might not be that appealing to Anthony, as rumblings indicate that the Syracuse star’s camp is only interested in what gets done this summer and not in 2015, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

Here’s a roundup of more significant points from Isola’s piece:

By July 2015, Anthony will be 31 years old; the thought of added mileage from another NBA season without the proper reinforcements could possibly be enough to dissuade the Knicks star from committing to New York long-term,
James Dolan would be wise to bid farewell to Carmelo this summer rather than give him five years and $127MM to stay, especially when the alternative involves clearing valuable cap space and still having a first round pick in what would most likely be a rebuilding year in 2014/15.
As for Love, Isola hears word that the 6’10” big man’s current train of thinking involves either re-signing with the Timberwolves or heading to the Lakers once he hits free agency.
While Rondo’s success includes a championship in Boston, Isola adds that the 28-year-old point guard’s personality, his clashes with Celtics coaches in the past, and that he played a role in Ray Allen‘s decision to leave for Miami make him a less-than-ideal fit next to Carmelo.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Dragic, Mavericks

March 4th, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

This summer, the Knicks will have a load of expiring 2015 contracts, including Tyson Chandler, who could be used as a pawn in a trade bid for Timberwolves forward Kevin Love (Marc Berman of the New York Post). One league source didn’t mince words when commenting about New York’s chances at dealing for the 6’10 big man, telling Berman: “They’re selling New York fans land in New Mexico.’’

Carmelo Anthony recently spoke about Love’s game, and when specifically asked about the similarities between them as stretch-fours, Anthony didn’t see a comparison: “I didn’t know we had similarities…He’s a guy who became a stretch 4 but never was a stretch 4. He worked on his shot, his 3-ball and stretching the floor and spreading the floor out. He can also go inside. He’s one helluva rebounder. He’s a big load. He’s gotten better every year since been in the league and still is.’’

Here are more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:

Former NBA coaches George Karl, Avery Johnson, and P.J. Carlesimo weighed in on the state of the Knicks, the Warriors‘ title hopes, and who should have been moved during the trade deadline, among other topics (ESPN Insiders only).
The Suns are poised to make their first postseason appearance since the 2009/10 season, thanks in large part to an All-Star caliber season from Goran Dragic. The 27-year-old point guard recently shared his thoughts on the season with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, speaking with the confidence one would ideally expect from a seasoned veteran: “I’m more relaxed…I know all of the situations I’m put in and I know how the opposing teams are going to guard me. I’m just more relaxed. It feels like I’m playing basketball with my friends back home, with no pressure. I just go out there and do my job. I’ve gotten some great support from my teammates and I’m just having fun. It’s not like I’m thinking too much or anything. I’m just having fun.”
Luol Deng and Marcin Gortat are two players that the Mavericks should go after in free agency this summer, opines Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.
Brad Stevens’ emphasis on establishing a winning culture along with the players’ continued commitment toward playing hard is proof that the Celtics haven’t given up on the season just yet, explains Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston.

Northwest Notes: Love, Budinger, Nuggets, Miller

February 19th, 2014 at 6:59pm CST by Alex Lee

Teams have begun assembling trade offers for Kevin Love amid speculation that he’ll leave the Wolves in free agency next summer, most likely for the Lakers. The All-Star dispelled the idea that it’s unlikely that he’ll re-sign with Minnesota in an interview with Steve March of GQ. Love says the Wolves have a better team and better foundation than the Lakers.

That must be music to the ears of Wolves’ owner Glen Taylor, who told 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson on Wednesday that Team President Flip Saunders “doesn’t even bring [the proposals for Love] to me.” A deal involving Love seems improbable. In fact, Taylor said any move is unlikely, but conceded that Minnesota is engaged in other talks and that the team might take back money in the right deal (Twitter links).

Here’s the rest of what’s going on in the Northwest division:

Corroborating a report from earlier today, Minnesota’s Chase Budinger indicated that things are quiet in his camp at the moment, tweets Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “[My agent] said he will call me if he finds anything serious out and there hasn’t been anything in the last two days,” he said.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe is hearing from multiple teams that, save for Ty Lawson, everyone on the Nuggets roster is available (via Twitter).
Andre Miller is one of those available guys, but indications are that the Nuggets are nowhere close on a deal to move the veteran, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Dempsey also opines, via Twitter, that Denver’s efforts have been hampered by trying to deal from a “disadvantageous” position.

Ford’s Latest: Knicks, Rockets, W’s, Pelicans

February 19th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com takes an Insider-only look at the trade market for a handful of teams with little more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s 2:00pm Central trade deadline. We’ll round up the highlights here:

The Knicks are shopping Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih as they seek to upgrade their point guard spot. Ford mentions Jeremy Lin as a long shot possibility for New York, but Houston is adamant it doesn’t want to give him up. Trading for Lin or Kyle Lowry would require the Knicks to relinquish Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Warriors have been listening to offers for Harrison Barnes, and they’ve gone as far as to counter a few of them, Ford hears. Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, John Henson and Amir Johnson all intrigue the W’s as possible targets in exchange for Barnes, Ford writes. Golden State is also enamored with Kevin Love, as most teams around the league are.
Ford describes David Lee as available, too, but he notes there isn’t much of a market for him, which makes sense, given his bloated contract.
Part of the Pelicans‘ motivation for exploring trades for Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans is the feeling that they could fall back into position to snag a top-five pick in this year’s draft if both guys are off the roster, according to Ford. Their first-rounder goes to the Sixers if it’s No. 6 or worse. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote earlier this morning that New Orleans was looking to move either Gordon or Evans, but not both.

Northwest Notes: Love, Martin, Nuggets, Miller

February 18th, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Charlie Adams

While most any team would certainly have interest in acquiring Kevin Love, the Timberwolves reportedly have no intention of trading him. Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com tweets that the multitude of clubs seeking the big man’s services will continue to be turned away. Kevin Martin might not be so untouchable however, as Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times hears the sharpshooting two guard might be moved before Thursday’s deadline. Let’s round up the latest from the Northwest Division:

Given the current state of their franchise, the Timberwolves might be wise to listen to offers for Love, opines Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Hamilton thinks the T-Wolves should find a taker on Love while his value is as high as it is right now.
Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman is open to the idea of adding contributors to his team, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. “Any time you can add players that are going to help you, then you really have to look at it,” Adelman said. “If something gets serious, we’ll find out about it, but right now you have to listen to whatever is going on. It takes two, sometimes three (players), to make a deal.”
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post believes that Nuggets rookie coach Brian Shaw has handled the Andre Miller situation correctly. Miller hasn’t played since December, when he publicly disagreed with Shaw’s decision to keep him on the bench during a game. Rumors circulated yesterday about a possible deal that would send Miller to the Timberwolves, but nothing new has surfaced tonight.
It’s been an exciting season for Thunder fans, as the team finds itself atop the Western Conference heading into the trade deadline. Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman takes a look at how the team should approach the coming days.
The Thunder have assigned rookie Andre Roberson to their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, the team announced in a press release. Roberson has appeared in 22 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.

Amick’s Latest: Rondo, Love, Asik, Ilyasova

February 18th, 2014 at 8:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

Despite the high asking price set by Celtics GM Danny Ainge, Rajon Rondo is still being pursued by several teams, most actively by the Raptors, Knicks, and Kings, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Ainge is seeking multiple first round picks and a young prospect in exchange for Rondo, and no team has been able to present a deal that meets such a hefty cost. Here’ more from Amick:

The Timberwolves are willing to listen to offers for any player on their roster besides Kevin Love, says on league executive. It’s a common belief Love will part ways with Minnesota in the summer of 2015 to seek out a deal with the Lakers, and the Wolves want to do everything they can to help prevent such a scenario.
Omer Asik has been asking for a trade since the Rockets signed Dwight Howard, but Amick hears it’s unlikely the disgruntled big man gets moved this week. It’ll be interesting to see where Asik is come Thursday, since this news contradicts an earlier report stating the Sixers might be in play to land him.
The Bucks have emerged as a possible “longshot destination” for Asik, as the Rockets would be interested in a swap involving Ersan Ilyasova. The Bucks remain hesitant to take on Asik, who will receive a steep pay increase next season, despite word that Ilyasova is unhappy in Milwaukee.
Amick reiterates earlier reports that suggest Mike Dunleavy is unlikely to be traded away from the Bulls.
Jeff Teague might emerge as a fallback option for clubs that are unable to trade for Rondo, as rival executives believe Teague will be available to teams if the price of the package coming their way is high enough.

Lakers, Mavs Consider Kevin Love Trades

February 18th, 2014 at 3:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers and Mavs are attempting to put together trade offers for Kevin Love, but the Timberwolves have given no indication they’ll consider moving the All-Star big man by Thursday’s deadline, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The Lakers are the favorites to land the former UCLA standout when he hits free agency in the summer of 2015, a source tells Berger. It’s “widely known” around the league that Love and agent Jeff Schwartz are determined to find a large market team for the sixth-year veteran, Berger writes.

Other teams are “feverishly pursuing” a top-flight first-round pick they could offer to the Timberwolves for Love, according to Berger. Still, a source close to Wolves president Flip Saunders insists Minnesota will not deal its star by Thursday. USA Today’s Sam Amick hears rival teams have the impression that any of the Wolves aside from Love is available as Minnesota seeks upgrades capable of appeasing its power forward (Twitter link).

Any trade offer from the Lakers would have to include Gasol, Berger says, adding that rival GMs believe Gasol’s primary suitors are teams that believe they can re-sign him to a cheaper deal this summer, rather than clubs that view him as a rental. Berger speculates that the Lakers would also offer their 2014 first-round pick, almost certainly a lottery selection.

The Mavs have pursued top-level free agents the past two summers and appear ready to do so again this year. Given the trade interest from the Lakers, Dallas and other teams may feel they have to strike now to give themselves the best chance at Love before L.A. acquires him and his Bird Rights.