David Kahn says today he has “nothing to report” but he has turned his focus from hiring his coach to getting Ricky Rubio in a Wolves uniform by October.

The matter has been complicated — beyond even the $8 million buyout figure — by the fact that Rubio has agents in both the U.S. and Europe and his father is involved in negotiations.

Still, that he hasn’t signed with another European team thus far indicates it’s still most likely he ends up in the NBA, and the Wolves, this season.

The buyout is everything in this deal, and DKV Joventut’s demands likely look too rich for European teams.

— A little birdie says Timberwolves president David Kahn made a second trip to Barcelona the other day to check on the status of top draft pick Ricky Rubio, who is practicing with the Spanish national basketball team.
From Nike.com: Meet Ricky Rubio/Meet The Rubios
Great Britain lost 84-63 to world champions Spain in their opening game of a four-nation basketball tournament in Seville.

Spain may have been missing their star player, Pau Gasol of the LA Lakers, with a broken finger, but they still had Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers and Ricky Rubio (pictured), who was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in June.

Fernandez hit 11 points and Rubio 13 while Juan Carlos Navarro and Marc Gasol both sunk 17 as the hosts eased to an impressive victory.

From Andy Weise/The SportsBank.net: Wolves hope Rubio situation solved soon
ESPN Video- NBA Rookies Trading Card Shoot featuring footage of Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington.
From David Brauer/MinnPost: Pioneer Press rearranges sports beats
The Timberwolves won’t have a beat writer per se. Shipley, Ray Richardson and Brian Murphy will tag-team the NBA club. Richardson, who formerly covered high schools, had been a Wolves beat writer earlier in his career. He’ll still do some high school coverage.

Murphy had been a general assignment reporter; in addition to helping out on the Wolves, he’ll do Gophers hockey. (Should be a busy winter for him.)

Don Seeholzer will move from the Wolves beat to the copy desk “while helping with some other initiatives,” Bass says.