NBA Rumors Round-Up

NBA Rumors: Wolves Not Trading Brewer?

Does Flip Saunders actually think Corey Brewer is too valuable to trade or is he just saying that?

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Wolves Not Trading Brewer?

It remains to be seen whether the Timberwolves will trade Corey Brewer. It certainly has been considered since conversations have been taking place, most notably with the Rockets and Cavaliers, but this quote from Flip Saunders seems to suggest that the team will keep their perimeter defender.

However, it’s worth noting that executives often put these kind of quotes out there for a number of reasons other than shooting down rumors. First of all, talking about a guy’s value and saying you may not trade him can only help the team in trade talks. More importantly, it is done to maintain the relationship with the player in case he isn’t traded. If Saunders said that Brewer was being traded soon and then their potential deals fell through, things become quite awkward and sometimes unsalvageable (just ask Lamar Odom and the Lakers).

When executives get asked these questions, they aren’t always honest (gasp!). It’s still very possible that Brewer will get traded, even if Saunders says these things until the moment a deal becomes official.

It’ll be interesting to see if Brewer lands in Houston or Cleveland, as he could be a significant contributor who could make a difference for either team.

Hawks Send Payne to D-League

Adreian Payne will get a chance to play.

The Hawks will send the first-round draft pick to the NBA Development League this weekend for pair of games with Fort Wayne. Payne has been inactive in nine of the Hawks’ 10 games and has yet to play.

via Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Payne has yet to play in a regular season NBA game for the Hawks. He missed the first five games of the season with plantar fasciitis in this left foot and, as the report notes, hasn’t gotten action even when he’s been healthy and available.

This will allow Payne to get some playing time, which should help him as he continues to make the adjustment from college to the NBA. Payne, who was the 15th overall pick in the draft, said all of the right things when asked about the assignment.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Payne told Vivlamore. “It’s a great opportunity for me to go out and get some game reps and get ready to get back with my team. We’ve got a lot of players. We are deep. It’s just a process that you’ve got to go through. I’m willing to do it because I want to get better. I don’t see anything bad coming out of it.”

“The depth of our bigs is something really good for us and makes it hard on Adreian and the fans who want to see Adreian,” head coach Mike Budenholzer added. “There are lots of different ways to grow and develop. He is doing well in practice. He’s working his (butt) off.”

Rivers Believes Allen Will Play This Year

Most people around the NBA believe that Ray Allen will play at some point this season to make one last run at a championship. Just about every contending team has reached out to express interest, so he’ll have his pick of contenders if he does decide to suit up.

Doc Rivers brings up the same point that Danny Ainge made awhile back about why waiting awhile before signing is best for Allen, because it allows him to find the best situation and ensure he lands on a legitimate contending team.

The last thing Allen wants to do is join a team now and then have that squad’s title hopes diminish due to injuries or something like that. That would be wasting what could be his final NBA season. Waiting is his best option at this point, and it also saves his body for the postseason.

Allen can obviously still contribute; he averaged 9.6 points per game last year on the Miami HEAT and hit perhaps the biggest shot of his career the year before, which helped Miami go on to win the championship over the San Antonio Spurs. Allen is also highly coveted for his leadership, as he’s a strong veteran presence and knows what it takes to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Expect these rumors and questions to continue surfacing until he makes his decision.

 

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