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Written by SG
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Thursday, 18 February 2010 01:34 |
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From the Timberwolves:
Timberwolves Acquire Darko Milicic from New York
Minnesota Trades Brian Cardinal to the Knicks
Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has acquired 7-0 center Darko Milicic and cash considerations from the New York Knicks in exchange for forward Brian Cardinal.
Milicic, 24, has appeared in eight games for the Knicks this season, averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. The second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by Detroit, Milicic is in his seventh NBA season and owns career averages of 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. His best statistical season came in 2006-07 when he averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 80 games with Orlando.
Cardinal, a 10-year NBA veteran, was averaging 1.7 points in 27 games during his second season with the Wolves. Cardinal was originally acquired in a draft-day trade with Memphis during the summer of 2008 and appeared in 91 games during his tenure in Minnesota.
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 23:05 |
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Breaking: Knicks agree to trade Darko to Wolves for Cardinal (link forthcoming)
UPDATE:
The New York Knicks have a deal in principle to send Darko Milicic to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Brian Cardinal, two sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com on Wednesday.
The two sides have yet to formally complete the trade and have a trade call scheduled for Thursday morning. Assuming nothing changes overnight, the deal should be officially consummated in the morning.
The trade will save the Knicks $1.8 million and give the Wolves a center to audition for the rest of the season.
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Written by Mike Reynolds
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 21:30 |
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Tomorrow at 2PM is the trade deadline. Rumors surrounding the Wolves have been somewhat quiet, as we all might have expected. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, the fan base would still no doubt love a moderate deal at least.
One thing we have been able to count on is the excellent coverage of all things Wolves, courtesy of the Star Tribune's own Jerry Zgoda. Jerry was kind enough to take some time off from his busy week to answer a few questions on the Wolves and the trade deadline. Enjoy. And be sure to check out Jerry's blog, "On the Wolves," here and keep reading the daily news, where we post Jerry's work daily.
MR: What can you tell us about the changing of the guard in the front office with McHale being let go and David Kahn's hire? Is Kahn the real deal, and is there truly a new industrious attitude at Target Center?
JZ: The real deal? Way too early to tell. He certainly didn’t maximize having two Top 6 picks in the draft, not with Ricky Rubio far away until 2011 and Jonny Flynn fighting to find his way in Kurt Rambis’ system while Steph Curry gets better by the week and Brandon Jennings has amazed at times. Kahn’s certainly a hard worker and industrious, but we’ll know a lot more after him after a 10-day period this summer. The draft and free agency will be crucial. If he can turn some of these assets he has accumulated into another high lottery pick or a good young player (small forward, shooting guard) who balances the roster, then at least he’d take a step toward Real Deal status.
PLEASE CLICK "READ MORE" for much more with Jerry below the fold.
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 02:31 |
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Click here for the preview for tonight's game at Washington
Game previews:
Wolves boss David Kahn sat in the Palace of Auburn Hills stands 45 minutes the game busily paging through messages on his phone. Yes, trading deadline is a day away.
Kahn repeatedly has said he will not trade one of the core pieces to the team's rebuilding project this season and Tuesday evening again said if the team does anything, it will be what he calls "modest in nature."
"I still have no idea what's going to happen," he said.
Kahn said he would know better by Wednesday night's game at Washington. Thursday's deadline is 2 p.m. Twin Cities time. He indicated he has no interest in a reported Tyrus Thomas-Luol Deng for Jefferson trade proposal with the Bulls apparently made some time ago.
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 02:30 |
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Wolves record: 13-41
Detroit's Jason Maxiell inadvertently elbowed Love in the mouth midway through the second quarter, a blow that briefly sent Love to the locker room to have his braces untwined from his inner lower lip.
All that produced was a loose tooth, some blood and some swelling.
The Wolves' third consecutive loss delivered damage felt rather than seen.
Tied at halftime in their first game back after a four-day All Star break, the Wolves were outscored 33-13 in a third quarter when coach Kurt Rambis quickly attempted bench substitutions with little effect.
Kevin Love had 22 points and 15 rebounds off the bench for the Timberwolves but their starters played like they were still on vacation. Head coach Kurt Rambis pulled guards Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer and leading scorer Al Jefferson early in the third quarter in a desperate attempt to find more defensive intensity.
Rambis' adjustments didn't work and the starting five contributed just 40 points and 10 rebounds.
"We were awful," Rambis said. "Our defense was awful. Our energy level was awful. Our ball movement was awful and our execution was awful."
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 02:24 |
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Chad Ford: The Wolves continue to rebuff teams looking into the availability of Al Jefferson.
A source close to the process told ESPN.com that the Wolves recently said no to a potential Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas for Jefferson deal, telling the Bulls that they aren't going to move Jefferson by the trade deadline, which is consistent with what Wolves GM David Kahn has been saying for weeks. However, a Deng-and-Thomas deal was the most realistic trade scenario we've heard for Jefferson.
If you have the No. 5 and No. 6 picks in what turned out to be a quality draft, and you turn No. 5 into an asset that can't be realized for THREE YEARS because your No. 6 pick wasn't nearly as good as the No. 7 pick and also managed to drive your No. 5 pick to a foreign country, how is that anything other than an abject disaster? Bumbling GM David Kahn told Minnesota fans last week, "I don't expect to be a playoff team for at least two years." Great, just in time for the lockout and a new-wave NBA world with lower salaries and shorter contracts that's going to make Ricky say, "You know what? I think I'll just stay here for a couple more years and make three times as much money unless you trade me to a big-market team."
In fact, I thought about making Kahn the following bet: If Ricky Rubio plays even one minute for the Timberwolves, I will drive from Los Angeles to Minnesota for his first game while wearing a T-wolves jersey that says "KAHN" on the front and "No. 1" on the back. (It's an 1,835-mile trip. I looked it up.) But I don't want to root for the T-Wolves fans to lose Rubio; they've suffered enough. I hope I am wrong. I don't think I am.
From RandBall: TFD: Bill Simmons continues to savage David Kahn
And who was the biggest star Johnny Flynn met during NBA all-star weekend?
"Bill Walton. I did an autograph signing with Bill Walton and just the stuff he says is so funny," said Jonny Flynn, a Timberwolves Guard. "One of the things he said is ... 'enough knowledge is never a bad thing."
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Written by SG
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 02:20 |
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Click here for the forum's thread for tonight's game at Detroit
Game previews:
Kahn vows his team won't do anything "dramatic" by Thursday's NBA trade deadline, and by that he means dealing any of a core group of players that includes Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Jonny Flynn and the draft rights to Ricky Rubio.
That's not the same as doing nothing.
He suggests any move made now before this summer's crucial draft and free-agency periods will be "no more than modest in nature," but Kahn does have extra draft picks, the expiring contracts of Mark Blount, Brian Cardinal and Damien Wilkins, among others, and ample salary-cap space.
He could leverage some of those assets now for a player who fits his mission to make the team's current roster longer and more athletic.
The Wolves reconvened at Target Center this afternoon after their four-day All Star break for nearly a two-hour practice before they flew to Detroit for tomorrow night's game against the Pistons.
Al Jefferson didn't participate in at least the final third of practice and instead received treatment on his surgically repaired knee that Kurt Rambis described as "just a little tight."
The Wolves must answer the question, though, of whether Jefferson and Love are truly suited to work together. The team's two best players, alas, play same position.
"There is no doubt that if we just had those two, meaning Kevin and Al by themselves, and that's who we were heavily relying on by themselves, we are just not long enough and athletic enough as we need to be to become an elite team in this league," president of basketball operations David Kahn said.
He added: "It might be nice to have an embarrassment of riches at those positions."
That doesn't mean they'll both be a part of the bounty.
From the Pioneer Press: Minnesota Timberwolves awards for the first half of the season
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Written by SG
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Monday, 15 February 2010 18:57 |
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Nevertheless, here are two developments to watch with Thomas: Several league executives suggested the Minnesota Timberwolves could be a sleeper for him. Minnesota general manager David Kahn has been researching Thomas and has plenty of assets – three 2010 first-round picks, multiple second-rounders and a host of expiring contracts – to make it happen. Once the Timberwolves trade Al Jefferson(notes) this summer, they can re-sign Thomas and plug him into the frontline with Kevin Love(notes). Jefferson is expected to be traded for a talented, young small forward.
Trading for Thomas would be a way to get a long, athletic power forward with upside, and the Timberwolves could easily re-sign him this summer.
Pet peeves? Reporters asking stupid questions.
Do I want to be an NBA head coach? That's my stated goal of why I got back into the NBA and the assistant coaching ranks — to learn and prepare to be a head coach.
What would I want my last meal to be? I told our public relations guy I'd answer water.
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 14 February 2010 05:37 |
When Wayne Ellington took his recruiting trip to North Carolina, one of the first things he did was look up to the rafters and dream about having his No. 22 hanging amongst the honored jerseys. “When you’re a kid, you dream about stuff like that,’’ said the Minnesota Timberwolves’ rookie.
Two Wolves players were spotted at their old college arenas on Saturday, with NBA players off for the All-Star break. Wolves rookie guard Wayne Ellington was at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., along with Ty Lawson, the Wolves draft pick traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night. North Carolina hung Ellington's No. 22 and Lawson's No. 5 in the rafters Saturday during the Tar Heels' victory over North Carolina State. Those two numbers are among the 38 that the Tar Heels program has hung up but not officially retired. Ellington was the Most Outstanding Player at last year's Final Four, when North Carolina won the national championship. Meanwhile, Wolves forward Alando Tucker was at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., with New York Knicks rookie Marcus Landry, watching Wisconsin dismantle Indiana.
From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune: The Wolves boss touched on Al Jefferson, Ricky Rubio and everyone in between during a recent media session.
STAR TRIBUNE'S STAR OF THE WEEK
Wayne Ellington, guard: Al Jefferson can't win this every week, so let's go with the rookie guard who averaged 14.5 points in the week's two games on 60 percent shooting (12-for-20). He scored a team-high 16 Tuesday in his first game as a pro back home in Philadelphia.
The Timberwolves' Kevin Love comes up with a rebound every 157 seconds of a game. If the second-year forward had enough games played to qualify, he would be second in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes with 18.3, behind only the Los Angeles Clippers' Marcus Camby at 18.5.
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 13 February 2010 18:50 |
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The rookies beat the sophomores for the first time in eight years Friday night in Dallas, and Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn isn't going to let teammate Kevin Love forget about it any time soon.
"He's going to hear about this for the rest of the season," Flynn said after his team beat the sophs 140-128 in the Rookie Challenge. "That's why I never speak too soon because things like this can come back and bite you. But I can talk now, and I will. Kevin's going to hear about this."
Flynn scored nine points and had seven assists in nearly 18 minutes. Love had 12 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes after not being chosen for the game last season as a rookie, a decision by NBA assistant coaches that stung him for months.
But did he get to his spots and organize the offense?
When asked that -- catch phrases in the triangle offense -- Flynn laughed during a phone conversation after tonight's game and said, "There wasn't none of that. We were running and gunning. It was good to go out and do that for a full game. That's fun."
Love played 18 minutes, scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds after not being chosen for the game last season as a rookie, a decision made by NBA assistant coaches that stung him for months.
Both players came off the bench.
Tim Legler/ESPN gave both Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love a B+ for their performances in the game.
The former Lake Oswego High School and UCLA star was participating in the "NBA Cares All Star Day of Service," in which NBA players, coaches, executives and others spend a day of volunteer work within the local community during All-Star weekend. Love, in his second season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was helping place large versions of NBA stars on boards that will decorate the gym of a local school.
"It's been a lot of fun, just being here, working in the gym and helping put up 'Fat Heads' around the gym," Love said. "It's gonna be cool to see once it's a finished product."
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