Timberwolves Rumors: Interest in Rose return, plus coach firings

It’s been a week chock-full of Timberwolves rumors and coach firings. Not exactly the kind of news that Wolves fans want their squad to be making…

For the first time in a long time, the Timberwolves are not involved in the NBA Draft Lottery, which takes place on Tuesday evening. They’ll pick 20th in the first round, using the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round pick acquired from Utah in the Ricky Rubio trade last June.

But while the NBA draft is still some six weeks away and the Timberwolves have long been eliminated from the playoffs, Tom Thibodeau has managed to keep his organization in the news. And there isn’t anything positive about it.

First, there were the firings, including renowned shooting coach Peter Patton and Karl-Anthony Towns‘ confidant Vince LeGarza.

Then, there was assistant coach Rick Brunson‘s resignation, due to a series of harassment accusations regarding behavior that reportedly occurred during his time in Minnesota over the last couple of years. Our own Trey Flynn discussed this specific matter, along with Thibodeau’s apparent indifference towards hiring/acquiring coaches and players with checkered pasts.

There have been plenty of rumors floating about Twitter regarding the various stages of discontent that allegedly exist at 600 First Avenue and throughout Mayo Clinic Square. Our friend Darren Wolfson of KSTP and ESPN 1500 in the Twin Cities is confirming some of the rumors but staying judicious on others. Long story short, there clearly is some level of discomfort and angst floating about the organization, and it sure doesn’t sound healthy.

And on the roster front, the Derrick Rose rumors have already started back up. This report is aggregated from Jon Krawczynski’s reporting at The Athletic, and while it mentions the possibility of trading Tyus Jones, the true potential surrounding such a move is unclear.

Jones had an extremely solid year as Jeff Teague‘s backup, and largely held onto the second point guard role even after Rose’s acquisition, although Rose received plenty of playoff minutes at the two-guard spot and out-paced Jones’ modest playing time.

The Timberwolves don’t have a lot in the way of tradeable assets, as players either have contracts that are too substantial to move with ease (Gorgui Dieng, Andrew Wiggins) or simply won’t be moved due to their importance to the team’s core (Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler). Others, such as Teague and Taj Gibson, were acquired just last summer to fill specific roles and did so well enough that it would be a genuine shock to see either player moved.

That said, Jamal Crawford will likely not be back and there are backup wing minutes to be filled. If Thibodeau sees Rose as his backup point guard, he could try and move Jones and/or Dieng and/or a draft pick to find a 3-point-shooting wing player to play behind Butler and Wiggins. Of course, that would be a lot to give up for a player that would surely see limited minutes in Thibodeau’s rotation, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Next: Timberwolves Player Review: Jimmy Butler

We’re officially in the part of the offseason in which no news equals good news. Unfortunately, early May has been fairly … newsy in Wolves land.