Timberwolves Shopping Luke Ridnour
With two weeks to go until the trade deadline, the Timberwolves are exploring possible deals involving Luke Ridnour, reports Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops. According to Sheridan, there's a "good chance" that Ridnour will be dealt before the deadline.
Ridnour, who is earning $4MM this season, has one additional year left on his contract at $4.32MM, and is one of a number of point guards on the Wolves' roster, along with Ricky Rubio and J.J. Barea. While Ridnour earned major minutes at the point earlier this season, Rubio has seen his playing time increase over the last month as his health improves, meaning Minnesota now has an excess of players at the position.
The Timberwolves engaged in trade discussions with the Jazz in a deal involving Alec Burks, but those talks have been tabled for now, according to Sheridan. Nonetheless, Utah is in the market for a point guard, so it's possible the two sides revisit those negotiations before February 21st.
Western Notes: Kobe, Ridnour, Odom
- 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.
Sefko On Mavs, Mayo, Cuban, Deron
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.com answered some questions from readers on Wednesday in a live chat, and touched on a number of Mavericks topics including the team's free agency plans and possible trades. Here are the highlights:
- Sefko expects the Mavericks to be in the hunt for big-name free agents such as Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and Andrew Bynum in the summer of 2013, and the pursuit of a big name will take precedence for the front office over retaining O.J. Mayo.
- Sefko trusts Mark Cuban's long-term vision for the Mavs, citing his track record of turning the team into a championship organization.
- Sefko thinks the Mavericks may search for point guard help at the deadline, naming Jose Calderon, Luke Ridnour, and Rodney Stuckey as possible targets.
- Sefko does not believe Rick Carlisle is on the hot seat in spite of the Mavs' recent struggles.
- Losing out on Deron Williams may have been a blessing in disguise for the Mavs given Williams' struggles with the Nets this season, writes Sefko.
Stein On Pau, Raptors, Varejao, Jazz, Gentry
ESPN.com's Marc Stein has published his Weekend Dime, and leads off the jam-packed column with a look at a handful of players that are candidates to be dealt before February 21st's trade deadline. Here are the highlights on those guys, and from the rest of Stein's piece:
- The Lakers continue to recognize that they're unlikely to get fair value for Pau Gasol, given his health, salary, and performance, and would prefer to avoid another major shakeup anyway. So for now, they're still not seriously considering a Pau trade.
- Multiple front-office sources view the Raptors as the team most motivated to make a move. The team would like to make Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon in tandem, but Bargnani's elbow injury may force Toronto to deal Calderon on his own. The Lakers and Mavericks have interest, though neither team is an obvious match for Calderon's $10.5MM+ salary.
- NBA teams believe Anderson Varejao is "highly available," but are skeptical he'll be dealt, since the Cavaliers' high asking price is only increasing. Cleveland is seeking multiple young assets for Varejao, according to Stern, who says the Thunder, a potential match, have exhibited little interest.
- Teams around the league aren't sure whether the Jazz would be more inclined to trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson, but the general consensus suggests one of the two will be dealt by the deadline for a front-line point guard.
- Stein lists a few other names that come up repeatedly in talks with sources as trade candidates: Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Michael Beasley, Courtney Lee, and D.J. Augustin.
- Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley may already be interested in buying another team, with the Bucks as a potential target, according to Stein.
- Robert Sarver's assurances that Alvin Gentry will keep his job as Suns head coach shouldn't be viewed as a "dreaded" vote of confidence. Sources tell Stein that Sarver likes Gentry "too much personally to make an in-season change."
Wolves Rumors: Harden, Williams, Barea, Ridnour
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities shares a number of interesting tidbits related to the Timberwolves in his latest Scoops piece, so let's dive right in and check out the highlights….
- Wolfson hears from T-Wolves sources that Minnesota made a few calls on James Harden, and would have been willing to part with Derrick Williams, future first-round picks, and more. However, since the Thunder weren't all that interested in dealing within the division and had a strong offer from the Rockets, talks between the Wolves and OKC never got serious.
- Williams, J.J. Barea, and Luke Ridnour are considered potential trade candidates, but the Wolves aren't engaged in any discussions now. Wolfson says that dialogue could pick up once the team has 15 games under its belt.
- Owner Glen Taylor expects injured stars Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio to return in early December and mid-December, respectively.
- Taylor also addressed the possibility of selling the franchise, telling Wolfson he may "get a deal within this year." However, Taylor added that he anticipates remaining with the organization for five or six years, slowly transitioning from majority to minority owner.
- R.J. Adelman, Minnesota's director of personnel, likes Mickael Pietrus, but the veteran wing is still not open to signing for the minimum, which means he's out of the Wolves' price range.
Central Rumors: Cavs, Williams, Ridnour, Varejao
The four-team trade that sent Andrew Bynum to the Sixers ensures he won't wind up with the Cavs this year, as one of last month's rumors suggested he might. We passed along word from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Cleveland was asked to give up much more for Bynum than the Sixers, who sent out Andre Iguodala, Maurice Harkless, Nikola Vucevic and a protected first-round pick to snag the ex-Lakers center. We've got more on the Cavs and their Central Division rivals here:
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer says she's seen rumors indicating the Timberwolves are offering Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour and draft picks for Anderson Varejao, but she isn't sure if there's any merit to them, despite the Cavs' affinity for stockpiling picks. Such a move would give the Cavs the top two selections from the 2011 draft, with Williams and No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving.
- Former Pacers guard Leandro Barbosa appears out of the picture for the Cavs, with the team having signed C.J. Miles and zeroing in on Alonzo Gee, Boyer writes in the same piece. We heard before that Barbosa, who's seeking a multiyear deal, had interest in Cleveland, but it was unclear whether the feeling was mutual.
- Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf insists the team will not rush Derrick Rose back from knee surgery, Scott Powers of ESPNChicago reports.
Latest On Nicolas Batum
10:51pm: If the Blazers and Wolves fail to work out a trade and the Wolves sign Batum to an offer sheet, the Wolves will have to make a series of moves to do so, given what's expected to be a $10MM first-year salary in Minnesota's offer to Batum, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
The moves would include buying out Brad Miller and Martell Webster and using the amnesty clause to waive Darko Milicic, Zgoda says, adding the Wolves may also have to trade a player. Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea and Wesley Johnson are possible trade candidates in that scenario. Ridnour or a draft pick could be headed to the Bulls in a deal that would send Kyle Korver to the Blazers.
6:33pm: Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com has Olshey's comments on the possibility of a sign-and-trade for Batum.
You don't close the door to anything in this league,” the Blazers GM said. "But, from what I can see, as far as what they can viably offer as of today, I would think Nicolas would have more value than what they can put in a sign-and-trade.”
T-Wolves Rumors: Batum, Crawford, Gasol, Hill
The Timberwolves are off to an aggressive start in free agency, having reportedly made a "serious offer" to restricted free agent Nicolas Batum. According to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld, sources believe the Trail Blazers' willingness to match a big offer for Batum will depend on whether they're able to land Roy Hibbert. Here are a few more updates on the T-Wolves' targets in free agency and trades:
- Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com updates an earlier story to say that Batum has narrowed his options to the Blazers, with whom he's meeting later this week, and the Wolves, and has postponed visits to other teams.
Earlier updates:
Timberwolves Backed Out Of Beasley Deal
The Lakers and Blazers had agreed to a three-team trade that would've sent Michael Beasley to the Lakers, with Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher heading to the Timberwolves, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. However, the T-Wolves pulled out of the deal, says Cooper (Twitter link).
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune echoes Howard-Cooper's report, saying that Minnesota decided upgrading from Beasley to Crawford wasn't enough to justify the additional salary heading to the T-Wolves (Twitter link). The Wolves also had no guarantee that Crawford would exercise his player option and remain in Minnesota next season, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter).
Zgoda adds that Luke Ridnour and Steve Blake don't seem to have been involved in the discussed deal, as the Blazers would have received Dallas' first-round pick from the Lakers (Twitter links).
Los Angeles Rumors: Beasley, Gasol, Bledsoe
The Lakers appear to be closing in on a three-way deal that would land them Michael Beasley, but different variations of the deal are being discussed. Most reports have Steve Blake and a first-rounder heading from L.A. to Portland, but Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported last night that it may be Luke Ridnour, rather than Blake, who goes to the Blazers. In that hypothetical trade, the Lakers would still give up a first-round pick, but wouldn't necessarily need to make a follow-up to replace Blake at the point.
While we wait to see how those negotiations shake out, here are a few Lakers- and Clippers-related rumors out of Los Angeles:
- A Pau Gasol trade is "highly unlikely," tweets ESPN.com's Chris Palmer. Palmer says interest dropped way off after the Lakers reportedly backed out of talks involving Gasol and Rajon Rondo.
- The Clippers continue to explore trades that would see them move Eric Bledsoe for a "big guard," says Palmer in a separate tweet.
- Pedro Viola of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks the Clippers will ultimately decide they can maximize Bledsoe's value by keeping him rather than trading him.