Ricky Rubio Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Lakers, LeBron, Gibson, KG

October 29th, 2013 at 11:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

Magic Johnson tells the “Max and Marcellus Show” on ESPNLA 710 that he’d be willing to help the Lakers recruit free agents during what he calls a “crucial summer” ahead. “If it’s (Lakers co-owner) Jim Buss going up against Pat Riley, he’s going to lose that battle. He needs help,” Johnson said. “You have to have a recruiter. Jim needs a recruiter with him.” Johnson touched on plenty more about the Lakers and their recent past, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com rounds up the highlights. Here’s more from opening night in the Association:

LeBron James tried to recruit Taj Gibson to the Heat when Gibson was a year away from restricted free agency, but Gibson doesn’t think he’ll return the favor with James poised to hit free agency this summer, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times details.
Kevin Garnett has yet to make his official debut for the Nets, but he’s already the “heartbeat of the team,” according to fellow offseason addition Alan Anderson. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has more.
Kevin Love tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that he and Ricky Rubio have spoken about a long-term future together, but for now, they’re focusing on the present. Both Timberwolves can become free agents in 2015.
Sixers GM Sam Hinkie is confident that the city of Philadelphia can be a selling point for marquee free agents when he’s ready to make a run at them, but Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if local fans will turn on him before he gets to that point.
Brett Brown admits that the challenge of coaching the Sixers is harder than he envisioned when he took over the team in August, observes Tom Moore of The Intelligencer.
Xavier Henry remains on a non-guaranteed contract after making the Lakers out of camp, but he’s drawing raves from coach Mike D’Antoni, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

Wolves Pick Up Options On Rubio, Williams

October 26th, 2013 at 2:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 2:38pm: The team has officially announced, via Twitter, that it’s exercising the options on Rubio and Williams.

TUESDAY, 1:16pm: The Wolves will exercise their team option on Ricky Rubio for 2014/15, a source tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, and it’s a move that comes as no surprise. The source also confirms that the team will exercise its option on Derrick Williams, as owner Glen Taylor told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities last night. Rubio’s option adds another $5,070,686 to the team’s payroll for next season, as our rookie contract option tracker shows.

I listed Rubio among the “no brainers” last month when I examined rookie option decisions, and there was never any doubt that Minnesota would ensure team control over the former No. 5 overall pick through his fourth season. A trickier decision involving Rubio looms next offseason, when the Wolves must decide whether to grant him a lucrative extension.

Picking up the options on Rubio and Williams will push the team’s commitments for 2014/15 to $68,403,149, ensuring the Wolves will be well over the cap unless they can move some salary via trade. Once these option pickups become official, Minnesota will trail only the Nets for the most amount of guaranteed money on the books for 2014/15.

Wolves Rumors: Pekovic, Martin, Trades, Rubio

July 8th, 2013 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

According to reports from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, the Timberwolves have formally extended a multiyear contract offer to restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic. Zgoda, who expects Pekovic to sign a four-year deal worth $12MM or more, says the offer was made on Friday and that the Wolves expect an answer from the big man's camp early this week.

Here's more out of Minnesota from Wolfson:

The Thunder have interest in signing-and-trading Kevin Martin to the Wolves, but an outright signing is more likely. Andrei Kirilenko's camp is also pushing for a sign-and-trade, says Wolfson, but the Wolves are more likely to simply renounce his rights.
In their search for a defensive-minded wing, the Wolves are exploring trades involving Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea. While Ridnour is drawing more interest, the team may prefer to move Barea, since head coach Rick Adelman likes Ridnour.
Prior to being waived yesterday, Greg Stiemsma was offered to every team in trade talks, but no clubs were willing to give up anything of value.
The Wolves have inquired on Chauncey Billups, but are focusing on other needs for now.
Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, Ricky Rubio will be offered a new five-year contract next summer, when he becomes extension-eligible.
While Wizards exec Milt Newton appeared to be a candidate for the Wolves' GM job, he'll likely remain in Washington. Wolves president Flip Saunders figures to promote internally for the team's GM job, with Wolfson citing Rob Babcock as a possibility.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Thunder, Rubio, Blazers

May 8th, 2013 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

It's been a disappointing postseason so far for the Northwest, one of two NBA divisions to only send a pair of teams to the playoffs. One of those teams, the Nuggets, was upset in the first round, while the other, the Thunder, lost its second-best player to a season-ending knee injury. Oklahoma City is still alive, but after last night's loss, the Thunder will head to Memphis needing to win a game at the FedExForum to recapture the upper hand in the series. As we look forward to that series continuing, let's round up a few items from out of the Northwest….

Given Utah's "Core Four" and its cap flexibility, GM Dennis Lindsey believes there are plenty of teams who'd love to "trade spots" with the Jazz this summer, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News writes.
Despite how well Nate Robinson is playing for the Bulls these days, the Thunder shouldn't regret negotiating a buyout with him prior to the 2011/12 season, according to Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman.
Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) hears from sources that Ricky Rubio's family was disappointed with the ouster of former Timberwolves GM David Kahn, since Kahn was the one who rolled the dice on drafting Rubio knowing he couldn't come stateside right away. While nothing may come of it, it's still a situation worth watching, says Bucher.
In his latest mailbag at Blazer's Edge, Dave Deckard fields questions on Meyers Leonard, trade possibilities, and more Trail Blazers topics.
The Nuggets and the NBA announced earlier this morning that George Karl has been named 2012/13's Coach of the Year.

Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Ricky Davis, Hummel

April 12th, 2013 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The latest edition of Darren Wolfson's Scoops column for 1500 ESPN Twin Cities focuses more heavily on college basketball than the pro game, but Wolfson still manages to squeeze in a few Timberwolves notes toward the end of the piece. Let's check out the highlights:

GM David Kahn has said in the past that the T-Wolves weren't saving their five-year designated player tag for Ricky Rubio when they decided not to sign Kevin Love for more than four years. Kahn has suggested that when the time comes, Rubio will receive an offer similar to Love's, but according to Wolfson, the belief from Rubio's camp is that the Spaniard will get a five-year offer when he becomes extension-eligible in the summer of 2014.
Wolfson confirms what Ricky Davis told Jonathan Abrams of Grantland in a story that was published yesterday: Davis had a tryout with the Wolves in January of this season. "They signed [Mickael] Gelabale for the whole year," said Davis, who is trying to resume his NBA career after undergoing knee surgery. "I played with him in France, so that really makes me sick. That makes me really sick. That really hurts. They signed him for the whole year."
Robbie Hummel, the Wolves' 58th overall pick in last year's draft, is playing well in Europe, and Minnesota will likely talk to him after the season about returning stateside. At the very least, Wolfson says, Hummel figures to play for the Wolves' Summer League squad.
Rob Babcock, R.J. Adelman, and Matt Bollero are representing the Wolves at this week's Portsmouth Draft Invitational, according to Wolfson.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Thunder, Rubio, Williams, Oden

February 9th, 2013 at 9:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Northwest Division on Saturday evening:

Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that the Jazz' rebuilding efforts over the past two seasons have not yielded much progress.
Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the Thunder may not be able to keep their core together because of the new CBA.
Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune praises Derrick Williams' play since Ricky Rubio returned to the Wolves' lineup.
John Canzano of The Oregonian reflects on Greg Oden's tenure with the Trail Blazers as he gears up to sign with a new team.

Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Love, Pekovic, Amundson

February 1st, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, when the Raptors and Grizzlies were on their way to finalizing the Rudy Gay deal, the Pistons, Celtics, and Mavericks were all mentioned as the potential third team involved, with Detroit eventually helping to facilitate the trade. According to Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, the Timberwolves were never in the mix as the potential third team in the trade, but the Hawks were in play. Here's more from Wolfson on the T-Wolves:

While club president David Kahn recently called Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love "untouchable" in trade talks, he didn't say the same about Nikola Pekovic, though he said he hopes the big man is "part of us for many years to come."
According to Wolfson, there's still a difference of opinion in the front office about whether Pekovic is worth a big, long-term deal. Still, he's likely not going anywhere this month — Wolfson says that if a trade comes, it's more likely to be a sign-and-trade deal over the summer.
Minnesota doesn't have interest in trying to trade for Josh Smith, and also hasn't inquired on Greg Oden yet.
Wolfson hears from multiple sources that Andrea Bargnani is an unlikely fit for the T-Wolves. While one source "scoffed" at the idea, another didn't rule it out entirely, says Wolfson.
The Knicks and Sixers are believed to have some interest in Louis Amundson, who is expected to be the odd man out once the Wolves lose their ability to carry 16 players. This is my speculation, but I'd imagine both teams would be more inclined to wait for the Wolves to waive him, rather than giving up any real assets in a trade.

Timberwolves Notes: Roy, Rubio, Gasol, Williams

January 31st, 2013 at 7:29pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes around the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday evening:

Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets that Brandon Roy had another setback in his rehab as he attempts to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Ricky Rubio defended Pau Gasol against criticism he's faced this season, saying he would welcome the opportunity to play with him (AP link via USA Today).
Krawczynski also writes that Derrick Williams, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, wants to separate himself from some other players picked in his slot that haven't worked out.

Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Varejao, Love, Roy

December 14th, 2012 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

It's Friday, which means Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has checked in with his weekly edition of Scoops. Here are Wolfson's Timberwolves updates from his latest piece:

The Timberwolves are likely to make a deal before the February trade deadline, but aren't making any calls yet while they wait to see how the lineup looks when Ricky Rubio returns.
David Kahn has been answering incoming calls, however. Wolfson reports that the Raptors and Cavaliers have both been in touch with the Wolves, to gauge interest in Andrea Bargnani and Anderson Varejao, respectively. Minnesota likes Varejao a lot, according to Wolfson, though in my opinion it would take a massive package for the Cavs to move him this season.
One league source doesn't believe money is a source of frustration for Kevin Love, since the All-Star forward is still in position to earn as much or more over the long-term as he would have if he'd received a five-year extension. The source points to a Kahn quote from 2009 ("On a championship-contending team… Kevin might be the fourth-best player") as something that still irks Love.
Obrad Fimic, the agent for Alexey Shved, on the Timberwolves recruitment of his client: "Honestly, the whole deal was done thanks to David, who convinced us that Shved is a perfect fit for coach Rick Adelman's system. Alexey and I liked what we heard and here we are."
Although Brandon Roy denied that retirement wasn't something he thought about following his latest knee procedure, a league source insists to Wolfson that Roy at least considered it.
There should be closure on the Martell Webster compensation case soon, with the Wolves expecting to receive cash and/or a second-round pick from the Trail Blazers.

Injury Roundup: Rubio, Bargnani, Lowry

December 12th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest updates on the statuses of several high-profiled injured players from around the NBA:

Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com reports that Ricky Rubio will play for the Timberwolves on Saturday for the first time this season.
The Raptors announced that forward Andrea Bargnani, recently the subject of widespread trade speculation, has a ligament tear in his right elbow and a strained wrist and is out indefinitely.
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is also expected out 10 days with a partial tear in his right triceps.