Kevin Love Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Anthony Davis To Be Added To Team USA Pool

May 2nd, 2012 at 12:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

12:43pm: Monroe won't be the second addition to the U.S. Olympic pool, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

12:18pm: Anthony Davis will be one of the two finalists added to the Team USA pool, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Along with Monroe, Al Jefferson is a candidate to be the second finalist, says Amick.

11:08am: Lamar Odom hasn't been ruled out for the 2012 Olympic roster yet, Colangelo tells Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Colangelo also said that Cousins won't be added to the player pool this year, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Davis are among the big men being considered for the Team USA pool, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Hibbert, unfortunately, is ineligible to play for the U.S. team because he played for Jamaica's senior national squad during the 2010 Centrobasket tournament. FIBA rules prevent players from representing two different countries at the senior level.

TUESDAY, 8:29pm: Jerry Colangelo told reporters (Associated Press link via ESPN.com) that he is leaning towards adding a couple of players to the pool from which the final Olympic team will be drawn. He gave no indication as to who those players might be, however.

7:30pm: With the U.S. Olympic team's projected roster increasingly depleted due to injuries, Jerry Colangelo is reportedly reconsidering his stance against adding new players. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers center Roy Hibbert has expressed interest in joining the team should they look to add new talent.

“It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.”

With Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out for the summer, the frontcourt rotation for Team USA is looking thin outside of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler. If Colangelo does decide to bring on new players, Hibbert, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2011/12, would appear to be a logical candidate.

Wolves Notes: Love, Darko, Beasley, Randolph

April 28th, 2012 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

Timberwolves President David Kahn and coach Rick Adelman spoke with the press on Friday morning and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune has the goods..

Kahn called Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio the team's "cornerstones" and hopes to see the two players retire as lifelong T'Wolves. Outside of that, Kahn promised to be aggressive this year and implied that major changes are on the horizon.
The Wolves will consider trading the 18th overall pick (from Utah) for a proven veteran but will also evaluate the players that could be available to them. What they won't do, however, is trade down repeatedly to acquire cash and future selections as they did with the 20th pick last year. "That would be a terrible thing to do, and I can assure you that never would we consider that," Kahn said.
Kahn declined to discuss the futures of Darko Milicic, Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, and Martell Webster. Beasley and Randolph will become unrestricted free agents if the team doesn't pick up their qualifying offers. Meanwhile, it's hard to imagine that they'll exercise Webster's $5.7MM option for next season and Milicic, owed $5MM next year, figures to be an amnesty clause candidate.
Kahn is in talks to bring some of the team's drafted European prospects to Minnesota in June so that Adelman and his staff can evaluate them. That would include forwards Nemanja Bjelica and Henk Norel and center Paulao Prestes. Without specifiying who, Kahn said one of those players might be ready for the NBA. Zgoda says it's likely Bjelica, though he is still probably too soft for the Association.

Odds & Ends: Vujacic, Lee, Love, Wall

April 25th, 2012 at 9:37pm CST by Michael Pina

In a tweet, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that the Raptors have no interest in former Net and Laker, Sasha Vujacic. Here are the rest of the evening's updates:

The Warriors shut forward David Lee down with what they called a groin injury earlier this month. At the time, the team was well out of the playoff picture, and the Warriors' main goal down the stretch was to lose as many games as possible in order to try and get their first round draft pick back from the Jazz. Lee's injury was treated as a convenient way to tank games, and the announcement was viewed with a skeptic eye by many. Now it appears Lee will have surger on Thursday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, according to the team.
MercuryNews.com's Marcus Thompson II breaks down what the Warriors need to do if they want to keep their first round draft pick.
Stephen Curry underwent successful surgery on his ankles today. He's expected to be ready for action in 3-4 months, NBA.com's David Aldridge reports in a tweet.
The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston points out the significance of what a third MVP for LeBron James would mean.
Even before Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge suffered injuries that will prevent them from participating in this summer's Olympic games, there was a strong chance Kevin Love would make the 12-man roster. The Timberwolves forward feels more confident than ever before that he'll make the team, according to TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
Kobe Bryant fully expects the Lakers to win the title, writes ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin.
John Wall spoke to his friend Kevin Durant about what it took to turn one of the league's worst teams into one of the best, writes FoxSportsFlorida.com's Chris Tomasson.
The Timberwolves will receive the Jazz's first round draft pick now that Utah is heading to the playoffs, according to the StarTribune's Kent Youngblood.

Kevin Love Will Lobby For Offseason Moves

April 25th, 2012 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Love will be in line for a big raise next season when his new contract extension kicks in, but the Timberwolves should still have some flexibility to make roster moves. If the T-Wolves choose not to retain free agents like Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph or partially-guaranteed players like Martell Webster, the team could have nearly $10MM in cap room, and Love would like to see them take advantage of it.

"I think we just need to make some moves," Love told Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, adding that he will encourage management to be aggressive in acquiring veterans.

Minnesota's own first-round pick will head to New Orleans, but the team will have Utah's first-rounder, which figures to take up some cap room. Between the draft pick and cap holds, the team won't have a ton of space to pursue high-end free agents, and Zgoda believes that a trade may be more likely than a free agent signing for the Wolves, perhaps for a player like the Rockets' Kevin Martin. Still, coach Rick Adelman thinks Minnesota's young core could attract free agents.

"When you look at Kevin and you look at Ricky [Rubio] and the style that we're going to play, it's going to be good," Adelman said. "I think people will look at it. We have some pieces people would like to play with. I mean, this team was pretty good not long ago and let's face it, guys like to get paid. So if you can pay 'em and you have some people around? There are some positives here."

The Timberwolves recently exercised their 2012/13 option on GM David Kahn, so he'll be responsible for attempting to improve a roster that looked like a playoff contender this season, prior to Rubio's season-ending ACL injury.

Odds & Ends: Calipari, Bucks, McGee, Stern

April 3rd, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Michael Pina

The stars are aligning for current University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari to take the same position with the Knicks, according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski believes the newly crowned national champion would have an easier transition now than when he took over the Nets over 10 years ago.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Michael Hunt writes that with the cap room they were afforded after they traded Andrew Bogut, the Bucks will make a strong push to re-sign free agent Ersan Ilyasova this offseason. But that they can't afford to pay him $10MM a year. If another team, like New Jersey, makes a run, Milwaukee would be wise to spend their money on a cheaper big man option.
HoopsWorld.com's Alex Kennedy writes about how shocked former Wizard JaVale McGee was when he found out he was traded to Denver.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum has been in the news for some unwise decision making lately. So much so that the team decided to fine him an undisclosed sum of money following last week's game against Golden State. Despite the immediate controversy, L.A.'s general manager Mitch Kupchak came out today and said Bynum was still a major part of the team's future plans, and that they still intend to exercise his $16.1MM team option next season, according to the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan.
In his weekly mailbag, The Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko talked about how the Mavericks' might approach the future, specifically their involvement in the draft and how they'll deal with some of their young players.
Today, SI.com's Sam Amick wrote a piece about how despite Minnesota's recent demise due to multiple injuries, the team still has a bright future. Financially they have flexibility by way of the amnesty provision, and Darko Milicic could be a prime candidate.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News says that recent call ups from the D-League could have a major influence in this year's playoffs.
In an Associated Press report, Commissioner David Stern said he'd "love to add a year" in relation to the league's age limit. Right now, all American players must be 19-years-old and one year removed from high school.
Since joining the Grizzlies, Gilbert Arenas has shown he can play the role of mature veteran, writes NBA.com's Steve Aschburner. One interesting note from the story is Arenas saying New Jersey "kept calling" him. Most likely with hopes to lure Dwight Howard.
Utah head coach Tyrone Corbin says he likes the mismatches his team can create playing Paul Millsap at small forward, writes The Salt Lake Tribune's Steve Luhm.
Chicago general manager Gar Forman said that talks to extend head coach Tom Thibodeau were initiated before this season started, and that they'll resume once it's over, according to ESPNChicago.com.

Kevin Love Talks Future In Minnesota

March 23rd, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Love signed a four-year extension in January that should keep him in Minnesota until at least 2015 (he can opt out of the final year of the deal). When Love and the Timberwolves agreed to that extension, the team received some criticism for not simply offering its star forward a maximum five-year contract. The fact that Love can opt out after three years raises questions about his long-term future with the T-Wolves, a topic the All-Star discussed with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

"For me, at the end of the day, I want to win. My first three years were 24 wins, 15 wins, 17 wins," Love told Spears. "Now things are finally turning around. Losing Ricky [Rubio to a season-ending knee injury] was terrible for us. We didn’t make a move at the deadline, which is tough. But we just got to rock with the guys we have now…. At the end of the day, if we continue to progress as we get older, learn the system, learn to play together, things are going to look up for us. But am I going to be here my whole career? That’s really up in the air."

When superstars like LeBron James and Dwight Howard have considered leaving their teams to sign elsewhere, terms like "marketability" and "brand" have been used liberally. The idea that playing in a bigger market increases a player's off-court opportunities is one that Love acknowledges.

"Building a brand is definitely big," Love said. "If someone said they didn’t want to do that they’d be lying to you. If you win everything takes care of itself. That’s how greatness is formed. But guys in bigger markets are going to get more endorsements because that’s just what sells."

With a solid core in Love, Rubio, and rookie Derrick Williams, the Rick Adelman-coached Timberwolves appear to be headed in the right direction. The continued growth of the club over the next few years will be crucial in Love's eventual decision on whether to stay or go.

"Heading into my prime, if I’m here all four years, I’ll have my chance to pick and be 27," Love said. "I will have my chance to go wherever I want. But if we are rolling? Who’s to say what will happen."

Timberwolves Notes: Love, Rubio

February 25th, 2012 at 6:29pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

While everyone seems eager to marry large markets and larger than life superstars, Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are proving stardom can be achieved just as readily by performance on the court. The Timberwolves duo, along with rookie Derrick Williams, represent the greatest contingent of talent Minnesota has sent to All-Star weekend festivities since Kevin Garnett, Tom Gugliotta, and Stephon Marbury in 1997. Some notes on the Timberwolves this All-Star weekend:

Timberwolves general manager David Kahn took a risk by signing Kevin Love to a four-year extension with an opt-out after three years instead of the five-year maximum. But with Minnesota at 17-17, Love is buying into the Timberwolves, writes Hoops World's Stephen Litel.
A big reason behind the Timberwolves success is the play of rookie point guard Ricky Rubio, who Suns rookie Markieff Morris said has "dimes for days," in comparing Rubio to Suns point guard Steve Nash (via Stefan Swiat at Suns.com)
Magic Johnson sees some of his game in Rubi o as well, as he tells the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Lost in all the Timberwolves relative success are the New Orleans Hornets, whose acquired first-round pick from the Timberwolves (via the Clippers) is being devalued with each passing day, writes Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times' Off the Dribble blog.
Also from Hoffman's piece is mention of the Timberwolves overcrowded front court situation, with Love set in the rotation and Michael Beasley, Derrick Williams, Nikola Pekovic, Darko Milicic, and Anthony Randolph all vying for minutes. Those are some interesting trade pieces for the Timberwolves to use in building a solid supporting cast.

Pau Gasol Rumors: Tuesday

February 21st, 2012 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

While Pau Gasol appeared a little more at ease last night with the trade rumors swirling around Los Angeles, relations between Kobe Bryant and GM Mitch Kupchak still seem tense. After Kupchak released a statement that essentially said he wasn't going to give in to Kobe's request for the team to make a decision quickly on Gasol, Bryant told reporters, "I already said what I had to say. I'm done."

Kobe's public frustration may be a result of the team's lack of private communication with him, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

"Kobe's exploding, and he should," a source with ties to the Lakers told Berger. "Your lead player, you should always have communication with him let him know what's going on. There's no communication, and that's ridiculous."

As drama continues to surround the Lakers, here are today's updates on Gasol, with the newest items up top:

Los Angeles won't send Gasol to Minnesota if Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are off-limits, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus says the Lakers may have trouble finding a two-team deal for Gasol, though the Rockets and Timberwolves make some sense in three-team deals.
The Lakers have resolved not to trade Gasol unless they get a "young star" in return, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
Peter Vecsey of the New York Post explains why the Knicks should deal Carmelo Anthony for Pau Gasol. Not sure I can get behind that argument.
Vecsey also hears that the Timberwolves and Lakers haven't discussed any deals in two months, including anything involving Gasol and Derrick Williams.
Bryant's public rant hurts the Lakers and Gasol, says T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times.

Kyler’s Latest: Brand, Love, Lin, Anthony

February 16th, 2012 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld fielded questions from his followers on Twitter this morning, focusing on everyone's favorite topics — Jeremy Lin and Dwight Howard. In addition to his morning tweets, Kyler also has an NBA AM piece up at HoopsWorld that includes a few interesting tidbits. Here are some of the highlights:

76ers forward Elton Brand has an early termination option for 2012/13 worth about $18.16MM which will almost certainly be picked up. He intends to keep playing well past next season though, if his body allows it: "Everything hurts now but I still love playing the game and it's a joy coming out and competing against the best guys every night and having some success with the team, it feels good."
Kevin Love says the presence of Rick Adelman is a big reason why he signed a long-term extension with the Timberwolves: "He's allowed me to play with a lot of confidence and he's a coach that I enjoy playing for and I think everyone will say that in this locker room."
Addressing some Knicks trade speculation that has arisen since Lin's emergence, Kyler says it's way too early to talk about trading either Lin or Carmelo Anthony. While Kyler acknowledges that Carmelo is a tradable asset, he says the Knicks need to see the two players on the court together before jumping to any conclusions. I think this goes without saying — I don't expect we'll see Anthony leaving the Knicks anytime soon. I'm betting he and Lin will co-exist better that people are anticipating.

Anderson Shows Off For Potential Suitors

February 10th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

There's plenty going on in Orlando this winter, with the All-Star game coming to town and the daily Dwight Howard rumors. Much less attention has been paid to power forward Ryan Anderson, whose 16.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 43% three-point shooting are all career highs. His 74 three-pointers made coming into Friday led the league. He'll be a restricted free agent at season's end.

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the development of the 6-foot-10 power forward in his fourth season.

He'll be showing off his long-distance shooting in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend, but Schmitz notes how he, at the behest of coach Stan Van Gundy, has become more of an all-around player.

Van Gundy laments not playing him more last season, when Anderson split time with Brandon Bass.

"We didn't have any doubts that he could do what he's doing offensively. He's exceptional," the coach said. "The only other guy in the league that can stretch a defense and grab offensive rebounds like that is Kevin Love. Ryan has some unique abilities."

Anderson, making $2.24MM this season, would be unlikely to accept a qualifying offer of $3.23 million from the Magic this summer. It's more likely the Magic, who opted against signing Anderson to an extension before last month's deadline, will have to shell out significantly more to keep him. According to Basketball Reference, his career numbers coming into the season (which exclude his hot start this year) were similar to those of Al Jefferson, who's making $14MM this year, and Anderson Varejao, who's earning $7.7MM. Love, to whom Van Gundy compared Anderson, recently signed a four-year extension worth a total of more than $60MM.

Regardless of his precise market value, it's clear Anderson will be at or near the top of the list of free-agent power forwards come July.