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Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves sent out their big guns Friday afternoon to try and persuade free agent Brandon Roy to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Because Roy didn't play at all last season, he would've been free to sign before the free agency period began (started @11:01pmCT tonight: 6/30). These 'big guns' the TWolves sent? Just Owner Glen Taylor, President of Basketball Operations David Kahn, Head Coach Rick Adelman and Head Trainer Gregg Farnam. It's sounding as though the offer will be for two years, however the dollar amount is currently unknown. The former Portland Trailblazer has plenty of interest in his services, however for whichever team he signs, it won't be a BIG role. It's likely he'll be a sixth man/role player as he likely won't be able to play more than 20-25 minutes a game. The reason? Roy lacks cartilage in both of his knees which led him to being amnestied by the Blazers prior to last season and forced him into early retirement at just 27 years old. It's sounding as though he's been cleared medically and ultimately will just have to play through the pain. If the Timberwolves sign Roy, you can expect that they'll still be looking to sign another shooting guard as a starter or as a sixth man (which would allow Roy to start and still play in limited minutes). That's all for now, stay tuned for more TWolves information all year round, hopefully we'll have some big news (signings, trades, etc.) these next few weeks as the 2012-13 roster continues to take shape. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Timberwolves have decided that they won't be extending qualifying offers to forwards Michael Beasley or Anthony Randolph. Which means, both will be unrestricted free agents, free to sign with whomever they please.
Michael Beasley won't be back in a Timberwolves uniform next season. There's a good chance you'll see him playing for the Lakers, next year. Beasley fell out of favor with Adelman and had trouble accepting his reserve role and his play was sporadic at best...as per usual. Anthony Randolph may be back with the team, next season, however it won't be for the $4M qualifier that he would have got. With some time playing for the Timberwolves in the Summer League and a full summer of help, guidance and communication from Rick Adelman and his staff. On a similar note, the deadline on buying out Brad Miller and Martell Webster has been extended into July. Leaving the door open for a potential trade. Furthermore, despite previous reports, Brad Miller's agent Mark Bartelstein said it's not certain that his client will, in fact: retire. You can be certain that he won't be in Minnesota next season though. Maybe he's looking to latch on with a contender (Miami, Oklahoma City, L.A. Lakers/Clippers, Chicago etc.) for one last run at the ring. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Los Angeles Lakers acquired big man Jordan Hill in a trade with the Houston Rockets prior to the Deadline, last season.
The Los Angeles Lakers are favorites to resign the athletic big man, but that won't keep the Minnesota Timberwolves from making a run at him. Hill is an unrestricted free agent, which means he can sign with whichever team he pleases. If the Wolves were to sign Hill, he'd be a reserve big man to bring off the bench. He can play both frontcourt positions and could fill the athletic shot-blocking big that the TWolves are lacking. We did have a story that the TWolves could offer up forward Michael Beasley in a sign-and-trade for Hill. That story was published back on June 8th. You can find that here: Kahn Working on Sign-and-Trade w/Lakers. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! News came today that Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh will not play for Team USA during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Chris Bosh suffered an abdominal strain during the playoffs that forced him to miss nine postseason games.
Minnesota's Kevin Love is a candidate for the Olympic team and he's a preliminary candidate, however with that injury you can guarantee that he'll make the roster AND he could be one of the key pieces. That being said, I think we can all agree he was going to make the team anyway, Chris Bosh or no Chris Bosh. Dwyane Wade recently pulled out of the Olympic mix because of a knee injury (that'll require surgery). Derrick Rose will also miss the Olympics, as he recovers from an ACL tear. The roster seems to be getting smaller by the day. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks! Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves may not have made a big splash in last night's draft, but it's sounding as though they'll be "big players" in free agency, while also working the telephones for trade possibilities. It's sounding as though the Wolves will be pursuing Lakers big man Pau Gasol, pretty hard. Gasol's name has been linked to trade rumors for a full-year now! The TWolves are attempting to pair Gasol with fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio and budding superstar Kevin Love for a Big Three of our own in Minnesota. The rumor is that Minnesota is dangling Derrick Williams and potentially Michael Beasley (in a sign-and-trade capacity). Prior to last night's trade the Timberwolves offered Derrick Williams to the Charlotte Bobcats for the second overall pick (eventually Michael Kidd-Gilchrist). The thought, being that they could trade the pick for Pau. That offer was immediately rejected and the Cats kept the pick. Gasol is considered an ideal fit for Rick Adelman's corner offense and is the kind of veteran that can provide the leadership the TWolves have been lacking for QUITE SOME TIME. Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio are also quite good friends. There's a good chance the Wolves could win 40-50 games with that trio and get them back into the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and potentially beyond the first or second round! If Minnesota was able to acquire Gasol, they'd still have one big hole to fill: at the shooting guard position. Potentially signing: Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, O.J. Mayo, etc. A starting lineup of Ricky Rubio, FA signing, Chase Budinger, Kevin Love & Pau Gasol with the key reserves being Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Anthony Tolliver (once he's resigned) and Nikola Pekovic (along with a couple of free agent signings). That's all for now, free agency starts Sunday, July 1st at 12:01am. Expect a lot of action to begin then and continue throughout the summer! Going to be a crazy next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves were VERY quiet in the 2012 NBA Draft. There were rumblings leading up to the draft and throughout the four hour process (that is the NBA Draft). Rumors of Derrick Williams to the Charlotte Bobcats for the #2 pick (to select Bradley Beal...eventually went #3 to the Wizards). It was reported that, that deal was offered, BUT quickly rejected by the Bobcats. Then as the draft went on and we got into the 20's of the first round, there was talk of Minnesota trying to trade into the late first-round (likely to try and nab Syracuse center Fab Melo...who went #22 to the Boston Celtics). As we carried on into the second round, the TWolves fans I follow on Twitter were pleading that Minnesota trade up and select guys like: Jae Crowder (#49 to Dallas), Quincy Miller (#38 to Denver) and Will Barton (#40 to Portland). Instead, the Minnesota Timberwolves stayed put at #58. The 58th overall pick was their only selection in this year's draft and they went with...Purdue forward Robbie Hummel. Hummel is a 6-8/6-9 forward, 215lbs. and 23 years old. As a freshman, Hummel averaged 11.4ppg (2nd on Team), 6.1rpg (1st on Team) and 2.5apg. During his freshman season, he broke the school record (for a freshman) in three-point field-goal percentage: at 44.7%, while also leading the Big Ten Conference. He also recorded the highest free-throw percentage in school history at 86.5%. He was named First Team All-Big Ten and was one of twenty-four John R. Wooden Award finalists and of ten finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy. The Boilers finished the season, 25-9 overall. As a sophomore, Hummel averaged around 13ppg (3rd on Team) and 7rpg (1st on Team). He was named the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. He won back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week honors in the month of December. Hummel then began to battle with back spasms and a broken vertebra, which kept him out of five games as well as from practices. He came back in limited minutes, but had to wear a back brace. Hummel still led the Boilers to their first Big Ten Tournament championship in school history and was named the MVP of the tournament. They followed that with a third-straight NCAA tournament appearance and the program's Sweet Sixteen appearance in nine years. Despite all the injuries and him missing four conference games, he was named to the Third-Team All Big Ten. As a junior, Hummel was selected as one of fifty players as a preseason John R. Wooden Award candidate (along with teammate [and current Boston Celtic] E'Twaun Moore). He was also selected as one of thirty finalists for the Naismith Award. Robbie was named to the 2009 Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team. In a game on February 24th vs. Minnesota, Hummel injured his right knee after slipping while attempting to plant his foot, it was reported in the days following that he torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the season. He averaged 15.7ppg (2nd on Team), 6.9rpg (1st on Team), 1.1spg, 1.0bpg, 2.1apg, shot 45.6% from the field, 36.4% from deep and 90.2% from the line. He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten, also named a Fox Sports Third-Team All-American, a State Farm & NABC Second Team All-American and an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. Hummel received knee surgery and was out for 4-6 months! As a senior, Robbie was expected to return for his senior season. At team practice on October 16th, Hummel tore the same ACL and was forced to sit out and serve as an assistant for the 2010-11 season. Prior to the injury, Robbie was predicted as a Preseason Second Team All-American by much of the media. Hummel returned for a fifth year and was a red-shirted senior. He was named as one of the fifty candidates for the John R. Wooden award, prior to the season. On December 3rd, vs. Xavier, Hummel suffered from cramps and dehydration, which caused him to fall to the floor in the last minute of the game. Hummel led the Boilers with 16.4ppg, 7.2rpg, 1.2bpg and also averaged 2.0apg & 0.7spg. Following the regular season, Hummel was selected to the First Team All-Big Ten for the third time in his collegiate career. He led Purdue to a 6th straight NCAA Tournament, he played the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round and lost by three points. He was guarded by Thomas Robinson (the 5th pick in the Draft, tonight--to the Sacramento Kings). Hummel scored 22pts in the first half and finished with 26pts & 9rebs. He was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and also won the Lowe's Senior Class Award and the THomas A. Brady Comeback Award. Hummel will certainly be a part of the Timberwolves' Summer League team and it's sounding as though he has a VERY good chance to make the roster. He'd be a deep reserve wing off the bench for the TWolves, who can knock down shots and provide a big body at the forward positions. Well, that's all I've got on Hummel. It's clear by tonight's NBA Draft that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be targeting a shooting guard in free agency. That begins at 12:01am on Sunday, July 1st. Look for the Wolves to be linked to the likes of: O.J. Mayo, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Ray Allen, Landry Fields, Nick Young, J.R. Smith, Jason Terry, Shannon Brown, Rudy Fernandez and Leandro Barbosa. Clearly, some of those names more desirable than others. They could also go the route of trading for a shooting guard. There are some rumors floating around, with names like: Andre Iguodala, Kevin Martin, Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol. Of course, Martin is the only shooting guard of that bunch (Iggy could play the 2, as well). Expect plenty of trade rumors and speculation the next few days and through the start of free agency. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Will the Minnesota Timberwolves have a pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft. Well...they did, until they traded their pick (18th overall) to the Houston Rockets for Chase Budinger and the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu. You can find the full-post on that here: TWolves Trade 18th Pick for Houston's Chase Budinger.
Now, the Timberwolves have just one pick in Thursday night's draft: the 58th overall pick. Following the Budinger trade, a few reports have surfaced that the Wolves may be offering Derrick Williams as trade bait to move back into the first round, possibly to land one of those sweet three-point shooting wings (Dion Waiter, Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross). Will that happen? Who knows. Will the Wolves only be drafting #58, Thursday night? Doubt it! Stay tuned, these next 72 hours will be bringing you more of your TWolves news and rumors! Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves have made their first move of the 2012 NBA offseason. With just two roughly 50+ hours until the NBA Draft on Thursday night, the Wolves sent the 18th pick (they acquired as a part of the Al Jefferson trade two summers ago, from the Utah Jazz) to the Houston Rockets for swingman Chase Budinger and the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu (an Israeli prospect). This one has Rick Adelman's fingerprints ALL OVER IT. Chase is Adelman's guy. Rick coached him for multiple seasons, when they were both with the Rockets. The Minnesota Timberwolves have until this Saturday to pick up the team option for Budinger (obviously, they will). His salary for 2012-13, Chase will make roughly $942,293 next season and will have a full season in Minnesota to prove he's worthy of an extension. This also means if Chase playing in Minnesota doesn't pan out, they'll let him leave via free agency next summer. There's a VERY good chance the Budinger will be starting at small forward on opening day, this fall. Bud shot over 40% from three last season and will be a welcome upgrade over Wesley Johnson. There was a report, earlier today that Israeli prospect Lior Eliyahu, may join Minnesota's Summer League squad in July. Eliyahu has an NBA opt-out clause in his contract of roughly $500,000. It's sounding as though Lior may actually have a shot at making Minnesota's roster, especially if Anthony Randolph won't be back with the TWolves (likely won't be). Lior is a 6'10"/232lbs. combo forward. The 26-year-old was drafted in 2006 by the Orlando Magic with the 44th overall pick. Eliyahu is currently playing with Maccabi Tel-Aviv. I was REALLY hoping that the Wolves would keep this pick and maybe draft someone like Royce White or Terrence Ross. I think we can all agree that Chase isn't really the veteran leadership the Wolves have been lacking the past few seasons. Budinger is just 24 years old. Down the road, there's a good chance that this move might have been better than drafting another 19-22 year old with the 18th overall pick in Thursday's draft. We can look at it this way, who are the players (since 2000) that have gone 18th in the draft. 2000: Quentin Richardson, 2001: Jason Collins, 2002: Curtis Borchardt, 2003: David West, 2004: J.R. Smith, 2005: Gerald Green, 2006: Oleksiy Pecherov, 2007: Marco Belinelli, 2008: JaVale McGee, 2009: Ty Lawson, 2010: Eric Bledsoe, 2011: Chris Singleton. The best of the them? David West, J.R. Smith and Ty Lawson. Bledsoe and McGee could still develop into All-Star players and Marco Belinelli is a solid role player. SO, to think that we would've got some great player that could have contributed right away, would've been HIGHLY unlikely! That's all for now, stay tuned for more TWolves news, information and updates as we move closer to the 2012 NBA Draft on Thursday, June 28th @6pmCT. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly engaged in negotiations with the Houston Rockets. The deal would involve Rockets swingman Kevin Martin and the Wolves would likely send the 18th pick to Houston. Head coach Rick Adelman has ties with Martin. He was his coach for a number of years in Sacramento and again in Houston. Now it sounds like Martin could follow Rick, once again. The Rockets are attempting to acquire a number of first round picks in a attempt to make them a part of a package deal for Orlando's Dwight Howard. The Rockets are also in negotiations with Toronto (#8) and Sacramento (#5). The Rockets also hold the 14th & 16th picks in Thursday's draft. It's been reported that David Kahn isn't a big Kevin Martin fan, if a deal like this was to go through it would prove that Rick Adelman has plenty of influence in the moves that the Wolves make. A starting lineup of Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin, Derrick Williams (if he learns how to guard the perimeter), Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic, would be one of the playoff-contenders in the Western Conference. A deal like this would likely happen on draft night. The draft is set for 6pmCT on Thursday June 26th. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Nearly six years ago--to the date, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Brandon Roy with the 6th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Now, six years later, Roy has been retired for a year and after one year off, he's looking to get back in the NBA. Roy was traded in a draft night deal, to the Portland Trailblazers, by former general manager Kevin McHale, for former TWolves guard Randy Foye (the 10th pick in that same draft) and cash. The Timberwolves had concerns about his knees, which led to him being traded. Obviously those concerns were legitimate as he was forced into retirement a year ago, because he lacks cartilage between the bones in both of his knees. The Portland Trailblazers amnestied Brandon Roy, prior to last season (ultimately, so they could sign guard Jamal Crawford). The Timberwolves are interested in Brandon Roy, as former Portland assistant coach Bill Bayno spent two different stints with the Blazers and has reportedly convinced head coach Rick Adelman he's worth the risk and because the Wolves will be offering him this contract, obviously they've convinced David Kahn & Glen Taylor, as well. The reported offer will be for two years, however the 'money amount' is unknown. Free agency begins on July 1st, so that will be the first day the Minnesota Timberwolves will be able to tender him an offer. He's likely to get some interest from some of the contending teams in the League, however the Wolves, would obviously be able to offer him more money. Some other related Timberwolves free agency news...
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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