Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 27 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves sign Cole Aldrich

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed center Cole Aldrich, a Bloomington, Minnesota native.

Aldrich’s deal is reportedly a $22 million dollar contract, over three years.

Aldrich, 27, averaged 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 13.3 minutes per game last season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Aldrich started five games for the Clippers in 2015-16, averaging 15.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 29.6 minutes per contest. Aldrich posted career highs in field goal percentage (59.6%), blocks per game (1.13) and steals per game (0.78) and was the only player in the NBA last season to record a game of at least 21 points, 18 rebounds and 5 steals.

The 6-11 center owns career averages of 3.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in parts of six NBA seasons with Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, Houston and Oklahoma City. Aldrich was originally the 11th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft by New Orleans before his draft rights were traded to Oklahoma City on July 8, 2010.

Aldrich starred for Bloomington Jefferson High School, earning 2007 Minnesota State High School Player of the Year honors from Gatorade, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press as he led the Jaguars to Lake Conference and Section 2AAAA titles. Aldrich was also named a McDonald’s All-American in 2006.

Aldrich went on to play for the University of Kansas where he averaged 9.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in three years as a Jayhawk. Aldrich was a consensus 2nd Team All-America selection and a Wooden Award Finalist his junior season before declaring for the NBA draft.

Timberwolves sign Brandon Rush

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed guard/forward Brandon Rush.

Rush, 31, shot 41.4 percent (65-for-157) from three-point range while averaging 4.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 14.7 minutes in 72 games last season for the Golden State Warriors. Rush started 25 games for the Warriors last year, averaging 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, including 49.4 percent from three-point range.

The 6-6 guard/forward has career averages of 7.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in eight NBA seasons with Golden State, Utah and Indiana. Rush is a career 40.3 percent (478-for-1186) shooter from beyond the arc, making him one of just 11 active players to own a career 40 percent mark from three-point range in at least 1,000 career attempts.

Rush was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 13th pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft and traded the following month to the Indiana Pacers. He played three seasons with Indiana. In 2009-10, Rush played in all 82 games (64 starts) and averaged 9.4 points and a career-high 4.2 rebounds. On Dec. 19, 2011, he was traded to Golden State where he averaged a career-best 9.8 points per game while appearing in 65 games in that shortened season. Rush was traded to Utah in the summer of 2013 and played the 2013-14 season with the Jazz before signing as a free agent with Golden State in the summer of 2014.

Timberwolves sign rookie Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn is worth watching

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed guard Kris Dunn, the fifth overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

All players selected in the first round of the Draft are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they want to begin their NBA career right away. This signing was expected.

Dunn, a 6-4 guard out of Providence, averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.2 steals in 95 games over three-plus seasons. He is the only Providence player to tally career totals of 1,000 points, 400 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals with the Friars. As a junior this past season, Dunn averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.5 steals, and was named Big East Player of the Year, Big East Defensive Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American. He led the Big East in steals, ranking fifth in the nation, and finished second in the Big East in assists and fourth in scoring. Dunn was also named 2014-15 Big East Player of the Year and Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a redshirt sophomore after averaging 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.7 steals. He joined Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing as the only players to win Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year twice.

Brandon Rush to join Timberwolves

Looks like Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich will have a bit of a reunion this fall.

Wednesday the Timberwolves agreed with Rush — the three-point specialist who spent four of the last five seasons with Golden State — on a one-year, $3.5 million contract. In the process the Wolves nabbed their second free agent of the NBA’s bargaining period — and both Rush and Aldrich were on Kansas’ 2008 NCAA championship team.

Contracts cannot be signed or announced until Thursday.

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

Timberwolves, Cole Aldrich reach agreement

With most free agents having already made agreements, now we’re mostly left with players who will have a backup role. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune with a Timberwolves update:

Going into the third day of free agency, the Wolves have made their first move by reaching agreement on a three-year, $22 million contract with Los Angeles Clippers center Cole Aldrich.

The former Bloomington Jefferson star and Kansas University center is coming home.

Reached by colleague Kent Youngblood on Sunday evening while on an Italian vacation, Aldrich, 27, said “being part of the organization I grew up watching is really very special. You always kind of think it’s a possibility. You never really know. I’m just really exicted.”

Timberwolves waive Greg Smith

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived forward/center Greg Smith.

Smith was originally signed to 10-day contracts on March 2 and March 12 before being signed through the end of the season on March 22. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds over 18 games last season with the Timberwolves. In his career, Smith has appeared in 149 games with three teams (Houston, Dallas, Minnesota) and holds career averages of 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Timberwolves CEO Rob Moor resigns

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx announced today that Rob Moor, who served as CEO for both franchises, is resigning from his position with the teams. Moor is transitioning to a role that will assist in the oversight of the holdings and business interests of Glen Taylor.

“I have been a part of the Timberwolves and Lynx organizations for over 20 years. I am extremely proud of the direction of the Timberwolves, and of the accomplishments of the three-time WNBA Champion Lynx,” said Moor. “It has been an honor to work with such a great group of fellow professionals.

“Glen has planned that the family assets will eventually move to a foundation,” Moor continued. “I am honored that Glen would select me to join a team that will be responsible for safeguarding those assets and seeing them continue to develop in the future.”

“As I continue preparations for succession planning, I recognize that our family’s assets have reached the point where a new approach needed to take place,” said Timberwolves and Lynx majority owner Glen Taylor. “The management and oversight over this diverse portfolio of companies requires more involvement by the family than they have in the past. Thus, I have asked Rob to join me in support of the oversight over these companies. Rob has worked with me since the beginning of my ownership of the Timberwolves and Lynx. Together, we have built a franchise that has a very promising future. His contributions, friendship and leadership are things that I will value in his new role and responsibilities.”

Moor’s replacement as Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx CEO will be determined in the near future.

Timberwolves announce mass firings

Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau and General Manager Scott Layden this afternoon announced changes in the team’s front office and coaching structure:

“Effective immediately, the following individuals will be relieved of their respective duties: previous General Manager Milt Newton, Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Babcock, Vice President of Sports Performance Arnie Kander, Assistant Coach Sid Lowe, Director of Sports Performance Koichi Sato, Manager of Team Travel/Facilities Coordinator Bill Hohenecker, Head of Video Department and Manager of Basketball Technology Brice Long and Scouts Milton Barnes and Jason Hervey.”

“We would like to thank all of these individuals for their contributions to our organization and wish them well in their future endeavors.”

Karl-Anthony Towns wins 2015-16 NBA Rookie of Year award

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, who set franchise rookie records in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage, has unanimously won the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. The 7-foot center becomes the fifth unanimous winner since 1984 and joins teammate Andrew Wiggins, the 2014-15 honoree, to make the Timberwolves the first team with back-to-back winners in 42 years.

Towns received all 130 first-place votes (650 points) from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada, joining Damian Lillard (2012-13 season), Blake Griffin (2010-11), David Robinson (1989-90) and Ralph Sampson (1983-84) as unanimous winners in the last 32 years.

New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis finished second with 363 points, and Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic was third with 59 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

The No. 1 overall pick in NBA Draft 2015, Towns led all rookies in scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounding (10.5 rpg, eighth in the NBA) and ranked second in blocks (1.68 bpg, 10th in the NBA) – making him the league’s only player to reach those averages in the three categories. He also ranked third in the NBA in double-doubles (51) and eighth in field goal percentage (54.2). Towns was one of six players in the league to start all 82 games.

The 20-year-old Towns swept all six NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards on his way to becoming the seventh rookie in NBA history to average at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks and shoot 50 percent or better from the field. Since blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74, the other players to post those numbers are Sampson (1983-84), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-85), Robinson (1989-90), Alonzo Mourning (1992-93), Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93) and Tim Duncan (1997-98).

Before last season, the Timberwolves had never had a Kia NBA Rookie of the Year winner since joining the NBA for the 1989-90 season. With Towns and Wiggins now honored in back-to-back years, the Timberwolves are the first team with consecutive winners since the Buffalo Braves in 1972-73 (Bob McAdoo) and 1973-74 (Ernie DiGregorio).

Norman Powell, Karl-Anthony Towns named NBA Rookies of Month for April 2016

The Toronto Raptors’ Norman Powell and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in April.

Powell helped the Raptors to a 6-2 record behind averages of 15.3 points (tops in the Eastern Conference), 4.4 rebounds (seventh), 2.5 assists (tied-fifth) and 1.4 steals (third). He scored in double figures in six of eight games and shot 54.8 percent from the field. In Toronto’s regular-season finale, Powell scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting (including 5-of-6 from three-point range) and added nine rebounds and five assists during the Raptors’ 103-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Towns becomes the first player to sweep a season of Kia NBA Rookie of the Month awards since the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard in 2012-13. In April, Towns helped the Timberwolves to a 4-3 mark as he led all rookies in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding ( 11.7 rpg), blocks (1.7 bpg) and minutes (35.6 mpg). Towns capped his first NBA season with his 51st double-double (third most in the NBA) when he tallied 28 points and 14 rebounds during Minnesota’s 144-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on April 13.

Other nominees for the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Denver’s Emmanuel Mudiay, New York’s Jerian Grant, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Utah’s Trey Lyles.