Wolves May Seek Clearance To Add 16th Player
The Wolves have been decimated by injury this season, losing everyone from superstar Kevin Love to minimum-salaried Malcolm Lee for significant stretches. The league granted the team an injury exception that allowed Minnesota to temporarily carry 16 players in January, and GM David Kahn is once more looking into that possibility, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Such an exception would allow the Wolves to exceed the 15-man roster limit for a short time while some of the injured players recover. A team is only eligible for the exception if it's had four sick or injured players who've been out for three games and will continue to miss time. Minnesota certainly meets that criteria, as Lee, Chase Budinger and Brandon Roy have all been out for a while and don't appear poised to return, while Nikola Pekovic and Andrei Kirilenko will miss at least another week. Love will visit his surgeon next Wednesday, and hopes to be ready to return a week after that, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).
If the league grants the exception, the Wolves would use it to sign a big man to a 10-day contract, according to Wolfson. That Minnesota would only go with a 10-day deal makes sense, since the exception is temporary, and if they signed someone for the rest of the season, they'd have to waive a player with a guaranteed salary whenever the exception runs out. However, that's exactly what the Timberwolves did earlier this season. The first injury exception they received lasted 20 days, but when it was up the team chose to keep Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale, who had been on 10-day contracts, and waive Louis Amundson and his guaranteed contract.
The injury exception is not to be confused with a disabled player exception, which grants teams room to sign or trade for a player to replace someone who's out for the season.
Timberwolves Likely To Re-Sign Nikola Pekovic
Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum figure to dominate headlines this summer when it comes to centers hitting the free agent market, but Nikola Pekovic is another free-agent-to-be that shouldn't be overlooked. The Timberwolves big man will become a restricted free agent in July, and according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "people who know" believe there's no chance the T-Wolves let Pekovic sign elsewhere.
Pekovic, who is earning about $4.84MM this season, is enjoying the best year of his young career, averaging 15.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 31.6 minutes per contest. Pekovic will be in line for a big raise next year, with an eight-digit annual salary to be expected.
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has reported repeatedly that there may be a difference of opinions in the Wolves' front office when it comes to Pekovic's value. Wolfson tweeted yesterday that he'd be "shocked" if Minnesota went as high as $12MM annually on a long-term contract for the 27-year-old. Still, given the number of teams expected to have cap space this summer, as well as long-term deals we've seen players like JaVale McGee and DeAndre Jordan sign, it's hard to imagine that Pekovic won't command something in that $11-12MM neighborhood.
As we covered yesterday, Kevin Love recently told Grantland's Zach Lowe that he feels good about Minnesota's chances of re-signing Pekovic, because "when he's familiar with something, he kind of sticks with it." If that's the case, perhaps the three-year veteran will consider giving the T-Wolves a bit of a hometown discount when the two sides enter negotiations.
Wolves Notes: Love, Pekovic, Kirilenko, Cap
Grantland's Zach Lowe has a pair of new pieces up today, publishing a Q&A with Kevin Love to go along with his usual Tuesday column. Both pieces are heavy on Timberwolves items, so let's round up the highlights….
- Love agrees with Lowe that the current T-Wolves roster "definitely looks good on paper," and suggests that getting as many players back and healthy for the last few weeks of the season would be advantageous. "We just have to see if this is the foundation for the future, and hopefully we can keep all of this team together," Love said. "This is another big summer, even though we’ve been hearing that same tone every year from the front office about every summer. But we have to see what we have right now."
- Love believes that Nikola Pekovic is "familiar with something, he kind of sticks with it," so he's optimistic about the Wolves' chances of re-signing the big man this summer.
- Andrei Kirilenko has a player option for next season, but Lowe thinks Kirilenko is likely to opt out in search of a longer-term deal. Something in the neighborhood of three years and $27MM could work for both Kirilenko and the Wolves, according to Lowe.
- If the Wolves re-sign Kirilenko to a multiyear deal and bring back Pekovic at an eight-figure annual salary, the team will be capped out until Love's contract expires, writes Lowe. That means the club will essentially have to decide this summer whether or not the current core is the long-term answer.
Wolves May Retain David Kahn
Despite mounting criticism surrounding his tenure as GM, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor says that David Kahn could "absolutely" return in 2013/14, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Taylor will evaluate Kahn's performance and decide his future after the season.
Recently, Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote that there indications that former coach Flip Saunders could be in line for the job. Taylor confirmed that two did in fact meet, but said that Saunders was representing a group interested in buying the team (Twitter link). There are now a couple of new parties interested in purchasing the T'Wolves, but Taylor says that there's "no timetable" for a sale, Wolfson tweets.
Odds & Ends: Davis, Cavs, Gibson, Heat, Saunders
It looked like we might have had an early commitment for the NBA draft yesterday, when UCLA coach Ben Howland said there was no doubt shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad would leave the Bruins after his freshman year. But Muhammad said he isn't ready to commit one way or another, as Peter Yoon of ESPNLosAngeles notes, leaving open the possibility, however slim, that the DraftExpress.com No. 3 prospect for 2013 won't be available until next year. While we wait for more definitive word from Muhammad, here's more from around the Association:
- Power forward Josh Davis, who appeared in 15 games last season for the Grizzlies, has signed for the rest of the season with the Spanish club Assignia Manresa, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. Davis had been playing in Venezuela, for Gaiqueries de Margarita.
- Dion Waiters' ability to take over at point guard lately for the injured Kyrie Irving means the Cavaliers don't have to go looking for a backup at the position, observes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
- Whatever the Cavs do, don't expect them to bring back Daniel Gibson as a free agent this summer, as the veteran guard is no longer in the team's plans, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel argues the Heat would have been better off signing a point guard instead of Juwan Howard, but coach Erik Spoelstra is comfortable relying upon his wing players to shift to the point should the need arise, as Winderman notes.
- Yesterday, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune mentioned Flip Saunders' name in connection with the Wolves, and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities notes the close relationship between Saunders and Wolves owner Glen Taylor (Twitter link).
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside has a primer on Henry Sims, who signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets today.
- Ronnie Brewer is glad to be with the Thunder, and the team appears pleased with its trade deadline acquisition, having placed a priority on bringing in defense, as HoopsWorld's Susan Bible documents.
Northwest Links: Hayward, Batum, Wolves, Smith
Brandon Roy returned to Portland for the first time as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Although he did not play, he did address the media. Here's what else is going on in the Northwest Division:
- Gordon Hayward was mentored by fellow Jazz guard Mo Williams during his recovery from his recent shoulder injury, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Hayward has also served as a sparring partner in practice for Enes Kanter, Jody Genessy of the Desert News writes.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune talks to Nicolas Batum about his free agency and near-signing with the Timberwolves this past offseason.
- Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wonders whether Flip Saunders is in line to be the next GM of the Wolves.
- John Canzano of the Oregonian chronicles the bond between Blazers guard Nolan Smith and Duke's Quinn Cook.
Brandon Roy Talks Future, Rehab, Lillard
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy, who has missed most of the season after undergoing knee surgery, addressed media in Portland before the Wolves faced off against the Trail Blazers. Roy reflected on his five seasons in Portland as well as updating on the status of his rehab and the future of his career. Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge has a full transcript of Roy's comments.
On the status of his rehabilitation from knee surgery:
I'm doing good. I've been doing good for a few weeks now. Working without any setbacks. I'm getting closer to getting back out there on the court. I was talking to Kevin [Love] and Chase [Budinger] and those guys, once they're healthy, I'll be that much closer and we'll give ourselves a good look at what we could have been had we been healthy. Maybe it's just timing also.
On how many more years he plans to play:
I'm not sure. My body has a lot to say about that. At the end of the year, I'll do some reflecting on how this season went and if I want to continue. I made the commitment at the beginning of the year that I'm going to stick with this season no matter what through the ups and downs and at the end of the year I'll reflect on things and do I still want to go forward. I'm not going to make that decision now, I know maybe people want me to. I made a commitment and I'm going to stick it out.
Thoughts on Blazers rookie guard Damian Lillard:
He's a good player. Being in Minnesota I don't get to watch as many Portland games, but the games I've watched, he's a really tough player. I didn't know he could shoot the ball that good. He's a really good three-pointer shooter. He's just tough on the court and he makes big shots, timely shots. He's going to be a special player in this league.
He's solid. I've never really been one to compare guys to myself but I see a lot of Chauncey Billups in him. Chauncey wasn't at that level so early but you could see a lot of similarities. He just comes down and makes timely baskets. Playing against guys like Chauncey, that's what they did. He's going to be a really good player in this league.
Reflections on the would-be dynasty in Portland with LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden:
I never really do it. But people will sit around and watch games and go, 'man, if you guys could have stayed healthy,' and they will mention Greg, me and LaMarcus, we had a lot of young talented pieces. Some people say you guys could have been this, you could have been that. I'm the type where unless you work and actually get that, it's just a what if. If you think too hard on the what ifs, it takes too much credit from the teams that are actually going out and doing it.
Wolves Rumors: Ridnour, Barea, Butler, Bjelica
The trade deadline may be behind us, but that doesn't mean Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities won't continue checking in with his weekly Scoops column on Fridays. Wolfson still has a handful of Timberwolves-related notes to pass along, so let's check them out….
- Louis Amundson told FOX Sports Florida that the Timberwolves nearly traded him and Luke Ridnour to the 76ers for Spencer Hawes, but a source close to one of those players tells Wolfson that's "not true." Still, as Wolfson has previously reported, the Sixers did talk to Minnesota about Ridnour and J.J. Barea.
- Given how heavily the T-Wolves shopped Ridnour and Barea prior to the deadline, one of them will be moved this summer, says Wolfson.
- One source tells Wolfson to expect the Wolves to pursue a trade for Caron Butler in the summer. Butler, who will be entering the final year of his contract next year, was nearly sent to the Wizards on deadline day.
- Nemanja Bjelica, the 35th overall pick in the 2010 draft, is likely to come over to the NBA next season, a source tells Wolfson. Bjelica, whose rights the Wolves hold, signed a five-year contract with Spanish club Caja Laboral in 2010, but the deal included an NBA opt-out.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Kirilenko, Wolves, Nuggets
So far, the responses to this morning's poll suggest that, outside of the Hawks' decision to keep Josh Smith, no team's inactivity at the deadline was more surprising than Utah's. In Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, the Jazz had a pair of productive bigs on expiring contracts, and the expectation was that at least one of the two would be moved. However, GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News, that he felt the club was negotiating from a position of strength, and wasn't under any pressure to make a deal.
Here's more and the Jazz and a few of their Northwest Division rivals:
- "We really didn't even have any tough decisions," Lindsey said of deadline day, according to Genessy. "When we added it up, there wasn't anything that was better than what we had."
- With the deadline behind them, Millsap and Jefferson are looking forward to finishing out the season in Utah, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Speaking to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, Andrei Kirilenko says he's enjoying everything about his time with the Timberwolves except for the team's win-loss record. The Russian forward has yet to make a decision about his player option for next season. "I’m going to wait until the offseason, right now there’s no point to make any decision," Kirilenko said. "Wait until summer, analyze the season, and see what you want to do next."
- Glen Taylor's talks with prospective owners for the Timberwolves have "slowed considerably," a source tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
- Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post discusses the Nuggets' decision to let the deadline pass without making a deal.
Adelman Doesn’t Expect Brandon Roy To Return
The outlook for Brandon Roy hasn't been positive for a while, and a setback a few weeks ago as he recovers from knee surgery derailed his hopes of returning before the All-Star break. Today, Wolves coach Rick Adelman expressed pessimism that Roy will make it back this season at all, as Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press documents.
"If he does play, it will be a pleasant surprise," Adelman said. "I don't expect him at this point."
Roy has suggested he'll retire if he can't make it back on the court this year. Neither Richardson, writing in his report, or Adelman appeared to rule out a return this season, but the idea that Roy is finished has apparently led Minnesota's front office to pursue trades that would attract teams looking for an expiring contract. Roy signed a two-year, $10.4MM deal before the season, but because his knee trouble resurfaced, the second season will likely become non-guaranteed. Roy would have to play in either 65 games or reach 1,400 minutes this season to trigger a guarantee on next year, and both thresholds appear far out of his reach. He's appeared in only five games and played a total of 122 minutes this year.
The Wolves are also interested in a buyout for Roy at some point this season, an idea that's met resistance from Roy's financial adviser. Minnesota may make a stronger push for a buyout after the deadline if they're not able to include Roy in a trade.