Ricky Rubio Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Raptors, Blatche, Rubio, Kings

December 7th, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

While the Raptors might not be willing to part with Andrea Bargnani just yet, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes that there is plenty of pressure on Bryan Colangelo to win, which might fuel him to pull the trigger on a deal. The Raptors have a lot that makes sense for the Lakers in a Pau Gasol deal beyond the forward too in Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza. The question is whether Raptors believe Gasol will make them contenders and whether he’s worth taking on $19MM next season. Here’s more Friday night linkage..

In this week’s mailbag, CSNNE’s Tommy Heinsohn said that Jason Terry knew that he would have a significant role with the Celtics when he signed on this summer.
Nets forward Andray Blatche is clearly one of the best late offseason signings in the entire league, tweets Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. The athletic big man signed a minimum salary deal with the Nets over the summer and earlier today he said that he would like to re-sign with Brooklyn.
T’Wolves guard Ricky Rubio said that if he had to rate his happiness in Minnesota on a scale from 1-10, he’d give it a ten, tweets Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. Rubio will be extension-eligible in 2014 and can become a restricted free agent in 2015.
Kings assistant coach Bobby Jackson wondered aloud if the club should thinking about breaking up their logjam of guards with Aaron Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, and Jimmer Fredette in the fold, writes Blake Ellington of Bleed Black and Purple

Wolves Rumors: Williams, Gasol, Roy, Pekovic

December 7th, 2012 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

Although Ricky Rubio had been angling to make his return to the court for the Timberwolves tonight, the team has announced that he won't play against the Cavs (Twitter link). Still, even though Rubio's debut won't happen today, it seems it's getting close, which is good news for the T-Wolves. Here are a few more items out of Minnesota:

Speaking to the media today, David Kahn said there was no truth to any trade rumors involving the Lakers and that he hasn't spoken to them since the summer (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

Rob Pelinka, Derrick Williams' agent, has "voiced his displeasure" about his client's lack of playing time, reports Wolfson. According to Wolfson, Pelinka hasn't requested a trade, but has asked about the likelihood of a deal, and was told the Wolves want to see Williams on the court with Rubio first, since the two worked well together last season.
David Kahn has spoken to other general managers, but there's nothing serious in the works yet, says Wolfson. A team source tells ESPN 1500 that the Wolves are interested in Pau Gasol, but that a deal would likely have to include a third team.
The T-Wolves are open to going into luxury-tax territory next season if it's necessary, according to Wolfson.
The doctor who performed Brandon Roy's latest knee procedure would be surprised if the former Blazer retired, though it's been "loosely discussed."
A team source hints to Wolfson that there's a "healthy internal debate" about whether the Wolves want to commit a big, long-term deal to Nikola Pekovic.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune explores the Pau rumors, and writes that the T-Wolves figure to be interested in Gasol right up until he's traded somewhere. Zgoda also outlines a few reasons why Minnesota would have interest in acquiring the Spaniard.

Northwest Links: Rubio, Iguodala, Burks, Jeffries

December 2nd, 2012 at 7:42pm CST by Sean Highkin

Here are the latest updates from around the Northwest Division:

Ricky Rubio practiced with the Timberwolves for the first time since tearing his ACL in February. He told reporters that his knee felt good. (Associated Press link via the New York Times)
Since coming to the Nuggets, Andre Iguodala's defense has exceeded its already high expectations, observes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that young players such as Alec Burks have been taking advantage of the minutes opened up by injuries on the Jazz.
Jared Jeffries has had a positive impact as a veteran presence on a young and rebuilding Trail Blazers team, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

Timberwolves Notes: Rubio, Injuries

November 30th, 2012 at 8:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

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

Ricky Rubio is expected to practice with the Wolves for the first time on December 1, reports Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Wolves coach Rick Adelman tells Richardson that the team is not clear on Rubio's conditioning.
Adelman told reporters that the many injuries to his players this season would prevent him from taking after Gregg Popovich and resting healthy starters.

Odds & Ends: Rubio, Noah, Tucker

November 25th, 2012 at 6:28pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune recently reported that Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio is scheduled to visit with his surgeon on Monday and hopes to be cleared for contact practice by the time the team concludes its road trip on Wednesday night. While GM David Kahn hasn't put a timetable on Rubio's return, Zgoda writes that it doesn't appear too far off based on the vigorous workouts he's seen the young guard participate in recently. Earlier this month, owner Glen Taylor said he expected Rubio to be cleared by mid-December. With that aside, here is where you'll find more of tonight's odds and ends:

Leandro Barbosa has thrived as a scorer for the Celtics in limited minutes, says A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com.
Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago takes a look at how Joakim Noah's numbers currently stack up against the Eastern Conference's most productive centers at this point. Without a doubt though, Powers writes, Noah is having his best season yet since being drafted by the Bulls in 2007.
Paul Coro of AZ Central calls P.J. Tucker the Suns' best find since Goran Dragic. With defenses helping off in addition to two straight games with double figure scoring (11 and 15 points respectively), Tucker has begun to shed the label that he's an offensive liability.
Keith Schlosser or Ridiculous Upside says that Troy Hudson can use his opportunity in the D-League to garner attention from NBA teams the same way Mike James did last year to earn an opportunity with the Bulls.
Jon Marks of Sheridan Hoops examines how Kevin Martin has seamlessly accepted his role as a complementary player on a Thunder team which Martin believes is on a "championship level."

Latest On Timberwolves’ Injuries

November 18th, 2012 at 3:39pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been plagued by injuries to their key players in recent weeks, which has forced them to play shorthanded and turn to free agents such as Josh Howard to shore up the rotation. However, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has some good news for Wolves fans on the injury front involving several players.

Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, neither of whom have played this season, are starting to participate in light offensive workouts, and are both still scheduled to return to the court sometime in December. Center Nikola Pekovic, who injured his ankle last week, is participating fully in practice and is on track to return on Wednesday.

Two Timberwolves players who have yet to participate in basketball-related activities since being sidelined are guards Brandon Roy and J.J. Barea. There is no timeframe for either one to return to action.

Wolves Rumors: Harden, Williams, Barea, Ridnour

November 9th, 2012 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

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.

T-Wolves Exercise Options On Rubio, Williams

October 30th, 2012 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have officially announced a pair of moves that won't surprise anyone. Minnesota has exercised its third-year contract options on Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams, according to the team (Twitter link).

Despite Williams' underwhelming rookie season, the second overall pick's 2013/14 option, worth about $5.02MM, was a lock to be exercised. The same goes for Rubio's $4MM option. Both players will have one more team option on their deals before becoming extension-eligible in 2014 or restricted free agents in 2015.

Rubio continues to rehab an ACL injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of last season, and the point guard isn't expected to be ready to return until at least December. Williams, meanwhile, should get a chance to earn increased minutes early in the season, as starting power forward Kevin Love recovers from a broken hand.

T-Wolves Rumors: Webster, Rubio, Ownership

October 19th, 2012 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

Few NBA owners are as accessible and candid as Glen Taylor, and the Timberwolves owner was more than willing to discuss a few topics related to his team with Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 this week. Here are the highlights from Taylor, via Wolfson's weekly Scoops piece:

Taylor expects to get closure on the Martell Webster compensation case sometime in December. The T-Wolves are hoping for financial or draft pick reimbursement, as they believe the Trail Blazers traded Webster to Minnesota as damaged goods in June 2010. Earlier this year, the NBA awarded the Celtics a second-round pick from the Thunder for a similar situation involving Jeff Green.
The T-Wolves aren't active on the trade market on the moment, but that could change by February's deadline.
Taylor isn't opposed to making Ricky Rubio the Timberwolves' designated player with a five-year extension when he's eligible, though GM David Kahn recently said Rubio is likely to receive the same four-year offer that Kevin Love did.
A month ago, we heard that Taylor was considering prospective owners for the Wolves, but there are no new developments on that front. Taylor stressed that he expects to continue as the club's majority owner for at least a couple more years.
Taylor is willing to take on salary or add payroll if Kahn and coach Rick Adelman "sell him" on a free agent.

Odds & Ends: Sullinger, Wolves, Magic

October 7th, 2012 at 10:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

Doc Rivers is formulating a plan to best utilize Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger this season, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the new offseason additions the Timberwolves made will help ease the loss of Ricky Rubio, who continues to rehab from a torn ACL.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that, after a strong preseason debut, E'Twaun Moore may have the inside track on winning the spot of backup point guard for the Magic.