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Northwest Notes: Jazz, Thunder, Rubio, Blazers

May 8th, 2013 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

It's been a disappointing postseason so far for the Northwest, one of two NBA divisions to only send a pair of teams to the playoffs. One of those teams, the Nuggets, was upset in the first round, while the other, the Thunder, lost its second-best player to a season-ending knee injury. Oklahoma City is still alive, but after last night's loss, the Thunder will head to Memphis needing to win a game at the FedExForum to recapture the upper hand in the series. As we look forward to that series continuing, let's round up a few items from out of the Northwest….

  • Given Utah's "Core Four" and its cap flexibility, GM Dennis Lindsey believes there are plenty of teams who'd love to "trade spots" with the Jazz this summer, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News writes.
  • Despite how well Nate Robinson is playing for the Bulls these days, the Thunder shouldn't regret negotiating a buyout with him prior to the 2011/12 season, according to Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman.
  • Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) hears from sources that Ricky Rubio's family was disappointed with the ouster of former Timberwolves GM David Kahn, since Kahn was the one who rolled the dice on drafting Rubio knowing he couldn't come stateside right away. While nothing may come of it, it's still a situation worth watching, says Bucher.
  • In his latest mailbag at Blazer's Edge, Dave Deckard fields questions on Meyers Leonard, trade possibilities, and more Trail Blazers topics.
  • The Nuggets and the NBA announced earlier this morning that George Karl has been named 2012/13's Coach of the Year.
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Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Ricky Davis, Hummel

April 12th, 2013 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The latest edition of Darren Wolfson's Scoops column for 1500 ESPN Twin Cities focuses more heavily on college basketball than the pro game, but Wolfson still manages to squeeze in a few Timberwolves notes toward the end of the piece. Let's check out the highlights:

  • GM David Kahn has said in the past that the T-Wolves weren't saving their five-year designated player tag for Ricky Rubio when they decided not to sign Kevin Love for more than four years. Kahn has suggested that when the time comes, Rubio will receive an offer similar to Love's, but according to Wolfson, the belief from Rubio's camp is that the Spaniard will get a five-year offer when he becomes extension-eligible in the summer of 2014.
  • Wolfson confirms what Ricky Davis told Jonathan Abrams of Grantland in a story that was published yesterday: Davis had a tryout with the Wolves in January of this season. "They signed [Mickael] Gelabale for the whole year," said Davis, who is trying to resume his NBA career after undergoing knee surgery. "I played with him in France, so that really makes me sick. That makes me really sick. That really hurts. They signed him for the whole year."
  • Robbie Hummel, the Wolves' 58th overall pick in last year's draft, is playing well in Europe, and Minnesota will likely talk to him after the season about returning stateside. At the very least, Wolfson says, Hummel figures to play for the Wolves' Summer League squad.
  • Rob Babcock, R.J. Adelman, and Matt Bollero are representing the Wolves at this week's Portsmouth Draft Invitational, according to Wolfson.
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Northwest Notes: Jazz, Thunder, Rubio, Williams, Oden

February 9th, 2013 at 9:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Northwest Division on Saturday evening:

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Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Love, Pekovic, Amundson

February 1st, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, when the Raptors and Grizzlies were on their way to finalizing the Rudy Gay deal, the Pistons, Celtics, and Mavericks were all mentioned as the potential third team involved, with Detroit eventually helping to facilitate the trade. According to Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, the Timberwolves were never in the mix as the potential third team in the trade, but the Hawks were in play. Here's more from Wolfson on the T-Wolves:

  • While club president David Kahn recently called Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love "untouchable" in trade talks, he didn't say the same about Nikola Pekovic, though he said he hopes the big man is "part of us for many years to come."
  • According to Wolfson, there's still a difference of opinion in the front office about whether Pekovic is worth a big, long-term deal. Still, he's likely not going anywhere this month — Wolfson says that if a trade comes, it's more likely to be a sign-and-trade deal over the summer.
  • Minnesota doesn't have interest in trying to trade for Josh Smith, and also hasn't inquired on Greg Oden yet.
  • Wolfson hears from multiple sources that Andrea Bargnani is an unlikely fit for the T-Wolves. While one source "scoffed" at the idea, another didn't rule it out entirely, says Wolfson.
  • The Knicks and Sixers are believed to have some interest in Louis Amundson, who is expected to be the odd man out once the Wolves lose their ability to carry 16 players. This is my speculation, but I'd imagine both teams would be more inclined to wait for the Wolves to waive him, rather than giving up any real assets in a trade.
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Timberwolves Notes: Roy, Rubio, Gasol, Williams

January 31st, 2013 at 7:29pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes around the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday evening:

  • Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets that Brandon Roy had another setback in his rehab as he attempts to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery.
  • Ricky Rubio defended Pau Gasol against criticism he's faced this season, saying he would welcome the opportunity to play with him (AP link via USA Today).
  • Krawczynski also writes that Derrick Williams, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, wants to separate himself from some other players picked in his slot that haven't worked out.
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Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Varejao, Love, Roy

December 14th, 2012 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

It's Friday, which means Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has checked in with his weekly edition of Scoops. Here are Wolfson's Timberwolves updates from his latest piece:

  • The Timberwolves are likely to make a deal before the February trade deadline, but aren't making any calls yet while they wait to see how the lineup looks when Ricky Rubio returns.
  • David Kahn has been answering incoming calls, however. Wolfson reports that the Raptors and Cavaliers have both been in touch with the Wolves, to gauge interest in Andrea Bargnani and Anderson Varejao, respectively. Minnesota likes Varejao a lot, according to Wolfson, though in my opinion it would take a massive package for the Cavs to move him this season.
  • One league source doesn't believe money is a source of frustration for Kevin Love, since the All-Star forward is still in position to earn as much or more over the long-term as he would have if he'd received a five-year extension. The source points to a Kahn quote from 2009 ("On a championship-contending team… Kevin might be the fourth-best player") as something that still irks Love.
  • Obrad Fimic, the agent for Alexey Shved, on the Timberwolves recruitment of his client: "Honestly, the whole deal was done thanks to David, who convinced us that Shved is a perfect fit for coach Rick Adelman's system. Alexey and I liked what we heard and here we are."
  • Although Brandon Roy denied that retirement wasn't something he thought about following his latest knee procedure, a league source insists to Wolfson that Roy at least considered it.
  • There should be closure on the Martell Webster compensation case soon, with the Wolves expecting to receive cash and/or a second-round pick from the Trail Blazers.
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Injury Roundup: Rubio, Bargnani, Lowry

December 12th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest updates on the statuses of several high-profiled injured players from around the NBA:

  • Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com reports that Ricky Rubio will play for the Timberwolves on Saturday for the first time this season.
  • The Raptors announced that forward Andrea Bargnani, recently the subject of widespread trade speculation, has a ligament tear in his right elbow and a strained wrist and is out indefinitely.
  • Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is also expected out 10 days with a partial tear in his right triceps.
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Odds & Ends: Raptors, Blatche, Rubio, Kings

December 7th, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

While the Raptors might not be willing to part with Andrea Bargnani just yet, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes that there is plenty of pressure on Bryan Colangelo to win, which might fuel him to pull the trigger on a deal.  The Raptors have a lot that makes sense for the Lakers in a Pau Gasol deal beyond the forward too in Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza.  The question is whether Raptors believe Gasol will make them contenders and whether he’s worth taking on $19MM next season.  Here’s more Friday night linkage..

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Wolves Rumors: Williams, Gasol, Roy, Pekovic

December 7th, 2012 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

Although Ricky Rubio had been angling to make his return to the court for the Timberwolves tonight, the team has announced that he won't play against the Cavs (Twitter link). Still, even though Rubio's debut won't happen today, it seems it's getting close, which is good news for the T-Wolves. Here are a few more items out of Minnesota:

  • Speaking to the media today, David Kahn said there was no truth to any trade rumors involving the Lakers and that he hasn't spoken to them since the summer (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • Rob Pelinka, Derrick Williams' agent, has "voiced his displeasure" about his client's lack of playing time, reports Wolfson. According to Wolfson, Pelinka hasn't requested a trade, but has asked about the likelihood of a deal, and was told the Wolves want to see Williams on the court with Rubio first, since the two worked well together last season.
  • David Kahn has spoken to other general managers, but there's nothing serious in the works yet, says Wolfson. A team source tells ESPN 1500 that the Wolves are interested in Pau Gasol, but that a deal would likely have to include a third team.
  • The T-Wolves are open to going into luxury-tax territory next season if it's necessary, according to Wolfson.
  • The doctor who performed Brandon Roy's latest knee procedure would be surprised if the former Blazer retired, though it's been "loosely discussed."
  • A team source hints to Wolfson that there's a "healthy internal debate" about whether the Wolves want to commit a big, long-term deal to Nikola Pekovic.
  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune explores the Pau rumors, and writes that the T-Wolves figure to be interested in Gasol right up until he's traded somewhere. Zgoda also outlines a few reasons why Minnesota would have interest in acquiring the Spaniard.
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Northwest Links: Rubio, Iguodala, Burks, Jeffries

December 2nd, 2012 at 7:42pm CST by Sean Highkin

Here are the latest updates from around the Northwest Division:

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