Nikola Pekovic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Tinsley, Martin, Pekovic, Dorsey

October 29th, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

Here are a few bits of news from around the league on this Monday evening.

According to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, Jamaal Tinsley's current contract is completely non-guaranteed.
Kevin Martin is thrilled to be in a winning situation for the first time in his career, writes the Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.
This season should be a breakout year for Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
After posting comments on his Facebook page regarding a pending future in the NBA, former University of Memphis forward Joey Dorsey apologized to his current team, Olympiacos, saying he did not in fact receive any offers from an NBA team, and would like to continue his career in Greece. He'll likely be waived by the team anyway, according to Sportando.net.
According to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, Scott Machado has made the Rockets final roster. He'll develop in the D-league this season.
According to a tweet from the team, the Trail Blazers have named Chris McGowan their new President and CEO, replacing Larry Miller.
Josh Cohen from NBA.com discusses a few possible trade scenarios that could work out for both teams involved.
Bill Ingram from Hoopsworld.com asks if James Harden is truly a max contract player.

Nikola Pekovic Wants To Stay With Wolves

October 7th, 2012 at 12:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nikola Pekovic is entering the final season of his three-year, $11.858MM contract, and though he could be a sought-after commodity as a restricted free agent next summer if he continues the improvement he showed last season, the 6'11" center wants to remain with the Timberwolves, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports.

"I would like to stay here because of everything," Pekovic said. "I just like everything. I like the area. I like the team. I like all the stuff. Now I got some friends here. Now it's real easy. It's just nice, nice people, nice town. I would like to be here."

Pekovic's agent is Jeff Schwartz, who has a history of netting substantial deals for big men in Minnesota. He helped Al Jefferson get a five-year, $65MM extention in 2007 and Kevin Love to his $60.826MM extension last season. Former GM Kevin McHale was still in place when Jefferson signed his deal, however, and Schwartz fell short of obtaining the maximum five years for Love, instead negotiating a player option that will allow Love to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. Pekovic said he's aware of his agent's history with the team, but isn't thinking about money right now.

Zgoda observes that Pekovic looks fit and much leaner in training camp this year after summer surgery to remove bone spurs on his ankles that caused him to miss time last season. He played in pain because of the bone spurs, but still managed to put up 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game with a 21.4 PER, wresting the starting center job away from Darko Milicic and planting himself in the conversation for the Most Improved Player award.

It's a long way until next offseason, and much could change between now and then, including Pekovic's stance on remaining with the Wolves. Still, Zgoda believes he's in line for a significant payday, pointing to this summer's maximum-salary deals for Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert and Omer Asik's contract worth $8MM a season. Pekovic seems in line for a yearly salary of something in between $8MM and the maximum, likely worth $15MM next summer, depending on his play this season.

Odds & Ends: Roy, Pekovic, Hibbert, Bynum

October 5th, 2012 at 3:25pm CST by Michael Pina

Brandon Roy decided to sign with the Timberwolves because of former teammate Will Conroy, who has a relationship with Minnesota general manager David Kahn, writes the associated press.

Here's some more notes from around the league.

The Timberwolves are expecting more minutes from Nikola Pekovic this season, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
Roy Hibbert is heading into this season with a new maximum contract, but he's convinced the large pay day isn't going to change him in any way, writes NBA.com's Mark Montieth.
Sixers head coach Doug Collins says even though Andrew Bynum will be sitting out the next three weeks resting his knees, the new franchise center is progressing nicely, writes PhillyBurbs.com's Tom Moore.
NBC ProBasketballTalk's Kurt Helin gives a season preview for the Bobcats.
CBSSports.com's Ken Berger wrote a column about Lamar Odom's return to Los Angeles with the Clippers, and why that should mean great things for the team.
TheStar.com's Doug Smith believes a healthy Andrea Bargnani should do great things for DeMar DeRozan's confidence.

Northwest Links: Thunder, Nuggets, T’Wolves, Jazz

October 4th, 2012 at 10:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK reports that Kevin Durant appears to have significantly added strength and bulk to his frame and could possibly find more playing time at the four spot this season. Mayberry also writes that an emphasis has been placed on rebounding at Thunder camp, and provides a collection of brief observations from practice today. Here are tonight's links from the Northwest division…

Brad Miller was invited by Rick Adelman to Timberwolves camp in Mankato for a few days as a special assistant coach, although Adelman is unsure if the former center will maintain a recurring role with the team once they return to Minnesota (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports).
Randy Hollis of the Deseret News says that Mo Williams will bring much needed leadership to a Jazz locker room that features several players in their early 20s with limited NBA experience.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post takes note of Ty Lawson's development as seen by veteran guard Anthony Carter, who was a member of the Nuggets during Lawson's rookie season and finds himself back in Denver training camp after stints with New York and Toronto. In another article, Hochman says that according to George Karl, center Kosta Koufos has been the team's "best big guy in camp so far."
Even without Ricky Rubio in practices, the Timberwolves haven't deviated from the "corner offense" that coach Rick Adelman installed last season. Adelman also lauded the shooting prowess of rookie Alexey Shved and the surprising passing ability of center Nikola Pekovic during Thursday's scrimmages (Ray Richardson of TwinCities.com reports). On a side note, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune tweets that Malcolm Lee missed practice due to groin tightness.
Heading into his third year in the NBA, Jazz forward Jeremy Evans says that he understands his role and "knows what to expect now" (Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune writes).
Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reflects on how youth basketball coach Sandy Pyonin helped turn around Randy Foye's life around, as well as provides some background on how the Jazz guard refined his shooting abilities.

Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Nets, Daniels

September 27th, 2012 at 10:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque

There's a chance that Minnesota could bring Hassan Whiteside into training camp, but Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 believes that it would have to be a non-guaranteed contract. Wolfson also covers a few more miscellaneous notes surrounding the Timberwolves, including the status of Nikola Pekovic, other players under consideration along with Louis Amundson, and that Chicago businessman Richard Chaifetz has been "kicking the tires" on the prospect of owning the team. Here's what else we've heard from around the league tonight:

In a Q&A with Mike Wells of IndyStar.com, Danny Granger said that he will try to take things slow through training camp after experiencing irritation in his knee this summer. He also mentioned that he would play if the Pacers were currently in the regular season, adding that the team is just being cautionary right now.
Paul Flannery of WEEI.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Celtics' moves this offseason, complete with some input from coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.
Tyson Chandler told Tim Bontemps that his workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon have been going very well, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
After recently signing an extension in Boston, Keyon Dooling talked about his abrupt decision to retire from the NBA (Jessica Camerato of CSNNE reports).
The Kamenetzky Brothers of 710 ESPN in Los Angeles took to their radio show to discuss Steve Blake's injury and the possible opportunities for Chris Duhon and Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant's ESPN ranking at number six, and Jason Terry's recent comments about the Heat and Lakers.

Odds & Ends: Tolliver, Rubio, Knicks

September 13th, 2012 at 10:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Anthony Tolliver has been working out with several Timberwolves players, namely Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) looks at it as a sign that Tolliver "badly" wants to remain in Minnesota next year. In another tweet, Zgoda caught Nikola Pekovic's thoughts regarding Ricky Rubio, saying that while the Spanish point guard looks good and hopes to be running again next week, he is still aiming for a return in December. We've had quite a bit of updates tonight, so be sure to check out the newest tidbits from around the league here..

Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that Trail Blazers guard Elliot Williams is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured achilles tendon.
Justin Verrier of ESPN talks about Chris Bosh's willingness to continue playing center after contributing to a successful title run at that position with the Heat.
Free agent Maurice Evans remains confident in the leadership ability he can bring to a team, says Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Although a source suggested that the Wizards offered him a position in their front office, Evans says that he believes he still has value as a player.
ESPN's Chris Broussard writes that Hakeem Olajuwon is slated to visit with the Knicks for several days next week to continue working out with Amare Stoudemire in addition to helping Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Marcus Camby. On another matter, Tracy McGrady's health looked "good" during his workout with the team (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).
According to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Dwight Howard's rehab is going well, although he won't be ready for the start of training camp or the start of pre-season. Earlier, Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers were expected to make an announcement today regarding an update of Howard's recovery from back surgery.

Ryan Anderson Wins Most Improved Player

May 4th, 2012 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

12:35pm: Anderson has officially been named the league's Most Improved Player. Ersan Ilyasova was the runner-up, with Nikola Pekovic, Greg Monroe, and Andrew Bynum rounding out the top five. Jeremy Lin finished sixth.

8:46am: The Magic have announced a press conference for 12:30pm CT today, and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that the team and league will announce an award winner at that time: Ryan Anderson will be named the NBA's Most Improved Player.

After averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest in 193 games over his first three years in the league, the Magic forward broke out this season, increasing his averages to 16.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG. While an increase in minutes, from 22.3 MPG in 2010/11 to 32.2 MPG in 2011/12, played a part in his increased production, Anderson also set career highs in rate stats like FG% (.439), 3PT% (.393), FT% (.877), and PER (21.2).

Ersan Ilyasova, Jeremy Lin, Goran Dragic, and Nikola Pekovic were among the other players expected to be in the running for the award.

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.

The Asking Price For Monta Ellis

February 23rd, 2012 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Warriors working actively to find a trade they like before the deadline, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News decided to explore what sort of package Golden State could be seeking for Monta Ellis, one of the team's prime trade chips.

According to Kawakami, the Timberwolves and Warriors discussed a trade last June, with the Timberwolves offering Michael Beasley and Nikola Pekovic for Ellis, while the Warriors wanted to expand the deal to land Minnesota's top draft pick as well. As Kawakami points out, Minnesota wouldn't make such an offer now, with Pekovic having taken a huge step forward this season (17.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG in February), but at the time, each side thought the other was asking for too much.

Ellis' 2011/12 numbers have been as good as ever – his 19.4 PER would be a career high – so there's no reason to think the Warriors have dropped their asking price since June. Golden State is thought to be seeking a young star in return for Ellis, and Kawakami hears the team doesn't want to trade the 26-year-old for just cap relief.

But is there a team out there who would part with a young star for Ellis? As talented as he is, the former second-round pick is an undersized two guard who isn't particularly strong on defense, and is owed $11MM per season through 2013/14. I can't think of many teams who would be willing and able to meet the Warriors' asking price, and I can't see the Warriors lowering their demands much, given Ellis' scoring prowess. Unless something changes over the next few weeks, I think we should expect Ellis to remain in Golden State past March 15th.