The Ramon Sessions rumor, which has him going to Cleavland for Delonte West, is back.  Thanks to Brian Windhorst, from The Plain Dealer, who posted this earlier today;

According to multiple league sources, the Cavs have entered advanced talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Ramon Sessions. It is likely a deal will involve Delonte West, who has been shopped by the team for the last several months because his contract is not guaranteed for next season — which makes him an attractive asset.

There is a chance there would be other players involved. One player the Cavs have had interest in is Timberwolves center Ryan Hollins.

There are a couple reason the Wolves make this move.  First, the just signed Luke Ridnour to the exact same deal as Sessions.  Secondly, it is my belief the Wolves wanted to move Sessions to give Ricky Rubio an indirect boost in confidence about his playing time.  Lastly, only $500K of West’s $4.6M salary is guaranteed if waived by August 5th.  Which would free-up even more cap space for the Wolves.

Cap Space Side-Note:  It kind of makes me nervous the Wolves are willing to sell off players for cap space.  This could be very good or very bad.  Makes you wonder if or who they are targeting for next off-season.

I would prefer to keep Hollins than send him as part of this deal.  He is big and athletic.  The Wolves need to use Hollins like the Hornets used Tyson Chandler.  Just ask him to defend and dunk all-oops.  That’s it!

I apologize for the really lame title that is such a  horrible connection to the great Beatles song, but then again, I don’t really care.

No one.  No LeBron, Kobe, Wade or Melo.  No CP3, CB1, or CB4 (which now is Boozer).  Not a single player from the “Redeem Team” will be wearing the USA uniform this summer as part of the FIBA World Championships this August.  Every excuse was given and everyone turned it down.  Even after Managing Director Jerry Colangelo gave the ultimatum: if you don’t play on this team in August, you will not play in the next Olympics.

Either way, the did not come.

22 other players decided it was important enough to represent their country.  And Minnesota Power Forward, Kevin Love,  is one of them.

“It’s an honor to get selected to be one of the 22 players to try out for Team USA. Obviously you get to where ‘USA’ across your chest, three letters that mean a lot to everybody here. It’s a tremendous honor, but I think all of us are coming out here to compete for the big picture, the World Championships in August, and then hopefully in 2012 playing in London.”

Love’s game is very much suited for international competition where big man are more focused on finesse and skill rather then size and strength.  Love fits the bill as player who is an excellent passer, an elite rebounder and has a an ever expanding perimeter game.

ESPN’s Ric Bucher recently tweeted that:

KLove could be a major factor for Team USA. Has all the internat’l big-man tools, including 3-pt range, aka Brad Miller on ‘98 squad.

This season will be Love’s most important.  Heading into his third season, many are looking for Love to be a starter.  But with the arrival of Michael Bealsey, it is unclear how head coach Kurt Rambis will use Love.

But for the time being, Love is focused on representing his country.  You gotta Love that – sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

Timberwolves GM David Kahn has been fined $50K for comments made about Michael Beasley’s use of marijuana.  Pretty sure that is the first I have typed that word of this blog.  Now I can cross that off the list.

Here is a portion of Kahn’s comments:

“He’s a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he’s not smoking anymore,” Kahn said in he interview, “and I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case.”

Kahn is one of those guys who has the ability to say things he probably should not say, gets reprimanded but then doesn’t care – I am cool with that.   The league also fined the organization another $50K.

Here is the full article from ESPN.com.

The Wolves signed free agent Luke Ridnour to a four-year, $16 Million dollar deal this week, and based on quotes from David Kahn, this will not be the last move concerning the point guards.

“It’s not my intent to have three healthy point guards on the roster, and I was very clear with Luke about that,” Kahn said. “I recognize that we have to alleviate the situation.”

Jonny Flynn has been sidelinded with a hip injusry and his status will dictate what Kahn can do.  But the point guard spot is very full right now and why would you want to over load the point guard position when you have the Spanish Messiah coming next season in Ricky Rubio.

I don’t think you can trade Flynn – he was the No. 6 pick a season ago and his first season had it’s ups and downs, but I would never think of trading Flynn.  Unless you get a great offer – so never say ever.

David Kahn quotes are from Ray Richardson’s article at TwinCities.com.

The Wolves lost their last two Summer League games to Portland 60-67 and then Atlanta, 83-89.  They ended which took their record to 1-4.

I take very little from the over all record and try to look at the production of individuals, because ultimately that is what scouts, coaches, and teammates are watching.  How well does this player compete, what skills, are they a good teammate, etc.  Yeah – you would like to win more, but these games matter only a little bit more then preseason NFL games.

So here is a very quick run-down of what was the Wolves Summer League.

• Wes Johnson played in only one game and then sat with a sore hamstring.  Lame-sauce.
• Wayne Ellington was the man.  After only scoring four points in the first game, he still managed to average 15.8 ppg and shot 40% from the floor.  He also grabbed 4.6 rebounds a game.   Someone is moving up the roster and getting more playing time next season.  Might have a hard time finding playing time with Martell Webster, Johnson, and Corey Brewer.  But he showed improvement.
• Fellow Tar Heel Deon Thompson made a strong case for a roster spot – or at least an invite to camp.
• Lazar Haywood will be a legit player and should see minutes off the bench.  He is a better shooter than previously advertised and is a committed defender.
• Patrick O’Bryant still confuses me.  He is 7′0″, has slimmed down compared to when he first entered the league, but nothing about him excites me.
• Jeremy Pargo will have a hard time finding a roster spot if he can not reduce his turnovers from 4.6 turnovers a game.  I enjoyed his game at Gonzaga, but he may need some time to refine his game.  Also needs to improve his shooting.
• Gophers Lawrence West Brook and Damian Johnson will probably find their way to a NBDL team.

With all the moves the Wolves have made this off season, it seems quiet around the offices – almost too quiet.  The Wolves did officially sign free agent PG Luke Ridnour.

The rumors on Ramon Sessions have been going on for a while, ever since Luke Ridnour’s name was linked to the Wolves.  And now it seems that newly acquired big-man Kosta Koufos is also in the mix.  Koufos joined the Wolves as part of the Al Jefferson deal.

The rumors seem to be pointing to Cleavland as the likely bidder.  The report was by Chris Tomasson from FanHouse.com.

… sources confirmed a Cleveland Plain Dealer report that Minnesota is shopping guard Ramon Sessions (due $3.96 million next season) and forward Kosta Koufos (due $1.3 million), and the Cavaliers have interest in both. Sources said a deal with Cleveland could result in guard Delonte West going to the Timberwolves and then being waived since West’s $4.6 million contract has only $500,000 of it guaranteed if he’s waived by August 5.

If the Wolves have been shopping Session around, it would make the Ridnour make sense.  Instead of having two younger guards on the roster in Session and Jonny Flynn, why not bring in a veteran how is comfortable with what he can do.  This would seem less threatening to Ricky Rubio.

If West is the player that comes over, it sounds like he will not last long and probably resign with the Cavs – or another team.  More cap space for next season I guess.

In my July 16th post highlighting the ESPN article on Rashad McCants, I wrote that McCants was playing on the Cleavland Cavaliers Summer League team and had to DNPs.  But according to this article from Brian Windhorst from The Plain Dealer, McCants did not show-up to play – literally.

Former lottery pick Rashad McCants was scheduled to join the Cavs for their first summer league practice on Sunday. He did not show up and the team didn’t hear a reason for days. It is now believed McCants didn’t report for personal reasons, but it caught the team by surprise.

“I have not seen him; he never showed up,” Pressey said. “I was kind of looking forward to seeing the guy, he’s a heck of a talent.”

And while McCants might have a ton of talent, he does not seem to have a ton of intelligence.

In the ESPN article by Chris Palmer, you are made to feel that there is no good reason why McCants is not in the league.  McCants is too talented, he has never been arrested, he is like by teammates and there are many players who have been arrested that are playing in the NBA.  But somehow, McCants can not find a job.

But there seems to be an explanation for him mot making it to Vegas.  In this article by Bob Finnan from The News-Herald, McCants decided not to come because his mother became ill.

“He had a family issue with his mother being ill,” said McCants’ agent, Lindsey Maxwell, of Washington, D.C. “His mother just took ill last Thursday. He felt it was best to take care of his family. He returned to Carolina.

“We’ve been in contact with the Cavs. They’ve been aware for a while.”

McCants is planning to be in Las Vegas on Sunday for the Tim Grgurich camp.

“(Not showing up) doesn’t help his cause any,” Maxwell said. “We think he’s still a productive player in the NBA.”

I hope that his mother is recovering and that she will be OK, but the timing is very unfortunate.

In the ESPN article it also states that McCants turned down a 10-day contract and a stint in the NBDL, and now this.

Why should a team give you a chance if you can’t show the courtesy to contact the team and let them no the situation, it would be the professional thing to do.

The NBA Summer League has gained a lot of attention in the last few seasons.  As the first chance to see most rookies play against other NBA talent, the Summer League has spun of into it own event.

The Wolves have a combination of players already on the team and those trying to make an NBA team.  The Wolves are 1-2 in their first three games, getting their first win last night against the Memphis Grizzles.

Wayne Ellington, Patrick O’Bryant and Jeremy Pargo have started all three games with Deon Thompson, Wes Johnson, Lazar Haywood, Mo Charles and some mystery person or thing called Tiara Cruse getting starts as well.  I have no idea where this Cruse guy game from, he is not on the official roster.

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Wolves in the first game 85-62, the Sacramento Kings edged-out the Wolves 79-78 and then the Wolves beat the Grizzles last night.

Ellington has stepped forward as the leader on this team averaging 17.7 ppg, shooting 40% from the floor but only 22% from the 3-point range.  In the game, Ellington scored 25 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and hit the game-winning shot to secure the win over the Grizzles.

Johnson has only played in one game due to a sore hamstring, but Johnson had moments highlighting the why the Wolves drafted him.  Againist the Spurs, he scored 10 pionts, shot 4-for-7 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the distance, before the leaving the game with the minor injury.

Some people don’t give summer league much credit and others put way to much emphasis on it.  I find myself in the middle.  It is good to see these guys play, but this is no way a direct representation of how successful they will be when facing the big boys.

That said, it is good to see these guys get out a play.

The July 26th edition of ESPN The Magazine will feature an article by writer Chris Palmer and it features former Timberwolf, Rashad McCants.  The article gives a very raw look at McCants and there are some interesting quotes by former teammates, coaches and executives.  But the article gives us a clearer view into the double-edged sword that is McCants.  He is talented, works hard, gets a long with most teammates, but he is stubborn, hard-headed and not liked by most executives.

Here is a section for the article which shows what is proabably the view that most people with McCants;

The common refrain about McCants’ predicament is that it has never been about his game. “He’s a pure talent with a high basketball IQ,” former Wolves GM McHale says of his former shooting guard. “Beautiful stroke, great body, everything. His problem was giving himself up to the team.” That view is seconded by many who shared his locker room, whether McCants’ under-his-breath mumbles were directed at them or not. “In any line of work you have to know how to talk to people and when to bite your tongue,” says Kevin Love, who played with McCants two years ago. “Rashad has a me-against-the-world attitude. You have to get past that if you want to help yourself.”

I have been watching McCants since college.  I saw a lot of his games, as many college basketball fans across the nation did, because he wore the powder of North Carolina.  During his three seasons playing for two different coaches, McCants averaged 17 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg and 1 steal a game.  He shot 49% from the floor, 42% from distance and 72% from the foul-line.  And was the second leading scorer on the 2005 national championship team.

The Wolves picked McCants with the 14th overall pick in the 2005 draft and played with the Wolves until the trading deadline in 2009.  Statiscally, his best season was ‘07-’08 when he averaged 27 minutes a game, shot 45% from the floor, 41% from distance, scored 14.9 ppg and grabbed 2.8 rpg.

Later in the article, McCants looks to be a steady sixth-man;

McCants dreams of carving out a niche as a sixth man. It’s a good living, he thinks, and he knows he’s up to the task. “There isn’t a 2-guard in the league who can guard me,” he says. “Not one.”

This is what I wanted from him when he was in Minnesota, but it never felt like he would buy into coming off the bench.    But when we was committed to playing, he could be amazing – but it never really felt like that.  McCants  would let his shooting, scoring and touches affect the rest of his game.  That will need to change if he wants to stay in the league.

Currently, McCants is on Cleveland’s summer league team and has not played in the first two games.

Long Side-Note:  There seems to have been some railroading of McCants when he was in Minnesota.

Early in the preseason, McCants was driving to the airport when he realized he’d forgotten his Xbox. Knowing his teammates wanted to play on the plane, he drove home to retrieve it. When he finally boarded, three minutes late, [Randy] Wittman was waiting. A week later the two had a meeting. The coach told McCants that his teammates were complaining about his selfishness. “My heart was beating so fast,” says McCants. “I didn’t know what the hell was happening.” Then came the kicker. “You’ve got 11 days to prove you belong on the roster,” McCants says the coach told him, from then on not speaking to his player. (Wittman denies that the meeting took place. “I have an open-door policy,” he says, “and he never walked in to say I was doing him wrong.”)

The situation quickly spiraled. Wittman stripped McCants of his captaincy at a team meeting, bestowing the duties on Jefferson, Mike Miller and Randy Foye. “A couple of those guys didn’t even want the responsibility,” says McCants, who thought Wittman was trying to break him. Stunned and embarrassed gave way to depressed and confused. “Nobody would talk to me,” McCants says. “I didn’t know what was going on.” (Wittman says he doesn’t remember the incident. “I don’t even recall his being captain,” he says. But several players, including Jefferson and Love, say they remember it distinctly.) His minutes withered. “He had a hard time accepting his role,” says Wittman, who’s now an assistant coach with the Wizards. “He’d put his head down and pout and not necessarily give 100 percent.”

The first paragraph is a second example of why McCants can not find a team.  Yes it is good to look out for your teammates, but management needs to know you are willing to meet their expectations and lead by example, especially as a captain – he did neither with the XBox situation.

The second paragraph is what really bothers me.  Managment stripes McCants of his caption status and Wittman does not remember the meeting.  And then adds major salt to the wound with “I don’t even recall his being captain”.  That is such crap – and a complete lie.

McCants was talented, but he struggled to find direction.  Give him ownership.  Yes, being captain was some of that, but instead of threatening him, telling him you need him to step-up to be an example.

It seems like that ball was dropped on all sides – including McCants.  But, I would take him back.

The Wolves did it.  Al Jefferson to the Utah Jazz.  It is really no surprise to anyone who have followed the Wolves and heard the rumblings of the estranged-marriage with Jefferson and Kevin Love.  Not that Love and Jefferson don’t get a long, they just can not play together.  So the Wolves finally moved their best player and the center piece of the Kevin Garnett trade to the Celtics.

Here is a section of the write-up from the AP;

The Timberwolves agreed to send Jefferson to the Jazz for two future first-round draft picks and center Kosta Koufos, the teams confirmed Tuesday. Utah used the traded player exception it got from Chicago in the Boozer deal to complete the transaction and give Minnesota even more salary cap flexibility going forward.

The Jazz will also send Minnesota the conditional first-round pick it got from Memphis in the Ronnie Brewer trade, plus another future first-rounder.

The deal makes sense for both teams in what they are trying to do.  Utah needed to find a replacement for Boozer, and Minnesota wanted get out of Jefferson’s contract.  Jefferson has four years and $42M left on his contract.

In the next few days we will look at this deal and other possible moves in more depth,  and based on this quote from president of basketball operations David Kahn, there is more to come.  “We’re only about halfway through this exercise,” Kahn said.