Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 79 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves sign Ryan Hollins to offer sheet

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed restricted free-agent center Ryan Hollins to an offer sheet. Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Dallas Mavericks will have seven days upon receiving the offer sheet to match Minnesota’s offer. Several media outlets report that the deal may be for three years and a total of $7 million.

“We are excited about the opportunity to have Ryan Hollins on our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “He is a lengthy, athletic center, with a lot of upside, who should complement Al and Kevin really well. We’ve had our eye on him the past several weeks and we are optimistic we can acquire him through this process.”

Hollins, a 7-0 center from UCLA, was originally selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He spent two-plus seasons with Charlotte before being traded to Dallas on Jan. 16, 2009. In 132 career games with the Bobcats and Mavericks, Hollins has averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field. He also appeared in nine playoff games for the Mavericks this spring, grabbing 24 total rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field as Dallas advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.

OKC Thunder sign Kevin Ollie

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed free agent guard Kevin Ollie to a contract, Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced. We’ll post contract details later today, here.

“We are excited to welcome Kevin Ollie to Oklahoma City,” Presti said. “He brings experience, leadership and professionalism to our team as we continue to develop our roster on and off the floor.”

Ollie, 36, has appeared in 637 NBA games over 12 seasons, averaging 3.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest with Dallas, Orlando, Sacramento, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Seattle, Cleveland and Minnesota. Last season, the 6-2 guard, averaged 4.0 points 2.3 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 17.0 minutes in 50 games (21 starts) with the Timberwolves.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Ollie is inexpensive, veteran point guard depth. He can teach Russell Westbrook some tricks of the trade.

Read basketball fan discussion and share your own opinion in this forum topic.

Timberwolves trade Etan Thomas, picks to Thunder for Damien Wilkins, Chucky Atkins

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has traded center Etan Thomas and two future second-round draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for 6-6 guard Damien Wilkins and 5-11 guard Chucky Atkins.

“We’re committed towards rebuilding our roster with an eye towards flexibility and long-term success, and this move better positions us for the summer,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “I want to thank Etan for his professionalism and understanding, and wish him all the best moving forward.”

“We are pleased to welcome Etan Thomas to the Thunder family,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. “Etan adds experience and depth to our front court as well as a defensive mentality and competitiveness that we value.”

Wilkins joins the Wolves after spending each of his five previous NBA seasons with the Thunder franchise, where he signed as a free agent after going undrafted in the 2004 NBA Draft. In 310 career games, Wilkins has averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

A 10-year NBA veteran, Atkins went undrafted out of the University of South Florida before signing with Orlando in 1999. In 655 career games with Orlando, Detroit, Boston, L.A. Lakers, Washington, Memphis, Denver and Oklahoma City, Atkins has averaged 10.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. Atkins was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1999 and also played on the gold-medal-winning U.S. National Team at the 1995 World University Games.

Thomas, acquired by the Wolves on June 24, has appeared in 373 games over his seven-year career. The 6-9 center owns career averages if 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Thomas was originally selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 12th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft.

Clippers trade Quentin Richardson to Timberwolves for Sebastian Telfair, Mark Madsen, Craig Smith

Quentin Richardson is being traded all around the league this off-season.

The Los Angeles Clippers today acquired guard Sebastian Telfair, forward Craig Smith and forward Mark Madsen from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for forward Quentin Richardson.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Madsen and Smith have expiring contracts, as does Richardson, and Telfair has two years left, at $2.5 million and $2.7 million.

Richardson, who was re-acquired by the Clippers in a trade with Memphis on July 17, joins his fifth NBA team in the Timberwolves.

“We are really excited to add these three players to our team,” Clippers General Manager and Head Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “This move really gives some much needed depth.”

Telfair, 23, averaged a career-high 9.8 points, 4.6 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 27.9 minutes in 75 games last year for the Timberwolves. A five-year NBA veteran who was drafted by Portland with the 13th overall selection in the 2004 NBA Draft, Telfair joins his fourth NBA team. A 6-foot point guard, Telfair brings career averages of 8.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 349 total NBA games to Los Angeles.

A former New York City high school legend before being drafted by the Trail Blazers, Telfair led Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln High School to three PSAL titles and one state championship en route to becoming New York’s all-time leading prep scorer, surpassing Kenny Anderson.

Inglewood native and former Fairfax High School star Smith returns to Los Angeles after averaging a career-high 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 19.7 minutes in 74 games last season for Minnesota. A career 55 percent shooter from the field, Smith shot 56.3 percent in 2008-09. Smith has appeared in 233 career NBA games since his rookie year of 2006-07, when he played in all 82 contests for the Timberwolves.

Smith was drafted by Minnesota with the 36th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft after a standout career at Boston College that saw him average 18.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 130 games from 2002-2006. Smith finished his Eagles career as the school’s all-time leading rebounder (1,114) and second in points (2,349) and was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first Team in 2005-06.

A nine-year NBA veteran, the 33-year old Madsen is back in the city where he started his NBA career from 2000-2003 as the 29th overall pick out of Stanford University in the 2000 draft by the Lakers. The 6-foot-9, 255 pound Madsen has played in 453 career NBA games and averaged 2.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists in 11.8 minutes. Madsen joined the Timberwolves in 2003 and played in 19 contests, starting one and average 0.3 points and 0.9 rebounds last season.

InsideHoops.com editor says: At this rate, Quentin Richardson will have been traded to all 30 NBA teams before the season even starts. In fact, there’s breaking news now that Quentin Richardson has been traded to InsideHoops.com for 27 GMail accounts, some gum, and the rights to Manute Bol. The NBA should establish a new league rule stating that all trades must involve Q-Rich in some way.

Read basketball fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Minnesota Timberwolves sign 2009 first round draft picks Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed 2009 first-round draft picks Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington. Flynn, a 6-0 guard from Syracuse, was the sixth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Ellington, a 6-5 guard from North Carolina, was the 28th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

All NBA first round draft picks are guaranteed a contract should they decide to come right to the league, so this is standard.

In two seasons at Syracuse University, Flynn averaged 16.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists, including 17.4 points and 6.7 assists per game during his sophomore campaign. Despite playing just two seasons for the Orange, Flynn ranked seventh in career assists. He started all 73 games of his Syracuse career, scoring in double figures in 64 contests. He set a school single-season record for minutes played with 1,418 this past season. Flynn was named to the All-Big East Second Team this past season, and was an AP All-America Honorable Mention. He was the Big-East co-Rookie of the Year in 2007-08.

In his three seasons at UNC, Ellington averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 115 games. He led the Tar Heels with 85 three-pointers in 2008-09, the fifth-best single-season total in school history. Ellington ranked third in the ACC in three-point percentage (.417) this past season. Ellington was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 Final Four as he helped lead UNC to the national title.

Both Flynn and Ellington are playing on the Wolves 2009 NBA Summer League Team, which takes to the court for the first time on Sunday, July 12 at 5 p.m. (CDT).

Bobby Brown exercises option to stay with Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that guard Bobby Brown has exercised the player option on his contract for the 2009-10 season.

After going undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton in 2008, Brown was signed as a free agent by the Sacramento Kings prior to the 2008-09 season. He was subsequently acquired by the Wolves along with Shelden Williams in exchange for Calvin Booth and Rashad McCants on Feb. 19, 2009. In 68 total games split between the Kings and Wolves during his rookie season, Brown averaged 5.3 points and 1.7 assists in 13.7 minutes per game.

NBA team, D-League team affiliations announced

The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2009-10 season, including the announcement of a direct single-affiliation partnership between the Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For the fifth consecutive year, each NBA team has one NBA D-League affiliate to which it may assign players in their first or second NBA season.

The Rockets became the first NBA team to enter into a direct single-affiliation partnership with an NBA D-League team, granting the Rockets full control over the basketball operations of the Vipers. With the move, the Rockets will be the only parent-club of the team.

In a structure similar to other minor leagues, this new partnership model, previously referred to as the “hybrid affiliation,” allows for NBA teams to secure control over and cover the expenses related to the basketball operations of an NBA D-League team, while partnering with existing local ownership, who maintain responsibility for the off-the-court business operations of the team.

The list of affiliations is on our NBA D-League page.

Ricky Rubio skips Minnesota Timberwolves draft press conference

The AP reports: Ricky Rubio was not present when the Minnesota Timberwolves introduced their 2009 draft class on Friday. Sixth overall pick Jonny Flynn and 28th pick Wayne Ellington attended with new president David Kahn. But the Timberwolves say Rubio decided to stay behind because of his contract situation.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Rubio has a buyout that is reportedly around $6.5 million, give or take half a million. He may wind up staying in Spain for a year or two before coming to the NBA. And other teams are probably contacting the Timberwolves right now to see if they can get Rubio. According to several local newspaper reports, the Knicks will be one of those teams.

Timberwolves trade Nick Calathes to Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have selected forward Ahmad Nivins with the 56th overall selection of the 2009 NBA Draft and have acquired 45th pick Nick Calathes from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the future second round pick of the Portland Trailblazers that the Mavericks obtained in a trade on June 24, 2009.

Nivins (6-9, 242) finished his career as the third-leading scorer in the history of Saint Josheph’s University with 1,789 points. He was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year following his senior season after averaging 19.2 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting .612 from the field and starting all 32 games. Nivins was All-America honorable mention and became just the second player in A-10 history to lead the league in field goal percentage for three consecutive seasons.

Timberwolves trade Ty Lawson to Nuggets for future pick

The Denver Nuggets have acquired the draft rights to G Ty Lawson, the 18th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a future protected first round draft pick of the Charlotte Bobcats, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

Lawson, 5-11, 195, averaged 13.1 ppg, 5.8 apg, 2.9 rpg and 1.8 spg in 105 career games in three seasons at the University of North Carolina. Lawson was named to the All-Tournament Team after helping lead the Tarheels to the 2009 NCAA Championship. An early entry candidate for the 2009 NBA Draft, Lawson was the winner of the 2009 Bob Cousy Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate point guard. He was also selected as the ACC Player of the Year after his junior season. He finished his college career ranked seventh in UNC history with 608 assists, while his 2.78 career assist-to-turnover ratio marks the second-best in ACC history.

The Nuggets acquired the future protected first-round pick of the Bobcats last summer on June 25, 2008 in exchange for the Nuggets’ 2008 first round draft pick.