Ricky Rubio Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Shaq, Howard, Gladness, Harrellson

September 9th, 2012 at 12:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Shaquille O'Neal, speaking with Rachel Whittaker of The Times-Picayune, refuted reports that he would play a couple of games for a team in the Mexican league next month while still leaving the door open for such a cameo to take place, saying "we could talk, but nobody has contacted me." While the future Hall of Famer ponders a cameo south of the border, he said he's had little time to consider the implications of Dwight Howard with the Lakers. Shaq is "flattered" that D12 followed his footsteps from the Magic to the L.A., but he said, "I don't have a reaction. You have to care to have a reaction. I've got businesses to run. I always tell people that in order to step in my shoes you have big shoes to fill. For him, he's going to have to at least win three to get people's respect."

Here's more news from around the Association:

Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside takes a close look at Mickell Gladness, who returned to the Heat on Friday with a non-guaranteed contract.
Despite the additions of Gladness and Jarvis Varnado, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the Heat are still thinking of signing Josh Harrellson, who worked out for the team last month and is expected to take part in a Heat "pre camp" the next couple of weeks with other free agents looking to earn an invitation the club's formal training camp.
Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio says that he's targeting December for his return from knee surgery, Sergio Vera of the Spanish website Sport.es reports (translation via Joan Niesen of FoxSportsNorth.com). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune adds a word of caution, noting that Rubio hasn't yet been cleared to run (Twitter link).
Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com breaks down Hakeem Olajuwon's recent comments to Yannis Koutroupis and Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, and disagrees with the Hall of Famer, arguing that elite talent doesn't need to be more evenly distributed throughout the league.

Timberwolves Notes: Rubio, Roster, Shved

August 16th, 2012 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Olympic basketball tournament was an eventful one for Timberwolves fans, who not only got a chance to see Kevin Love play a major role for the U.S., but also got a good look at two new T-Wolves, Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved of Russia. All three players earned a medal in London, but the Wolves would have had a player on each of the podium teams if Spain's Ricky Rubio had been healthy. Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor discussed Rubio's recovery and a few other topics of note. Here are some highlights:

Rubio is "progressing faster than normal," which might mean he returns to the T-Wolves earlier than January. Taylor says the point guard will start running in the next few weeks.
Minnesota's roster is likely set for the coming year. According to Taylor, GM David Kahn will continue to check in on other possibilities, "but my sense is that he's pretty well [done]."
It may take some time for Shved to work his way into the Wolves' lineup, says Taylor.
The Wolves' owner on whether Minnesota is now a playoff team: "That's a high challenge, but I'm not going to shy away from it. We've got a very good coach and some of the players that he wanted, and without injuries, and if Ricky can get back soon, that should be our goal, to be in the playoffs."

Kahn On Roy, Shved, Rubio, Draft, Eliyahu

June 27th, 2012 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after acquiring Chase Budinger from the Rockets, Minnesota formally introduced the newest Timberwolf in an afternoon press conference. While the T-Wolves gave up their first-round pick and only hold the No. 58 pick in tomorrow night's draft, president of basketball operations David Kahn says the team isn't done making moves, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). Here's what Kahn had to say on a few other T-Wolves topics (all Twitter links):

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: Van Gundy, Jazz, Suns, Bradley

April 6th, 2012 at 4:14pm CST by Michael Pina

Judging from the NBA's past, head coaches rarely win out when they battle superstar players. Going from this, it's assumed that Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy will not be working in Orlando next season. ESPN.com's John Hollinger takes a look at a few possible destinations for Van Gundy should he soon leave his current position (Insider piece). Ira Winderman from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the chance of Van Gundy making a return to Miami are next to nothing.

HoopsWorld.com's Derek Page assumes this summer's trade market could be full of high impact players like Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Shawn Marion, Pau Gasol, and Kevin Martin.
The Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson recently tweeted a statement from Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor saying that his team absolutely would not tank games in order to keep the Warriors draft pick, which is top 7 protected.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic with a nice piece about Sebastian Telfair, Michael Redd, and the unlikely success that the Suns are having with everyone in their backcourt not named Steve Nash.
Steve Marsh wrote an enthralling piece on Grantland about Ricky Rubio, and how the Timberwolves are dealing with his season ending knee injury.
Celtics guard Avery Bradley has been a defensive force lately, and teams are starting to game plan against him, writes CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely.

Northwest Notes: Petrie, Rubio, Crawford

March 23rd, 2012 at 7:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Northwest Division is home to five playoff contenders, but it could boast only one playoff team in the end. The last-place Blazers are within three and a half games of the final postseason berth, but if the playoffs began today, only the first-place Thunder and the Nuggets, who would be the No. 7 seed, would qualify. Here's the buzz from around the Northwest:

While a report came out earlier today suggesting Kings GM Geoff Petrie was about to sign a new deal with the team, co-owner Gavin Maloof said that's not the case, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. In a separate story, Jones passes along that Petrie says his job status for next season is the "last thing on my mind."
The discovery of a torn LCL will not affect the timetable of Ricky Rubio's return, according to an Associated Press story published on ESPN.com. The six to nine month timetable, however, suggests Rubio may not be ready for the start of next season. However, Wolves GM David Kahn is optimistic he'll recover in time for 2012/13.
In a Q&A with Brendan Bowers of Slam magazine (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge), Jamal Crawford says he was surprised he wasn't among the exodus at the trade deadline in Portland. Crawford also asserts he had nothing to do with any uprising against former coach Nate McMillan, citing a connection that dates back to when Crawford was 16 years old.

Rubio Out For The Year With Torn ACL

March 10th, 2012 at 1:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio is out for the year after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in last night's loss to the Lakers. The injury shakes up one of the teams most prominent in trade rumors, with Thursday's trade deadline just five days away.

Rubio, a rookie, became the starting point guard for the Wolves this year, helping lift the team that finished last season with the league's worst record to a 21-20 mark, good for ninth in the Western Conference. He was averaging 10.6 PPG and 8.2 APG, and was third in the NBA with 2.2 steals a game. He was the fifth pick in the 2009 draft, but spent two years playing overseas before signing a four-year rookie scale contract with Minnesota this past offseason that guarantees him $7.22MM this season and next.

The Wolves had been in the market for a shooting guard, and could be even more motivated to find one if they move Luke Ridnour, who had been starting at two guard, back to his natural position at the point. Michael Beasley, a forward and former No. 2 overall pick who hasn't seen much playing time, could be the most useful asset in a trade, and was drawing interest prior to Rubio's injury.

NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper notes via Twitter that the Hornets own the Wolves' first-round pick this year, so if Minnesota falters without Rubio, New Orleans stands to gain. The injury's six-to-nine month recovery time will also keep him from playing for Spain in this year's summer Olympics, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated broke the story via Twitter, while Zgoda followed with detail in a full story.

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.

Odds & Ends: Jennings, Deng, Spurs

February 10th, 2012 at 11:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

On this date last year, Jerry Sloan stepped down after 23 seasons as coach of the Jazz. Earlier today we passed along the news that at least six teams are trying to convince Sloan to come back to the bench. Here are some more tidbits from around the league today:

Bucks GM John Hammond told Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he was caught off guard by what Brandon Jennings said about possibly leaving the team for a larger market. While Jennings is under team control until the summer of 2014, Ersan Ilyasova will be an unrestricted free-agent at the end of this season. There's a strong possibility Ilyasova, from Turkey, may favor a return to Europe, as HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston examines.
Luol Deng's selection as an All-Star reserve vindicates the Bulls for hanging on to him amidst many trade rumors over the years, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Manu Ginobili's return, set for Saturday against the Nets, creates a rotation puzzle for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to figure out, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
When Tyson Chandler went to the Knicks, the Mavs championship defense supposedly went with him, writes Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. But, Gosselin opines that the team's ability to play defense even without last year's shot-blocking center will help them defend their title. (Subscription link)
DeMarre Carroll, who was picked up Wednesday by the Jazz, was close to signing with Utah before the season started, Salt Lake Tribune writer Brian T. Smith tweets. Carroll signed instead with the Nuggets, who waived him Feb. 4.
Chicago, the hometown of Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade, has also produced Anthony Davis, who is projected as the top overall pick this June, and Jabari Parker, the consensus No. 1 high school player. That makes the Windy City the center of the hoops universe, opines ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
Dirk Nowitzki, who watched Ricky Rubio in Europe, didn't think the Wolves rookie sensation would have quite the impact he's having in the NBA, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Northwest Links: Sloan, Rubio, Batum

February 4th, 2012 at 5:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Another element in the dustup between Karl Malone and the Jazz about the end of Jerry Sloan's lengthy tenure as head coach last year came into play today. Utah-area media outlets apparently weren't privy to a team statement that made its way to national writers, according to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. (Twitter link)

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweeted the statement, which contained Sloan's denial that he was forced out, in piecemeal fashion this afternoon. Smith then passed it along as part of a larger piece on the saga.

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets that amidst all the back-and-forth, Sloan would listen if another team becomes interested in hiring him.

Elsewhere in the Northwest Division:

Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post offers an appreciation of durable Nuggets guard Andre Miller, who recently passed the 1,000-games-played mark:
The Salt Lake Tribune's Jazz beat reporters spoke with Earl Watson about the advanced treatment he received on his sprained ankle.
Jake Appleman of The New York Times looks at how Ricky Rubio is helping turn around the Timberwolves.
Nicolas Batum, who will be a restricted free-agent this summer, will have a chance to show off his versatility against the Nuggets tonight. His agent, Bouna Ndiaye, has suggested he will look at other teams before negotiating again with the Blazers after the two sides failed to agree on an extension last month.