From the Associated Press:
Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Bobby Brown has exercised his player option for the 2009-10 season.
Brown will make just under $740,000 next season. He came over from Sacramento at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Rashad McCants to the Kings. He averaged 5.3 points and 1.7 assists in under 14 minutes a game last season.
Brown will return to a potentially crowded race for time at point guard next season.
Minnesota has four unrestricted free agents in this year’s class, led by small forward Rodney Carney, who established himself as an open-court force and three-point threat in a sixth-man role after Kevin McHale succeeded Randy Wittman as coach.
Carney couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday, but he said after McHale was dismissed that he planned to keep all his options open.
“It’s all up in the air,” he said. “I don’t know. Hopefully, (the Timberwolves) will want to keep me around, but if not I’ll get a shot elsewhere.”
Carney couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday, but he said after McHale was dismissed that he planned to keep all his options open.
“It’s all up in the air,” he said. “I don’t know. Hopefully, (the Timberwolves) will want to keep me around, but if not I’ll get a shot elsewhere.”
Point guard Kevin Ollie, forward Shelden Williams and center Jason Collins are the Wolves’ other unrestricted free agents; they are unlikely to be re-signed.
Kahn is on the road this week looking for a coach to replace Kevin McHale. Former NBA point guard Mark Jackson appears to be the favorite.
While he is gone, Kahn will monitor the NBA’s free-agency period that began at midnight and let loose a vast collection of players — including Ben Gordon, Paul Millsap, David Lee, Shawn Marion and probably Hedo Turkoglu — onto an open marketplace in which Oklahoma City, Detroit and Memphis are positioned to be the most lavish spenders.
The Wolves will be, at best, secondary players who will wait to see whether they can pluck a player — preferably a shooting guard — at a bargain price to balance a roster tilted toward power forward/center and point guard. The Wolves gained a fourth point guard Tuesday when Bobby Brown exercised his player option for next season.
Kahn also will continue to, as quietly as possible, negotiate what looks like an approaching showdown with the agent for Ricky Rubio. The precocious Spanish guard is contemplating multi-year offers from European teams that could delay his arrival in Minnesota for as many as four years — even cancel it — if the Wolves don’t trade him or Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn first.
While he is gone, Kahn will monitor the NBA’s free-agency period that began at midnight and let loose a vast collection of players — including Ben Gordon, Paul Millsap, David Lee, Shawn Marion and probably Hedo Turkoglu — onto an open marketplace in which Oklahoma City, Detroit and Memphis are positioned to be the most lavish spenders.
The Wolves will be, at best, secondary players who will wait to see whether they can pluck a player — preferably a shooting guard — at a bargain price to balance a roster tilted toward power forward/center and point guard. The Wolves gained a fourth point guard Tuesday when Bobby Brown exercised his player option for next season.
Kahn also will continue to, as quietly as possible, negotiate what looks like an approaching showdown with the agent for Ricky Rubio. The precocious Spanish guard is contemplating multi-year offers from European teams that could delay his arrival in Minnesota for as many as four years — even cancel it — if the Wolves don’t trade him or Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn first.
From Mike Max/WCCO:
The word is that Minnesota Timberwolves first draft pick Ricky Rubio was in town. The word is they could push a contract because the collective bargaining agreement could become less rookie-friendly.
With the team going younger, Mark Jackson’s name becomes more mentioned as a leading candidate for the coaching job.