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Wolves Rumors: Love, Saunders, Hoiberg

June 5th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

There was a time when Flip Saunders thought he had convinced friend Tom Izzo to take the Wolves coaching job, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Saunders also asked Jeff Van Gundy, with whom he is also close, about his interest in the job, Zgoda adds. The Wolves president of basketball operations ultimately picked himself to fill the team’s coaching vacancy, and he joins Doc Rivers, Stan Van Gundy and Gregg Popovich among NBA coaches with front office decision-making power. Here’s more on the Wolves:

Love wouldn’t have been convinced to stay with the Wolves even if they had hired Phil Jackson as coach, a source tells USA Today’s Sam Amick.
The power forward became disconnected from the team toward the end of the season, and the club grew to accept he didn’t want to stay, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com details. Saunders’ decision to coach wasn’t as much about convincing Love to remain as it was about taking a hands-on approach with whomever the club can get in return for him, according to Aschburner, echoing a sentiment that Zgoda expressed earlier via Twitter.
Saunders had concerns that he’d clash with a veteran coach if he hired one, and Izzo, Fred Hoiberg and Billy Donovan were all wary of Love’s uncertain future when they turned down the job, Aschburner also hears.
It’s far more likely that Saunders will target experienced players in a trade for Love than he is to go after draft picks, as Amick surmises in his piece.

Earlier updates:

The Wolves made Dave Joerger an offer to coach the team before he decided to remain with the Grizzlies, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com says in a video report. Joerger interviewed with Saunders and Taylor and appeared quite close to becoming the team’s coach, but it wasn’t entirely clear whether the team had indeed offered the job to him.
Chauncey Billups told James Herbert of CBSSports.com earlier this season that he didn’t want to coach, lending credence to earlier reports suggesting the same and casting doubt on the idea that he’ll become an assistant coach for the Wolves next season (Twitter link).
David Blatt looks like Saunders’ top choice if he decides to hire an assistant he can groom to take over the coaching duties in a year or two, according to Darren Wolfson and Nate Sandell of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Blatt is the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
Minnesota will likely offer Kevin Garnett a front office role and a chance to buy a minority stake in the team once he retires, writes Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com. We rounded up more from her story centering on Kevin Love‘s future late last night.
Love is a calculating type, and he wants to get to the Knicks or the Lakers as quickly as possible, The Oregonian’s John Canzano believes, opining that the Knicks would be an especially appealing suitor for the power forward in free agency next summer.

Wolves Find Celtics Unappealing Suitor For Love

June 5th, 2014 at 7:55am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 7:55am: The Celtics have yet to make an offer for Love, though they are prepared to do so, reports Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. It’ll almost certainly include the No. 6 pick, though Ainge has been in contact with two teams in the top five about moving up, Murphy adds.

WEDNESDAY, 11:48pm: Kevin Love is willing to consider a long-term deal with the Celtics, sources tell Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com, but the Wolves aren’t thrilled with what the Celtics can offer, MacMullan hears. The Wolves privately maintain they’ve received better offers from Bulls and others, according to MacMullan.

Minnesota owner Glen Taylor is reluctant to deal with Boston, stung by the divergent fortunes of the Celtics and Wolves following the 2007 Kevin Garnett trade, MacMullan writes. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has hard feelings about Flip Saunders, who holds the same title in Minnesota, feeling as though Saunders undermined former Wolves boss Kevin McHale, Ainge’s longtime teammate, as MacMullan details. There are basketball-related stumbling blocks, too. Minnesota, like most others, is enamored with Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker, but Boston’s pick, at No. 6 overall, isn’t as nearly as attractive as one in the top three, MacMullan notes. Still, the Wolves aren’t interested in trading with the Cavs, either, according to MacMullan, in spite of Cleveland’s possession of the No. 1 overall pick.

Taylor would be willing to re-sign Love for the max if he changed his mind about wanting out, and he’s otherwise not eager to take a drastic step down in a trade involving Love, MacMullan writes. MacMullan lists the Celtics, Bulls, Warriors, Suns, Lakers and Rockets as teams that will make a run at trading for Love. Certainly every team in the league has some level of interest in the Second Team All-NBA power forward, but MacMullan appears to indicate that those six are the clubs poised to make the most aggressive pushes.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported about two weeks ago that Boston was becoming more and more appealing for Love, who, with agent Jeff Schwartz in tow, made a high-profile visit to the city this past weekend. Still, Love is not yet a free agent. The Wolves will have the final say over where he plays next season, and it doesn’t look like they’re as high on the Celtics as Love is.

And-Ones: Wolves, Jazz, Warriors

June 4th, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Alex Lee

With Donald Sterling reportedly agreeing to allow the sale of the Clippers, the league focus can shift to where it belongs this time of year: the NBA Finals. The Heat are in San Antonio tomorrow night for Game One. Until then, let’s look at what else is going on around the Association:

Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 is confident the Timberwolves will hire a new coach before the NBA Draft on June 26 and expects the announcement to happen in the next week or two. (Twitter links) This timeline makes sense, as we know the Wolves intend on trying to sell the new hire to Kevin Love but could still trade him, presumably in a deal that involved draft picks, before June 26 should it not work out.
A one-to-one affiliation between the Jazz and the D-League’s Idaho Stampede is likely to be announced soon, reports Gino Pilato of the D-League Digest. This news comes several months after the Blazers decided to end their relationship with the Stampede. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are poised to become the only D-League team with multiple affiliations.
With Steve Kerr hired to restore order in Golden State after the firing of Mark Jackson, it’s time for the Warriors to “let peace and harmony reign,” opines Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News.

Kings Take Lead In Race For Kevin Love?

June 4th, 2014 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:09pm: The Kings have indeed made calls about Love, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

3:56pm: The Wolves have yet to speak with the Kings about Love, two sources tell Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

3:41pm: The Kings appear to be the front-runners to acquire Kevin Love, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears (Twitter link). That runs counter to Monday’s report from Sean Deveney of The Sporting News indicating that Sacramento wouldn’t be Minnesota’s preference. Still, the Kings are apparently willing to trade for Love even without an assurance that he’d remain in Sacramento beyond next summer, when he can opt out of his contract and hit free agency. The Kings would give up anyone other than DeMarcus Cousins to acquire the All-NBA second-teamer, according to Amico.

Sacramento is reportedly willing to surrender the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft, but the Wolves apparently would be unlikely to have interest unless they’re confident that either Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh will still be on the board at No. 8. Minnesota appears to be holding off on a trade until it names a coach, likely with the hope that a splashy hire will convince Love to change his mind about leaving.

Plenty of other teams are in the mix for Love, including the Warriors, Rockets, Bulls, Celtics, Lakers and Wizards, so the Kings will have plenty of competition. Given that Minnesota seems to be in a holding pattern, I wouldn’t be surprised if other clubs pull ahead of the Kings, nor would it be a shock to see the position of favorite in the Love sweepstakes go back and forth several times. Still, the Kings have proven one of the most aggressive franchises on the trade market over the past year under owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Pete D’Alessandro.

Latest On Kevin Love

June 4th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:34pm: The Wolves are discussing deals involving Love with other teams, but they’re making it clear that it’s unlikely they’ll trade him until they hire a coach, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Love maintains that he wants out of Minnesota, but the Wolves will probably try to sell Love on staying once a new coach is in place, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 3:29pm: Love would prefer the Warriors to the Rockets, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says on video. Of course, there are other teams in which he apparently has interest of varying degrees, including the Bulls, Celtics, Lakers, and Wizards, and it’s unclear just how high Golden State ranks on Love’s complete wish list.

3:02pm: The Wolves continue to issue denials about their interest in trading Kevin Love this summer, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears Minnesota has gauged the market to determine what offers on draft night might look like. It appears the Wolves are on their way to moving Love sooner rather than later, a source tells Deveney. Still, a GM cautions Deveney that serious movement toward a deal isn’t likely to happen until the week before the draft.

The Timberwolves are looking for a lottery pick in this year’s draft, additional lottery selections for the future, and a young player with a decent chance of becoming a star, but they haven’t been impressed with the offers they’ve seen so far, Deveney reports. They’d prefer not to trade him to Sacramento, Deveney writes, though it’s unclear if that has to do with the package the Kings might offer, or if there’s another stumbling block. The Kings are reportedly willing to acquire Love without an assurance he’d re-sign.

The Celtics are prioritizing a pursuit of Love, and they’re willing to give up the sixth overall pick to make it happen, according to Deveney. Still, they’re not open to including Rajon Rondo in such a deal, and Boston’s willingness to part with future first-rounders might be the determining factor in whether Love winds up in Boston, Deveney surmises.

Rockets Likely To Decline Parsons’ Option

June 4th, 2014 at 10:02am CST by Ryan Raroque

WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: The Rockets are leaning toward turning down their option on Parsons, but the team has yet to finalize its decision, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Houston is nonetheless likely to decline the option, unless it gets the sense that he’ll receive offers it deems too high, Feigen hears. The willingness to make Parsons a free agent this summer indicates the team’s confidence in its ability to sign a marquee free agent this summer, as Feigen observes. Houston would have to clear a significant amount of salary off its books to make that happen, but the Rockets like their chances of moving Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, since they would be looking for cap flexibility rather than players in return, Feigen reports.

TUESDAY, 9:35pm: The Rockets plan to decline Chandler Parsons‘ fourth-year team option and make him a restricted free agent this summer, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski ofYahoo Sports. Parsons’ 2014/15 option is worth $960K, and if Houston decided to ultimately pick up that option, the 6’9 forward would hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2015. The team is said to be wary of allowing Dan Fegan – Parsons’ agent – the ability to land his client a monster contract on the open market next year, and by letting Parsons hit restricted free agency this July, Houston could simply match an offer sheet and keep him on a long-term deal.

Interestingly, Wojnarowski points out a few other distinct advantages that Houston has by letting Parsons hit free agency now. The Rockets reportedly have their sights set on chasing after big time free agents who have the option of opting out of their deals this summer, including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Dirk Nowitzki. In one scenario, Wojnarowski writes that the Rockets could secure a max free agent to play alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden, and then subsequently re-sign Parsons to a new contract below the max-level range. Wojnarowski also hears that the Rockets are also pursuing Timberwolves star Kevin Love in trade talks, adding that Parsons could alternately be used as a bargaining chip in a potential sign-and-trade with Minnesota.

Selected 38th overall in 2011, Parsons has not only proven to be one of the most promising young players at his position, but one of the best value players in the entire league. In 74 games this past season, the former Florida Gator averaged 16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 37.2 MPG while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.0% from long distance. After earning roughly $890K in 2013/14, Parsons – according to a league executive – could command as much as $12MM or $13MM annually on his next contract.

Houston will have until June 30 to formally decline the option. At the very least, says Wojnarowski, doing so clears the way for Parsons to receive an enormous payday now and creates a better climate for the Rockets to negotiate an extension with their prized young forward.

And-Ones: Knicks, Dirk, Pacers

June 3rd, 2014 at 11:11pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Knicks president Phil Jackson is flying to Turkey in mid-June for his son’s wedding and “desperately wants” to have the team’s head coaching search wrapped up before his trip, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Though Jackson recently admitted a natural interest in coaching the team himself, he conceded that he physically wouldn’t be able to handle it. To further ice the notion that Jackson could return to the sidelines, Berman reports that Jackson will need a second knee replacement in the future.

You can find more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes below:

Per Berman, a source within Mark Jackson‘s inner circle says that the former Golden State head coach may be reluctant to coach the Knicks with too heavy an influence coming from the president’s office.
In response to tonight’s report that Dirk Nowitzki will be among the Rockets’ free agent targets this summer, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW says that the 35-year-old Mavericks forward won’t be leaving Dallas this summer.
Pacers president Larry Bird isn’t looking to make any major shakeups to the current roster; however, he did suggest that the Indiana could look to trade into the first round of this year’s draft as a means of improving the team, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Yesterday, we passed along that Alvin Gentry was scheduled for a second interview with the Jazz today. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times clarifies that Gentry flew to Utah today and will actually have his second interview tomorrow. Also, sources tell Turner that the Warriors want Gentry to join Steve Kerr‘s coaching staff as an associate head coach (Twitter links).
Free agent Greg Stiemsma would love to return to the Timberwolves, as he tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). That probably won’t happen, since the team will priortize point guards and wing players, according to Wolfson.
Following a pre-draft workout on Sunday, T’wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told reporters that he expects Kevin Love to play in Minnesota next season, writes Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s David Blatt and former Lakers assistant/current CSKA Moscow head coach Ettore Messina are two international head coaches who warrant consideration for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy, opines Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Love, Celtics, Brand

June 2nd, 2014 at 7:44pm CST by Zachary Links

You might think that the Heat have been talking three-peat every day for the last three years, but you’d be mistaken. “We talked about it from the first day, we talked about the legacy of this team,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “The players that weren’t here that first year, they inherited all of those experiences. But it was only that first day. We’ve never brought it up since then. It was about now tackling the challenges of the day‑to‑day life of an NBA season.” More out of the Eastern Conference..

If Rajon Rondo made a pitch to Kevin Love to sell him on the Celtics, he’s not admitting it, as the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn writes. “I talked to Kevin for about 39 seconds,” Rondo said. “It was all over the web? Well, we do work together. We played against each other. We compete, so when I saw Kevin, I spoke, wished him good luck on his time here in Boston.” Rondo also reiterated his desire to retire with the C’s.
Elton Brand, who spent last season with the Hawks, intends to play a 16th NBA season, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Brand played 73 games, including 15 starts, for the Hawks last season after signing a $4MM deal. That was the most games Brand has played in since he appeared in 86 regular season and postseason contests with the Sixers in 2010/11.
Shane Battier has signed on to be a college basketball analyst with ESPN next season and, as expected, will be retiring from the Heat, writes Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead. Before he gets set for the broadcast booth, he’ll try and help the Heat capture a third consecutive title. Battier received preliminary inquiries to run for a Senate seat in Michigan or work in the Pistons’ front office, but chose broadcasting first, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Out of respect for the Finals, however, he’ll says he’ll wait until it’s all over before he addresses the new ESPN gig (link).
With the Clippers about to sell for $2 billion, John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com wonders how much the Sixers would go for if they were on the market. Ultimately, Gonzalez feels that a $1 billion price tag for the Sixers isn’t implausible.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Love, Perkins

June 1st, 2014 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Syracuse star Jerami Grant is feeling confident after his workout today for the Wolves, according to the team’s Twitter account. Meanwhile, he says he needs to work on his shooting consistency to take the next step (link). The small forward is currently slated to go No. 25 in DraftExpress’ mock draft. The Wolves own the No. 13 pick in the first round. More out of the Northwest Division..

Kevin Love may be vacationing in Boston, but Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told reporters, including The Associated Press, that he expects the All-Star back in Minnesota next season. Love declined comment when asked if he was scouting out the city as a possible destination, but that hasn’t helped to quell any of the speculation that he wants to join the C’s.
When asked if it’s time to turn the page on Kendrick Perkins, Thunder coach Scott Brooks replied, “That remains to be seen. There’s a lot of work to be done this summer,” tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Perkins is entering the final year of his deal and is set to earn $9.15MM.
Pending free agent Thabo Sefolosha says that he has “no clue” if he’ll be back with the Thunder next year, Mayberry tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Love, Sixers, Knicks

June 1st, 2014 at 10:33am CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Love was in Boston this weekend, as Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune details. Love wasn’t officially there to meet with the Celtics, but the team has shown interest in possibly acquiring the player if the Timberwolves decide to trade him. Of his visit, Love said, “I’m here to just check out the city and see what it’s like.” When asked about the possibility of playing for Boston, Love said, “I’m sorry man. I can’t do nothing. I can’t.” He was referring to his inability or unwillingness to talk publicly about the purpose of his visit, Zgoda notes.