Hooped Up

Derrick Rose is going home, and a record crowd of freshmen are following him to the NBA. The Chicago Bulls selected Rose, who grew up on the city’s South Side, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, choosing the Memphis guard over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley.  Below are the rest of the NBA draft results.

Round 1 NBA Draft Results

Second round results after the jump Read the rest of this entry »

If Kevin Love goes third in the draft something is seriously wrong!

Numerous sources with varying ties to Minnesota confirmed to DraftExpress over the past few days that Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale has locked in on UCLA freshman Kevin Love as possibly his favorite prospect in this draft. McHale reportedly likes the skill-level and all-around feel for the game that Love brings to the table, as well as his winning mentality, and sees him as an excellent potential compliment to Al Jefferson in Minnesota’s front-court. Picking 3rd in this draft, many would consider it a reach to take Love, although numerous advanced statistical formulas have identified him as being the 2nd most productive player in this draft, behind Michael Beasley.

draftexpress.com

With all the needs on the Timberwolves, Kevin McHale should seriously take the best talent available at number three.

Timberwolves Coach Randy Wittman, a former Magic assistant coach, said he has been assured by owner Glen Taylor that he would be back next season. Wittman has two years left on his contract. He expected the T-Wolves to go through some growing pains this season after trading star Kevin Garnett. “We knew it would be bumpy,” Wittman said.

Orlando Sentinel

The NBA told Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor on Thursday that his recent comments regarding Kevin Garnett were inappropriate, a league official said. Taylor was not fined. Taylor received the phone call from the league office after he said Tuesday that Garnett “tanked it” by removing himself from the lineup late last season.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Not only is Glen Taylor an idiot, he’s an idiot. I had to get that out twice for effect.  After being criticized for tanking seasons in the past, Glen Taylor accused Kevin Garnett of taking nights off last season.  Maybe he needed a break from carrying your sorry franchise since his arrival.  I reckon a few extra sips of Gatorade would be warranted after running nowhere fast for so long. What a douche!

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been criticized in recent seasons for tanking down the stretch to try to improve their draft position. But owner Glen Taylor strongly disagrees, especially with what happened at the end of last season. “It was more like, I’d say, K.G. tanked it,” Taylor said today. Kevin Garnett took himself out of the lineup late last season, Taylor said.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Antoine Walker’s agent is working to get him out of Minnesota and onto a playoff team, but that remains a substantial `if’ to happen by a Saturday deadline. “We’re trying to find a solution that makes sense,” agent Mark Bartelstein said Monday. “We’re trying to find something, if it ever comes together. There’s a lot at stake, a lot involved. But nothing’s been decided at this point.”

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Gerald Green said the reason he wants to be traded is simply a matter of business. He averaged only 12 minutes in 21 games through the first half of the season, leaving him with questions about his future with the team. The Wolves didn’t pick up his contract option for next season, so he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Wolves point guard Marko Jaric recently began dating Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima. She is one of the highest paid models in the world, most famous for her work with Victoria’s Secret. Years ago, she was engaged to rock star Lenny Kravitz, but the relationship didn’t survive. She was once even falsely linked to Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Lima is supportive of Jaric. She flew to Denver on Thanksgiving and attended the Wolves’ game there the next day.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Incase you missed it here is a look at the complete NBA draft board.

NBA