Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves Re-Sign Johnson, Gelabale

January 29th, 2013 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have re-signed center Chris Johnson to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). The Wolves have also inked Mickael Gelabale to a second 10-day deal (Twitter link). The initial contracts for both players expired last night.

Johnson, 27, had an excellent first 10 days with Minnesota, scoring 15 points in his debut and averaging 9.2 PPG on 72.0% shooting in five total games. He's not to be confused with the player with the same name who is currently on a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies.

Gelabale, meanwhile, got off to a strong start with the T-Wolves as well, posting 11 points and four rebounds in his first game with the club. The French forward also scored 15 in last Friday's loss in Washington.

With the signings, Minnesota's roster is back up to 16 players. The Wolves aren't required to waive anyone to get down to the usual maximum of 15, since they were granted an injury exception by the NBA earlier in the month, allowing them to carry an extra man.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Dragic, Speights, Rumors

January 28th, 2013 at 10:01pm CST by Alex Lee

With seven NBA games on the docket for Monday night, here are some odds and ends from around the Association:

J.J. Redick has made Orlando his home and hopes to stay, he told Michael Scotto of RealGM. But Redick also realizes that trade speculation is inevitable and therefore has stayed in close contact with his agent and the Magic general manager Rob Hennigan.
Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge provides a transcript of an interview of Neil Olshey in which the Blazers GM discusses his team's roster and potential future moves.
Andrei Kirilenko handpicked Minnesota as his destination this offseason because he found the roster intriguing as well as conducive to his game. Unfortunately, due to the Timberwolves' long list of injuries, Kirilenko has yet to find out if his vision was as good as it seemed this offseason, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Danny Ainge said that he fully expect Rajon Rondo to be ready for training camp come October, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. How realistic that truly is will go a long way in determining the Celtics' next move.
Despite sitting at 15-30 and in last place in the Pacific division, the Suns have a reason for optimism in Goran Dragic, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld. Dragic, Page says, is the most important piece of Phoenix's rebuilding plans.
We've already heard that Marreese Speights could be moved before the trade deadline despite rumors that the Cavaliers have coveted him for years. The Plain Dealer rounds up some Speights-related buzz, linking to a Sam Amico article that says whether the team keeps Speights depends on whether it can do so without sacrificing its financial flexibility. Amico, of Fox Sports Ohio, says that Speights will likely opt out of his deal after the season and seek a payday.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News addresses several popular rumors that are floating around the NBA of late, the most notable of which include Rudy Gay, Paul Pierce and Pau Gasol.

Odds & Ends: Pacers, Gelabale, Joseph, Wolves

January 28th, 2013 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Tonight's schedule includes a battle for Western Conference positioning between the Rockets and Jazz, Andrew Bogut's possible return to the court for the Warriors, and an opportunity for the Wizards to win their third straight game (and eighth of their last 11). As we look forward to the evening's slate of games, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the NBA….

Dominic McGuire's second 10-day contract with the Pacers has expired, and the team has elected to let him go rather than sign him to a rest-of-season deal. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter), the Pacers will likely bring back Sam Young, though it's not clear whether he'll get a 10-day contract or a rest-of-season deal. Indiana released Young before his contract became guaranteed, and shortly after he suffered an ankle sprain.
Agent Bill McCandless expects the Timberwolves to keep Mickael Gelabale for more than just one 10-day contract, as he tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype: "Based on my conversations with Timberwolves management, I understand that Minnesota is very likely to offer M.G. a second 10-day contract." (Twitter links).
With Sacramento and Seattle potentially set to battle over the Kings, Neema Hodjat of RealGM.com makes a case for why the NBA should consider expansion as an alternative to relocation.
We heard last week that Kris Joseph had signed a contract to play for Orleans in France, but David Pick of Sportando reports (via Twitter) that Joseph backed out of that deal for a possible D-League offer.
A.J. Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops makes his early picks for the top 10 European prospects of the 2013 draft class.
Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, and D.J. White are among the former NBA players in China whose CBA teams won't qualify for the postseason, according to Shaopeng Shen of Hupu.com (via Twitter). As such, those players would be free to return to the NBA sooner, assuming there's any interest.
The Timberwolves received a disabled player exception worth about $381K for Malcolm Lee, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times and HoopsWorld. Considering how small that amount is, the team is unlikely to use the exception.

Western Notes: Kobe, Ridnour, Odom

January 26th, 2013 at 10:49pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Although Kobe Bryant registered a season low of 10 field goals on Friday night, his 14 assists proved to be instrumental in the Lakers' rout of the Jazz. Mike D'Antoni praised his star shooting guard's approach, saying that the dip in field goal attempts shouldn't be looked at as a sacrifice if the team ultimately comes out on top, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles. McMenamin also takes a closer look at the impending return of Steve Blake, who practiced with the team today and could return to game action next week. You'll find the rest of tonight's Western Conference notes here:

Earlier today, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler answered some of his followers' questions on Twitter, saying that he doesn't think the Lakers aren't looking to move Dwight Howard before the deadline, Mike D'Antoni's job isn't necessarily safe right now, and that the Grizzlies aren't currently looking to make a deal with the Celtics (All Twitter links).
Luke Ridnour has been a productive and dependable stop gap for the Timberwolves in spite of all the injuries he's handled this year, notes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro wants Lamar Odom to be more aggressive on the offensive end, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Another 6'10 forward has been making waves in Los Angeles, albeit for the purple and gold. In another article, Ben Bolch examines Earl Clark's breakout year as a starter for the Lakers.
Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin tells Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune that he wants to groom Gordon Hayward into a player who can be counted on to close games.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says there's no doubt in his mind that Dirk Nowitzki will be an All-Star again, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.
Jason Smith has played with
a reckless abandon that has earned the attention and respect from his
teammates and the Hornets coaching staff, observes John
Reid of NOLA.com.
Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post makes a case for why Warriors guard Stephen Curry was the biggest snub of this year's All-Star game.

Zgoda On Roy, Gelabale, Johnson, Trades, Kahn

January 26th, 2013 at 9:58pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune opined that Brandon Roy's current rehab treatment could be a way for the Timberwolves to bide time in case they need his $5MM contract in a trade near the deadline, noting that it couldn't be used in a deal if he were to retire. In the rest of tonight's column, Zgoda addressed a few more hot topics that have been brewing in Minnesota:

He also clarifies that if the team wants to keep both Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson, they'd have to find a way to free up a roster spot as a player can only sign two 10-day contracts before his next deal becomes fully guaranteed. Dealing Louis Amundson for a future draft pick or waiving a player could also be considered.
On the trade front, he identifies Derrick Williams as the best piece they can offer in a meaningful deal by the trade deadline unless they deem Nikola Pekovic expendable.
To expand on Pekovic, Zgoda notes that the Montenegrin center is set to hit the free agent market this summer and could be dealt by the deadline or in an offseason sign-and-trade if management doesn't want to commit to the $12MM-$14MM that he could command on the free agent market.
With this season being GM David Kahn's final of a four year deal, Zgoda wonders if Kahn will be considered the right fit to continue to lead the front office.
Rick Adelman's return to the team is dependent on the continued improvement of his wife's health, which could allow him to rejoin the team as soon as this Wednesday.

Berger’s Latest: Lakers, Lowry, Gay, Suns, Seattle

January 25th, 2013 at 7:21pm CST by Sean Highkin

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a new column in which he examines the Lakers' options at the trading deadline. Berger attributes at least some of Dwight Howard's struggles this season to having only had a limited amount of time playing in the pick-and-roll with Steve Nash, and suggests that standing pat could be an option. He goes into further depth about the Lakers' options as well as some other topics from around the NBA as the deadline approaches.

The Jazz, Raptors, Hawks, and Timberwolves are among the teams Berger says have interest in trading for Pau Gasol, although none of them have an ideal set of pieces to make a deal with the Lakers.
Berger doesn't believe the Lakers will trade Howard because they have a lot of leverage to keep him in the form of a bigger contract they can offer him than any competitor.
Kyle Lowry may be on the trade market, as people within the Raptors organization are not pleased with him. Berger lists the Mavericks and Hawks as two teams that could be interested in trading for him.
Although talk has cooled in recent weeks, Berger hears from executives around the league that the Grizzlies are still open to trading Rudy Gay, either before the trade deadline or during the summer.
Suns GM Lance Blanks and president Lon Babby could have their job security depend on Lindsey Hunter's success as interim head coach over the rest of the season.
A bankruptcy lawyer is claiming that Kings minority owners should be given an opportunity to match the offer the Maloof family accepted to sell the team to the Chris Hansen-led Seattle ownership group.

Wolves Rumors: Turner, Pekovic, Johnson, Gasol

January 25th, 2013 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

This week's edition of Darren Wolfson's Scoops column at 1500ESPN.com focuses on a couple other local teams before getting around to the Timberwolves. There are still a few notable T-Wolves tidbits within Wolfson's piece though, so let's check out the highlights….

Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman badly wanted to add Elston Turner to his staff when he first got the job. Now that the Suns and Turner have parted ways, it's possible he eventually ends up on the Wolves' bench.
Minnesota is still expected to make a move before the February 21st trade deadline, but all is quiet on the trade front at the moment.
The T-Wolves have told Nikola Pekovic they don't intend to shop him, though a source close to Pekovic asks Wolfson, "What does that really mean?" For his part, Pekovic is hoping to remain with the team long-term.
There's a sense that if the Wolves don't re-sign Chris Johnson when his 10-day contract expires on Monday night, he'll land with another NBA team fairly quickly.
As long as Pau Gasol remains a trade candidate, consider the Wolves still in the hunt, says Wolfson.

Northwest Notes: McCants, T’Wolves, Thunder

January 23rd, 2013 at 6:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that former Timberwolves first-round pick Rashad McCants might be on his way back to the D-League's Texas Legends. The 28-year-old, who averaged nearly 20 PPG in China this year, played for the Mavericks affiliate in their debut season. Here's more on the T'Wolves and the rest of the Northwest..

The Thunder will pursue small forward Pete Mickeal when his contract with FC Barcelona is over, according to a report from TuBasket.com passed along by HoopsHype. Mickeal was drafted by Dallas in the second-round of the 2000 Draft but was waived that summer.
The T'Wolves were in on Australian center Aron Baynes early on before the Spurs scooped him up, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. San Antonio won out thanks to their personal connections with the big man in conjunction with their offer of a guaranteed deal.
The Raja Bell saga has gone on for months in Utah but his reps are hopeful that a settlement can be struck at some point, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. The Jazz and Bell haven't made much progress on a buyout over the last month.

Andrei Kirilenko Likely To Exercise Player Option

January 23rd, 2013 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

When the NBA lockout ended a little more than a year ago, most marquee players who had been on teams overseas quickly returned stateside, but Andrei Kirilenko remained with CSKA Moscow for the season. Now that he's back in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Kirilenko doesn't anticipate returning overseas anytime soon, and expects to pick up his 2013/14 player option to remain in Minnesota, according to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.

"I’m going to stay in the NBA for sure," Kirilenko said. "There is no doubt about it. I like Minnesota and I like [T-Wolves coach] Rick Adelman."

Kirilenko, 31, has excelled in his return to the NBA, and has been essential in Minnesota as one of the few Wolves starters to stay healthy for most of the season. The Russian forward's averages of 13.6 PPG, 6,9 RPG, 35.0 MPG, and 18.6 PER are all his best marks since the 2005/06 campaign.

It's probably too early to consider Kirilenko a lock to exercise that $10.22MM second-year option, since the lure of a long-term deal could change his mind before July. But assuming he decides not to opt out, it figures to affect the Timberwolves' approach this summer. If the team retains Greg Stiemsma and Dante Cunningham, both on non-guaranteed deals, and hopes to re-sign Nikola Pekovic, there won't be any cap space left over to make a run at a significant free agent.

Nets Mulling Another Run At Dwight Howard?

January 22nd, 2013 at 8:07pm CST by Luke Adams

8:07pm: Tim Bontemps of the New York Post hears the Nets have no interest in going after Howard again, in spite of the earlier report.

10:10am: With the Lakers struggling and Dwight Howard frustrated, the Nets are considering making another run at the All-Star center, according to Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com (Sulia link). Rudolph reports that Nets GM Billy King has been quietly searching for a third team that could include an attractive piece that would help facilitate a trade between the Lakers and Nets.

When the Magic were attempting to find a trade partner for Howard at last year's deadline and again over the summer, the Nets topped D12's wish list. However, Orlando ultimately ended up sending Howard to another one of the clubs on a wish list that also included the Lakers and Mavericks. While Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported this morning that trading Howard again isn't something the Lakers are currently considering, the Nets feel like L.A. would at least think about it, for the right price, according to Rudolph.

Rudolph indicates that King was preparing an offer that would have included Brook Lopez going to the Timberwolves and Kevin Love heading to the Lakers, with a handful of smaller pieces also included in the deal. The Nets believed the Lakers would be intrigued by Love, but the plan suffered a blow when the Wolves' big man was sidelined for two months with a broken hand.

King will continue to search for a third team that could facilitate a Howard trade, but won't make landing the big man the priority that he did a year ago, according to Rudolph.