Hooped Up

Gillette hooking up with baby faced Ricky Rubio for a razor commercial means Rubio madness is getting out of hand. Why? Well I’m pretty sure consumers that are buying a product endorsed by Rubio, want to know that he has actually used it before. This is on par with a lactose intolerant athlete endorsing Milk.

Marketing execs at Gillette, you’re better than that!

Via Ball Don’t Lie

There was excitement knowing that Ricky Rubio would be available to the Wolves. When they took the 18 year old point guard from Spain with that fifth pick, applause erupted. There is an excitement about Rubio who is said to be a very exciting player. He made a strong impression during the 2008 Olympics. The ceiling is very high for him, but he likely has a lot to learn before getting to that level.

Star Tribune

The Timberwolves agreed to trade guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the fifth overall draft pick and three players, leaving Minnesota with four first-round choices and plenty of ammunition to do even more wheeling and dealing. Two NBA officials with knowledge of the deal confirmed that the trade had been agreed upon Tuesday night. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been completed.

The deal would give Minnesota the fifth and sixth overall selections in Thursday’s NBA draft, as well as forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov.

Press Release

The Minnesota Timberwolves select 6th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. Listen to who Fantasy Sports Girl Kate thinks the T-Wolves are picking and then check out her selections vitals, strengths, 08-09 stats and draft demo reel after the jump.

Continue »

An NBA source said today that Minnesota forward-center Al Jefferson is not being traded to the Suns with the sixth overall pick for Suns All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire. An NBA executive told The Globe on Wednesday that the teams discussed the trade. But another source acknowledged the discussion, but also said the Suns were quickly turned down. The source added that the Wolves new general manager David Kahn has even called Jefferson, an ex-Celtic, to tell him the trade would not happen. As for Stoudemire, the cost-cutting Suns definitely seem interesting in moving him and his hefty salary.

Boston Globe

An NBA executive told the Boston Globe today that the Minnesota Timberwolves are working a deal with the Phoenix Suns that would send former Celtics forward Al Jefferson and their sixth pick in next week’s NBA Draft for All-Star Amare Stoudemire.

The Suns, which have dangled Stoudemire for some time, fiound a suitor in Minnesota that is in transition. The team announced today that coach Kevin McHale has ended his 15-year association with the team. New basketball of operations David Kahn is looking to take the franchise into another direction.

Boston Globe

Kevin McHale and the Minnesota Timberwolves have come to a mutual agreement that he will not return as coach next season.

A person with knowledge of the decision, speaking on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that McHale and new boss David Kahn had decided that McHale’s time with the Timberwolves was up.

That confirms a Twitter message posted by the Timberwolves’ Kevin Love early Wednesday that read, “Today is a sad day … Kevin McHale will NOT be back as head coach this season.”

The northern Minnesota native and Hall of Fame player, who won three NBA titles with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, met several times with Kahn before they reached a conclusion. Continue »

After the game, Kevin McHale again refused to answer questions about his professional future and, according to Kevin Love, he told his players little in the locker room, other than he would call them when he was decided about his future.

My best guess at this point: By mid-May, you’ll have a new VP of basketball ops (or maybe he’ll simply be called GM) and Mac will be headed to the lake and the golf course when he isn’t doing some TV work somewhere. If they’re going to make this move by well before the draft, it’s probably going to have to be an assistant somewhere because it’d be awfully hard to get another NBA team to allow its main decision maker to move before the draft (plus, it’d be hard to sell someone who already has a top job on coming to Minnesota and this franchise). 

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Hilarious! If this video doesn’t get Kevin Love some votes for Rookie of the Year, nothing will. Averaging 11 points and 9 rebounds should help too, but this infomercial should make an already tight Rookie of the Year race even tighter.

Check out Mr.Love Miracle Glass Cleaner here.

The fire sale in Sacramento continues and this time Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown have been traded to Minnesota in exchange for Rashad McCants and veteran Calvin Booth.

“On the financial front, the deal - which is done but pending league approval - takes the Kings off the hook for the $736,420 owed to Continue »