Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rubio Says GM Told Him He Was Almost Traded

April 6th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ricky Rubio says Timberwolves GM Milt Newton told him the team “almost traded” him at the deadline but didn’t because the right offer didn’t come, but Newton dismissed that notion, saying the point guard might have misinterpreted their conversation, as both relayed in interviews with Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Reports indicated the Wolves engaged in trade talk regarding Rubio before the February deadline with the Bucks and, to a lesser degree, the Knicks. Milwaukee turned down an offer of Rubio and a protected 2016 first-round pick for Khris Middleton, while Minnesota rejected a counterproposal of Michael Carter-Williams for Rubio, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.

“When the GM comes to you and says that’s what happened, it hurts, but you’ve got to be professional,” Rubio said. “You’ve been here all your career and thinking they were supporting you. At some point, they weren’t. But I’m professional. I’m going to give it my all. I love playing basketball and every time I step on the court I want to win.”

Newton told Krawczynski he would try to communicate more often with Rubio and said he’s already sought the point guard’s input on possible moves. The GM, to whom the Wolves have committed through at least the summer, called Rubio “extremely valuable to the organization,” as Krawczynski notes.

“I told him we’ve never, ever called another team to trade you, but it is my job to listen,” Newton said. “I even shared that with his agent. I never told him we almost traded you, because we didn’t almost trade him.”

Towns Entering Record Books

April 3rd, 2016 at 6:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle views Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns as a “next generation” type of player with his combination of size and ability, according to The Associated Press. “There are going to be guys like him,” Carlisle said, “that have the great size and length and still can play the ‘4’ [power forward], those super athletes with super length that now are still damn quick and can do anything on the basketball court. He’s an unbelievable weapon for them.” Towns is a heavy favorite to give Minnesota its second straight Rookie of the Year winner, following Andrew Wiggins last season.

Towns has been impressed by the play of fellow rookie and former Kentucky teammate Trey Lyles, according to Samuel Benson of The Deseret News. Utah made Lyles the 12th overall pick of last year’s draft and eased him into its rotation. He is averaging 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds a night through 74 games but made an impact with 17 first-half points in Friday’s win over Minnesota. “[Lyles] has been a tremendous player since high school and proved in college how great he was,” Towns said. “… “He’s going to be the future of this [Jazz] team.”

Greg Smith Quickly Grabs Rotation Spot

April 2nd, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Greg Smith has quickly earned a spot in the Wolves‘ rotation because of his ability to play center and power forward, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Smith, who recently signed for the remainder of the season, had to overcome knee surgery and a two-month stint in the D-League to earn his way back into the NBA. “I know my role, I know my game,” he said. “I know what they want from me.”

Souhan: Mitchell Doesn't Deserve To Stay

April 2nd, 2016 at 12:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves should not bring back interim coach Sam Mitchell, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. Mitchell’s dour personality doesn’t mesh with the team’s enthusiastic young stars and he’s not among the top 15 available candidates, Souhan continues. Tom Thibodeau, Luke Walton and Scott Brooks are among the potential candidates that the team should look at, Souhan adds.

Andre Miller: 'No Way I Was Going To Stay' With Wolves

March 31st, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves signed Andre Miller, Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince last summer in part to provide veteran assistance for their young core, but Miller nonetheless criticized the Wolves last week on a podcast with The Vertical’s Chris Mannix for relying too heavily on their young players, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Miller bought his way out of Minnesota and signed earlier this month with the Spurs. “There was no way I was going to stay in Minnesota on a team that never had any goals, from what I thought,” Miller said. “I didn’t want to sit there and let this be my last year. There were no expectations in Minnesota with that team and which way they wanted to go. It wasn’t communicated, so I was like, ‘If this is my last year, I can’t go out like this.’ ”

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/29/16

March 29th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Timberwolves will need to make a tough decision this summer regarding whether or not interim coach Sam Mitchell will remain in the position going forward. Mitchell had the difficult task of taking over the reigns after the tragic passing of Flip Saunders, and the team has gone 25-49 under his command this season. Team owner Glen Taylor will be the one to make the call on whether or not Mitchell leads the team in 2016/17, and he has indicated that he’ll evaluate both Mitchell and GM Milt Newton to determine the employment status of each. When asked directly if both Mitchell and Newton would be retained, Taylor was non-committal, saying, “I like my coach, I like my general manager, they’re really nice people,” Taylor said. “We’re working together. What I told them is in this business of basketball, we’re going to do the whole season first and then at the end of the season we’ll do the evaluation.” While that may not have been the strongest endorsement, Taylor’s comments certainly allow for the possibility that Mitchell could stick around in Minnesota. More recent comments from Taylor have lent credence to the idea that Newton will remain in his job through the summer, at least.

This brings me to the topic for today: Should the Wolves retain Sam Mitchell as head coach for next season?

Minnesota, while not expected to be a playoff contender heading into the 2015/16 campaign, hasn’t taken as much of a step forward as many would have liked this year. The team has already eclipsed its woeful 16 wins of a season ago, but given the amount of young talent the franchise has, struggling to get to 30 victories cannot be considered a successful run in my book. To be fair, Mitchell took on the daunting task of keeping the team together and focused after Saunders’ death and certainly deserves praise for how well he has managed that difficult dynamic. But questions have emerged about his rotation patterns and how well he has developed some of his younger players, which should be the primary consideration when the team chooses its next coach.

So now I turn the discussion over to all of you. Is Mitchell the right man to entrust with the future of the team and budding star Karl-Anthony Towns? What do you think about the job the coach has done this season? If you don’t think Mitchell should be retained, share with us whom you think the Timberwolves should pursue this offseason in his stead. Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

Wolves Appear To Be Winners In Burke Trade

March 29th, 2016 at 7:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When the Jazz traded two draft picks to the Wolves in exchange for the rights to Trey Burke, the team thought it was a coup, but nearly three years later it would appear Minnesota came out on top in that transaction, Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News writes. Both players Minnesota acquired (Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad) have been productive, while Burke is stuck in a reserve role despite the run of backcourt injuries Utah has endured this season, Sorensen notes. Burke admits he wonders what his career would be like if he had gone to the Wolves, the scribe adds. “I think about it every time I play against them — it motivates me,” Burke said. “That’s one of the teams I play really well against. It’s just motivation, that’s how it’s been my whole life, the underdog who’s overlooked.”

Owner Taylor Will Decide Sam Mitchell's Future

March 28th, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul Pierce‘s decision on whether to retire after the season may be tied to what Timberwolves power forward Kevin Garnett chooses to do, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports. The former Celtics teammates text each other at least once a week and have frequently considered the possibility of retiring at the same time, Murphy continues. But the Clippers’ veteran small forward admits that he has no idea what Garnett has in mind, Murphy adds. “I never know what KG is going to do, because he said he was going to retire four or five years ago,” Pierce said. “Every year he says he’s done, and every year he keeps coming back. It would be great.”

Ricky Rubio Confident Wolves Won't Trade Him

March 28th, 2016 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ricky Rubio acknowledged that the Timberwolves had trade talks about him last month, but he’s confident the team isn’t going to ship him out, as he said in an appearance on the “Tot Gira” show on Catalunya Radio in Spain (transcription via Gigantes del Basket; translation via HoopsHype). Rubio, under contract through the 2018/19 season, was linked in trade deadline rumors to the Bucks and, less prominently, the Knicks.

Timberwolves To Retain GM Milt Newton

March 25th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves GM Milt Newton will be in charge of the draft and free agency for the team this summer, owner Glen Taylor said today on “The Chad Hartman Show” on WCCO-AM, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links). Newton hadn’t previously been assured of remaining the team’s top basketball executive beyond this season after inheriting the role this past fall upon the death of president of basketball operations Flip Saunders. Taylor also said that it’s unlikely he’ll complete a deal with Grizzlies part-owner Steve Kaplan, who was to purchase a 30% share of the Wolves and perhaps eventually succeed Taylor as controlling owner. Kaplan, who’d have to sell his stake in the Grizzlies to buy into the Wolves, has reportedly met resistance from primary Grizzlies owner Robert Pera.

Newton and coach Sam Mitchell have essentially been on one-season trials since Saunders’ death, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press noted in a recent interview with Hoops Rumors. The fate of Mitchell’s job remains undecided, but it appears Newton is safe for now. Minnesota has had a largely quiet season on the personnel front outside of buyouts with Anthony Bennett, Kevin Martin and Andre Miller. The team didn’t make a trade. The offseason ahead figures to be pivotal, however. Minnesota, which has the last two No. 1 overall picks on its roster, is in line for another top-five selection, as our Reverse Standings show.

How much say Kaplan would have had about whether to retain Newton and Mitchell was one of the issues that he and Taylor were sorting through as they tried to finalize a deal on the ownership share, but Taylor had been preparing to make those decisions on his own as of earlier this month, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune wrote then. Taylor, 74, has said that he won’t sell the team to anyone who’d move it out of Minnesota, and it appeared as though Kaplan was on board with the franchise staying put, so the dissolution of their negotiations throws the franchise’s long-term future into some doubt. Taylor said it looks like it’ll take years for Kaplan to resolve his situation in Memphis, as Wolfson notes.