Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dave Joerger To Stay With Grizzlies

May 25th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Dave Joerger has decided to stay in Memphis and forgo the opportunity with the Wolves, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Joerger, the Grizzlies, and the Wolves have been trying all weekend to settle their differences (link), but it sounds like they were unable to come an agreement on a compensation package.

It’s a surprising twist since the ouster of CEO Jason Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash seemed to signal a complete overhaul of the club’s front office operations and coaching staff. Joerger met with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor for over two hours on Saturday and was said to be the frontrunner for the position. Team president Flip Saunders has a history with Joerger and saw a lot of himself in the young coach.

The Grizzlies seemed poised to go after another big name coach – possibly the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau or former coach Lionel Hollins – but it sounds like they’ll be keeping things status quo instead. With Joerger out of the running for the Wolves’ gig, Minnesota may turn their attention to fellow candidate and owner Glen Taylor favorite Sam Mitchell.

Western Notes: Van Gundy, Jazz, Blazers

May 25th, 2014 at 10:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Grizzlies might have interest in hiring Jeff Van Gundy to be their coach and head of basketball operations in a deal similar to the one that Stan Van Gundy received from the Pistons, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. This would be in the event that current coach Dave Joerger takes the Timberwolves coaching position, an occurrence that Stein’s sources classify as an “inevitability.” The article also notes that team owner Robert Pera doesn’t want Joerger back no matter what happens with Minnesota.

Latest On Dave Joerger

May 24th, 2014 at 8:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Grizzlies might be seeking their third coach in as many seasons if Dave Joerger leaves for the Timberwolves. Memphis has long been a franchise with a tumultuous front office, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (subscription required). In the article, Tillery looks at some of the issues the team has dealt with over the last few years, including what went wrong with Joerger.

Lawrence On Thibs, Irving, Love, Knicks

May 24th, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Grizzlies are on a shoestring budget and don’t have the room necessary to bring coach Tom Thibodeau over from the Bulls, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. “Do they realize how much that will cost?’” said one Chicago official, when word surfaced that the Grizzlies will look at Thibs if Memphis winds up allowing Dave Joerger to take the Timberwolves’ head coaching position. An Eastern Conference president, factoring in Stan Van Gundy’s $7MM/year deal in Detroit, estimated that it would cost Memphis $8MM per year to have Thibodeau serve as their coach and president. Here’s more from today’s column…

The Cavs are making noises that they aren’t going to offer Kyrie Irving “max money’’ this summer via a long-term extension. They don’t want to deal the 2014 All-Star Game MVP, but it could come to that, especially if the guard and his family continue to tell people that he wants out. Irving hasn’t been a leader in his first three seasons and he’s also gained the unwelcomed reputation as a locker-room problem. “He was just handed too much, too soon,’’ said one source. “You’ve got to make these young guys earn it, and that’s where this team did a bad job with him.’’
The Cavs are not looking for a coach with a strong veteran presence who wants to do things only his way. That probably rules out Jeff Van Gundy, George Karl, and Lionel Hollins, although Lawrence is a fan of all three. New GM David Griffin is looking for a college or NBA coach who agrees to accept input and instructions from himself and hands-on owner Dan Gilbert.
The Cavs know they can’t get Kevin Love from the Wolves in a deal for the No. 1 pick. If they keep it, they’re expected to take Kansas big man Joel Embiid, unless the stress fracture in his back injury from last season has the chance to become a long-term issue. Meanwhile, agent Arn Tellem might not make his client’s medical records available to teams with which he doesn’t want Embiid to play.
The Nuggets aren’t going to allow coach Brian Shaw to come to the Knicks if they fail to land Derek Fisher, even if the Knicks offer compensation. “We didn’t hire Brian for a one-year position with our team,’’ Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said. “We see Brian being with us for years to come.’’ If Fisher turns Jackson down, Kurt Rambis is the next in line.
Just because Bucks GM John Hammond and Pelicans exec Dell Demps came to New York for the lottery doesn’t mean that they’re going to be around for the long haul. Lawrence gets the sense that both are on the hot seat.

Coaching Rumors: Scott, Gentry, Grizzlies

May 24th, 2014 at 8:42am CST by Cray Allred

Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune thinks Dave Joerger, who is interviewing to leave the Grizzlies and become the Wolves head coach, could bring the defensive focus and toughness Minnesota has lacked. Scogging also opines that Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders could find an outlet for his lingering coaching energy by grooming a young coach like Joerger. Here’s more from the coaching movement around the league:

Byron Scott said he thinks he’s the perfect guy for the Lakers job in an interview with ESPNLA 710 Radio (transcription via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). Scott invoked his relationships with Kobe Bryant and Dr. Jerry Buss to bolster his case. “It’s all about winning championships,” said Scott. “And [winning for Buss]…he was the first one to call me and tell me, ‘When you come to L.A., let me know so we can hang out and watch a game together,’ and things like that. Those two reasons alone is one big reason why I want the job so badly.”
Scott also laid out what his first steps would be on the job, including getting on the same page with Bryant and emphasizing defense. “I think that’s the first thing [we’ve got] to get better at, the defensive part of basketball,” Scott said. In Scott’s most recent coaching stint in Cleveland, the Cavs never ranked better than 26th in defensive efficiency.
Alvin Gentry is coveted by both Steve Kerr and Mike Malone as an assistant for their Warriors and Kings benches, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. The former head coach is currently an assistant with the Clippers, and is a head coaching candidate for the Cavs, Grizzlies, and Jazz.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com thinks that bringing Lionel Hollins back to coach the Grizzlies makes a lot of sense, considering the main difference between the team now and when he guided it to the Western Conference Finals is that the front office members that fired him are gone.

Northwest Notes: Love, Nuggets, Blazers

May 23rd, 2014 at 8:10pm CST by Cray Allred

Tim Bontemps of The New York Post ranks eight potential suitors in the Kevin Love sweepstakes, speculating that the Cavs and Suns have the best shot to pry the All-Star from the Wolves. Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Sources close to the Lakers tell Sam Smith of Bulls.com that they still believe Love wants to play in L.A., in spite of his rumored affection for other teams. Smith covers plenty of other Love topics in his latest mailbag column.
Nuggets president Josh Kroenke tells Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post that he thinks Denver’s roster is already good enough to make the playoffs if healthy, and doesn’t feel an urgent need to overhaul the team after a disappointing 36-46 season. “I’ll be disappointed if we stay healthy and we’re not in the playoffs next year,” Kroenke said. “This roster, we’re always open for business and we’re always looking to improve our team, but sometimes the best thing you can do is just have continuity.”
Kroenke also told Dempsey that the team has hopes of fully recovering from the departure of Carmelo Anthony in the next couple years. “That situation was so big at the time that it was going to have a ripple effect of probably four to five years,” Kroenke said. “Next year is going to be a very crucial year. It will be four years out, we’ll have had the guys for three years. And so it’s going to be a telling year. It’s a big year on a lot of levels for a lot of people.”
The Blazers are not bringing back Mike Born as their Director of NBA scouting, sources tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Harris, Young, Robinson, Smart

May 23rd, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA executives are gathered in Southern California for a series of workouts involving draft hopefuls, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com passes along some intel in an Insider-only piece. Gary Harris has used hot shooting to impress and he’s a likely top-10 pick, Ford believes. He’ll work out for the Celtics and Bulls. among other teams, according to Ford. James Young is drawing interest from a slew of teams, including the Hornets, Sixers, Nuggets, Magic, Timberwolves and Suns, while many clubs are high on Glenn Robinson III after he performed well in a workout for the Bulls this past Monday, Ford writes. Here’s more on the draft:

Marcus Smart has workouts scheduled with the Magic and Celtics, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times adds the Nuggets to the list of teams that interviewed Aaron Gordon at last week’s draft combine in Chicago.
The Clippers, Pacers, Pistons and Wizards are among the clubs interested in Virginia swingman Joe Harris, Woelfel writes in the same piece, reiterating that the Bucks are eyeing him, too. Harris spoke to Zach Links of Hoops Rumors recently for our Prospect Profile series.
Chane Behanan will work out for the Mavs next month, Goodman also tweets.

Latest On Grizzlies, Wolves, Dave Joerger

May 22nd, 2014 at 10:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:41pm: Mitchell has indeed interviewed for the T’Wolves head coaching job, notes Wojnarowski, though Joerger is still on track to sit down with Taylor this weekend in what could be a precursor to his hiring.

6:08pm: Sam Mitchell will be in the mix to join Joerger’s coaching staff if the latter becomes Minnesota’s next head coach, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who also points out that Joerger and Mitchell are both represented by Warren Legarie (Twitter links).

5:30pm: Joerger’s meeting with Taylor could ultimately clear the way for him to become Minnesota’s next head coach, and the Grizzlies are likely to ask for a second-round pick in exchange for letting Joerger out of his contract, reports Wojnarowski.

3:22pm: Joerger met with Saunders today and will see Taylor this weekend, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

3:09pm: The Grizzlies have made no formal contact with any potential replacement for Joerger, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Tillery seconds Vernon’s report about the team’s interest in Karl, Van Gundy and Gentry, and writes that while the team hasn’t completely ruled out a reunion with Hollins, it’s still unlikely. A report this week indicated that the team would pursue Tom Thibodeau, but that’s off-base, according to Tillery.

2:50pm: Taylor likes Mitchell, but the Wolves owner won’t stand in the way if Saunders decides to hire Joerger, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who hears that a formal announcement about Minnesota’s coaching vacancy isn’t likely to come today.

2:16pm: The Wolves are prepared to wait and see if the Grizzlies fire Joerger rather than give up too much in compensation while he’s still under contract with Memphis, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).

11:23am: The Grizzlies haven’t spoken with Hollins about a return to Memphis, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.

11:07am: Spears clarifies that Hollins and Mitchell remain in the mix for the Minnesota job, but it appears the Wolves don’t necessarily have interviews scheduled for them, as they reportedly do with Joerger (Twitter link).

10:59am: The Wolves are likely to interview Mitchell and Lionel Hollins in addition to Joerger, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

10:47am: The Wolves have made “significant progress” toward hiring Joerger, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

THURSDAY, 8:36am: It is believed the Timberwolves will offer their head coaching job to Joerger, according to Tillery, even though The Commercial Appeal scribe notes Taylor’s reported preference for Mitchell (subscription-only link).

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: The Grizzlies would consider George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy and Alvin Gentry if they part ways with Joerger, reports Chris Vernon of 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis, who seconds an earlier report that the team will not pursue Eric Musselman (Twitter links).

3:21pm: The Wolves are set to interview Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger for their coaching vacancy Thursday, but Minnesota owner Glen Taylor prefers Sam Mitchell to Joerger, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subscription-only piece. Joerger, a Minnesota native, is close with Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders, who wants to hire a young coach, Tillery says.

The Grizzlies will allow Joerger to continue as their coach if he fails to land the Wolves job provided he can repair his relationships with the Memphis players, Tillery adds. Grizzlies brass views Joerger as a “Jason Levien guy,” as Tillery puts it, referring to the ousted Memphis CEO. Levien denied Minnesota’s request to interview Joerger last week, but Grizzlies owner Robert Pera gave the Wolves the OK to meet with the coach after firing Levien on Monday.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace remarked to Tillery that the matter of Joerger’s interview with Minnesota is a “very unique situation” that’s in a “preliminary stage.” Still, a source suggests to Tillery that where the coach ends up will ultimately hinge on how much Memphis demands from the Wolves in compensation for letting Joerger out of his contract, which still has two seasons left on it. Earlier reports indicated that the compensation wouldn’t be a stumbling block and that the Grizzlies are prepared to facilitate a deal, but it sounds like Memphis won’t let the Wolves off too easy if they decide on Joerger instead of Mitchell.

And-Ones: LeBron, Love, Garnett, Donovan

May 22nd, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

People around the league told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that didn’t think the Cavs had any shot at re-signing LeBron James going into Tuesday’s draft lottery, but Cleveland’s third lottery victory in four years casts the idea in a new light, Lloyd figures. The Cavs have long believed that acquiring Kevin Love would be central to the team’s pursuit of the four-time MVP, and they thought all season that the Wolves would eventually trade their power forward. Still, Lloyd has heard from no one who believes that Love would stay in Cleveland long-term if the team can’t land James, so trading for Love before knowing what James wants to do would be a supreme gamble. There’s more on the Love sweepstakes amid the latest from around the NBA:

The Warriors are confident they can wind up with Love, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle hears. Love is reportedly high on Golden State, and the team has been resourceful in acquiring players in spite of a lack of cap flexibility, Simmons notes.
Next season’s $12MM salary and a productive stretch run lead Tim Bontemps of the New York Post to believe that Kevin Garnett will return next season for the Nets, even though he hasn’t dismissed talk of retirement.
Billy Donovan admitted contact with a couple of NBA teams, but he said he’s content as the coach at the University of Florida and “all but guaranteed” he’ll remain there for next season, observes Mark Long of The Associated Press (Twitter links; hat tip to Marc Stein of ESPN.com). The Wolves reportedly sought him for their vacancy earlier this spring.
The Warriors were one of five teams that reached out to Steve Kerr about their coaching vacancies, as Kerr said on ESPN Radio’s The Dan Le Batard show, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. The Knicks and Jazz were his other known suitors.
Draft hopeful Andre Dawkins will work out for the Bulls, Suns, Hornets, Pacers, Pistons and Mavericks, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Dawkins is No. 92 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t have him among his top prospects.

Michael Carter-Williams Leads All-Rookie Team

May 22nd, 2014 at 1:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams headlines the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team, which also features Victor Oladipo, Trey Burke, Mason Plumlee and Tim Hardaway Jr. The Second Team is composed of Kelly Olynyk, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gorgui Dieng, Cody Zeller and Steven Adams. Carter-Williams was a unanimous first-team selection among the media members who voted for the award. Had Kevin Calabro of ESPN Radio not left Oladipo off his ballot entirely, the Magic guard would have been a unanimous first-teamer, too.

Still, the first team is made up of the only five players who received first-place votes for Rookie of the Year. Ben McLemore was the player with the most All-Rookie votes not to make either the first or the second team, and 29 players received at least one vote for one of the teams. That includes 2013 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, who drew a single second-team vote.

Only three of the top 10 picks from the 2013 draft appear on either All-Rookie Team. Still, all 10 players selected to the team were first-round picks, with Hardaway, the 24th overall selection, the last to come off the board on draft night a year ago.