Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Northwest Rumors: Aldridge, Lillard, Wolves

October 18th, 2012 at 10:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

LaMarcus Aldridge didn't hold back in his comments on 1080 AM The Fan in Portland, declaring himself the best power forward in the game, as Ben Golliver documents on Blazer's Edge. He's indicated a willingness to be patient through the Blazers' rebuilding process before, but he doesn't think he'll have much of a wait, a belief he apparently shares with the front office. "I have really good talks with the management, with [GM] Neil [Olshey]," Aldridge said today. "We don't feel like this process is going to be that long. We feel like one year for guys to get better, for myself to also get better. We feel like we should have enough next year to be one of those top teams again. We can always add some good guys through free agency next year." While we wait to see if the Blazers can bounce back so quickly, here's more from Portland and elsewhere in the Northwest.

Blazers rookie point guard Damian Lillard is trying to find the right balance between passing and looking for his own shot, as The Oregonian's Joe Freeman documents.
Though Kevin Love could be back in five weeks, sooner than originally expected, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports, his broken hand will shine a spotlight on coach Rick Adelman's influence on building the Wolves roster, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Adelman said the specter of injuries helped shape the team's offseason plans, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune notes. "That's one reason we made a lot of changes," Adelman said. "Because we didn't do that last year, that last month [of the season], we got hammered."

Western Notes: Fredette, Blazers, Douglas-Roberts

October 18th, 2012 at 7:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ben Golliver of SI.com identifies five players on Western Conference contenders who'll be "X-factors" for their teams, meaning their performance this season will go a long way in determining whether their teams will be playing in June. Three of the X-factors are offseason acquisitions: Dwight Howard of the Lakers, Andre Iguodala of the Nuggets and Lamar Odom of the Clippers. A fourth, the Thunder's James Harden, is entering the final season of his contract, while the Spurs have their X-factor, Kawhi Leonard, locked up until 2015 and already talking about staying with the team for a lot longer than that. There's more on others from around the West tonight, and we've got it rounded up here.

While some Kings teammates say Jimmer Fredette has been the best player in camp, the team has other options at guard that could keep Fredette out of the rotation, as Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com notes. Still, Howard-Cooper makes the case that the Kings still need the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft to play up to his potential.
Luke Babbitt and Nolan Smith still have multiple seasons left on their rookie-scale contracts, but if the Blazers don't think they'll develop, Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com thinks they could trade one or both of them for draft picks and cap space. Such moves could also allow the team to keep Coby Karl and Adam Morrison, both of whom have impressed Jaynes.
Blazer's Edge checks in with two-pronged preview of the Blazers, as Tom Ziller looks at what's ahead while Mike Prada gives the team a C for its work this past offseason.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, in camp with the Lakers on a non-guaranteed deal, talks about his teammates, the challenge of making the regular season roster, and what went wrong during his first stint in the NBA as part of a Q&A with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
Free agent signee Jamal Crawford is showing off his ability to score in crunch time for the Clippers, as Eric Patten of Clippers.com observes.

Blazers Links: Lillard, Price, Barton, Hickson

October 14th, 2012 at 6:59pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Now that Damian Lillard has gotten a taste of what the NBA is like, the Trail Blazers' rookie point guard told CSNNW.com about his experiences so far and what he's learned after a few preseason games. Here are a few more links out of Portland tonight:

Mike Tokito of The Oregonian writes that although Will Barton returned to practice, Ronnie Price could possibly sidelined until the season opener after injuring his ankle against Phoenix on Friday. Tokito adds that J.J. Hickson returned to practice, but is still feeling the effects of the bruised left ribs he suffered against the Lakers on Wednesday. Lastly, he said that coach Terry Stotts doesn't anticipate any roster cuts before next Sunday.
Will Barton spoke with CSNNW.com about his return.
In this video, Stotts elaborated on possible lineup changes with Barton and Hickson now active.
During a post-practice interview, Meyers Leonard offered some thoughts on the aspect of his game he deems the strongest, and what he needs to work on.

Northwest Rumors: Aldridge, Morrison, Fournier

October 14th, 2012 at 9:09am CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves have already made news, cutting ties with a pair of training camp invitees, and there are a few other items of interest out of the Northwest Division this morning.

LaMarcus Aldridge sees himself as a legitimate No. 1 option, and doesn't think the Blazers need to acquire anyone else to play that role, he told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Adam Morrison, in camp with the Blazers on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, said he had similar offers from other NBA teams but chose the Blazers in part because of their proximity to his home in Spokane, Washington, writes Joe Freeman of the The Oregonian as he details the comeback attempt of the 2006 No. 3 overall pick. Morrison also said the team let him know it would give him a legitimate shot of making the opening-night roster, but Friday's waiver claim of fellow small forward Justin Holiday adds to the competition for a spot.
Evan Fournier was the lone international product to be taken in the first round of this year's draft, and though the Frenchman didn't figure to make the Nuggets' rotation when training camp began, the 19-year-old is making a push for regular playing time as a shooting guard, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.

Odds & Ends: Hinrich, Williams, Heat, Hansbrough

October 13th, 2012 at 12:02pm CST by Zachary Links

While some have said that Kirk Hinrich has lost a step, the guard says that he is as healthy as he has been in years. That could make all the difference this season for the Bulls, who need as much as they can get out of the backcourt while Derrick Rose rehabs his knee injury, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. The point guard has spent the last few years with the Hawks and Wizards while battling injuries and was brought back to be a stabilizing force in Chicago. Hinrich, who is set to earn $8MM over the next two seasons, may not be the player he was five years ago, but could still prove to a strong pickup for the Bulls. Here's more from around the league..

Atlanta native Lou Williams says that he always envisioned himself playing for his hometown team, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Williams said that there were "three or four teams" in heavy pursuit of him this summer, but he quickly gave the edge to the Hawks once it became clear that they would offer him a fair deal.
In today's Q-and-A column, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat would be better off with a traditional point guard such as Jose Calderon over Mario Chalmers. Winderman doesn't agree, arguing that a typical one-guard isn't needed when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade like to handle the ball as much as they do.
Undrafted rookie Ben Hansbrough has an uphill battle as he looks to make the Pacers roster, but he is certainly giving the front office something to think about, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. Hansbrough is trying to hook on as a one-guard behind two true point guards in George Hill and D.J. Augustin and combo guard Lance Stephenson.
Justin Holiday will also have a tough time making the final 15 with the Trail Blazers, but the forward has never been afraid of working hard to reach his goal, writes Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside.

Blazers Claim Justin Holiday

October 12th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Alex Lee

The Blazers announced tonight, via Twitter, that they have claimed Justin Holiday off waivers. He will join the team on Sunday. Justin, the older brother of Jrue Holiday, was released by the Cavs on Wednesday after being signed on October 1.

Holiday, 23, played at Washington and went undrafted despite being ranked as the 57th-best prospect in the class by ESPN.com's Chad Ford. He should still be considered a long shot to make an NBA roster, though it is interesting that he was claimed this late in the preseason. Holiday will wear number 10.

Northwest Rumors: Blazers, Lawson, Miller, Batum

October 11th, 2012 at 10:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Oregonian's Joe Freeman examines the decisions the Blazers face in advance of the October 31st deadline for exercising their 2013/14 team options on Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams. According to Freeman, the team could come within $500K of having enough cap space to sign a free agent to a maximum-salary deal next summer if it declines all three options. Freeman seems to think, given the makeup of the Blazers roster, it would make the least sense to pick up Babbitt's option, despite the injury to Williams that's expected to keep him out the entire season. Check out other option decisions facing teams with our Rookie Contract Option Tracker, and read on for from the Blazers and other Northwest Division clubs.

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post suggests Ty Lawson and new agent Happy Walters could be in line for a five-year, $65MM extension from the Nuggets before the October 31st deadline. Hochman also passes along some advice for Lawson from new teammate Andre Iguodala, who re-signed with the Sixers in 2008 after failing to come to an extension agreement in 2007.
Andre Miller has been an ironman over his 13-year NBA career, missing only six regular season games, but he's sitting out of select preseason games for the first time, Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com notes. The Nuggets signed the 36-year-old Miller to a three-year, $14.625MM deal this summer that includes a partial guarantee for the final season.
Nicolas Batum told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune he signed his offer sheet with Minnesota this summer knowing he'd be pleased to wind up with either the Timberwolves or the Blazers. "I chose Minnesota because I knew (Portland) could match," Batum said. "I knew those two teams were going to be the best options for me. I wouldn’t have signed with anybody else. And I wanted to challenge the Blazers, to see if they really like me or not."

Blazers Notes: Matthews, Morrison, Claver

October 9th, 2012 at 8:20pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest rumors surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers, who make their preseason debut Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers:

Wesley Matthews tells CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes that he has studied film of Dwyane Wade, James Harden, and Joe Johnson in order to improve his ballhandling.
Erik Gundersen of TrailBlazers.com talks to Adam Morrison, who is fighting for a roster spot in Blazers training camp.
Ben Golliver of Blazersedge.com talks to Spanish rookie Victor Claver about the transition to the NBA.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Iguodala, Blazers

October 9th, 2012 at 5:41pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Northwest Division promises to be one of the most competitive in the league during the 2012/13 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to defend their Western Conference championship; the Denver Nuggets added Andre Iguodala to an already deep team; and the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves made key offseason changes that should have them in the playoff hunt. Here is the latest chatter from up north on Tuesday afternoon:

Mike Sorensen of the Desert News writes that second-year center Enes Kanter is impressing Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin in training camp.
Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune has a feature on Jazz second-round pick Kevin Murphy, who is fighting for a roster spot with the team.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune examines the improved shooting stroke of DeMarre Carroll this offseason.
Iguodala has taken on a leadership role in his first training camp as a Nugget, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
The Oregonian's Joe Freeman reports (via Twitter) that Blazers coach Terry Stotts will limit all of his players to one half of action during Portland's preseason opener on Wednesday.