Cold winters are to be expected in Minnesota, but those paid to run around Minneapolis and the rest of the NBA in shorts and tank tops are feeling an unexpected chill these days.
The Timberwolves rode their No. 3 seed all the way to the Western Conference finals last season, eliminating defending league champion Denver along the way and establishing their future court cred. But after an offseason trade that looked to net them a plus-one in rotational talent, they’ve hit an icy patch.
At 22-21 heading into Wednesday’s game against Dallas –another so-far disappointment, having defeated Minnesota in the aforementioned West finale — the Wolves are sitting ninth on the left side of the league.
That slice of meh aside, no one would dare count them out of real race that begins a few dozen games down the road. Still, it’s got to be rough on Twin Cities fans to watch Karl-Anthony Towns flourish in New York while acquisitions Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo work toward a more successful fit. (This on top of the Vikings’ collapse has compounded their pain. Dry January had no chance.)
Timberwolves Could Still ‘Work Out’
The league is still quite wary of the Wolves.
“They traded one temperamental MF for two temperamental MFs — and it might work out,” said one NBA executive. “It’s not so far, but we’ll see. They’re working through it. It just takes a little time.
“These aren’t bad guys in the traditional MF sense,” he added with a laugh. “But highly motivated people can all have different wiring. Competitors come in different types. You have to figure out how to plug into the best of what they do and then make it fit with what you have.”
According to this exec, Minnesota was in a bind of sorts.
“They had to make a trade. They liked what they were getting, buy they had to make the deal,” he said. “NBA economics forced it. Rudy Gobert didnât have the same value on the market as Towns, not even close.
“NBA economics and the apron system pretty much demand that you reduce yourself to two max players. You cannot, as a small to mid-size market, afford three max contracts. That day is gone. No more big threes unless it’s in a major market with an owner willing to spend.”
A league scout who’s had to keep a close eye on the Timberwolves the last couple of years agreed with that exec’s assessment of roster building.
“He’s right if he’s saying it’s bigger than just the stats when you’re adding guys to a team,” he said. “People look at players’ stats and try to put teams together that way, but a lot of it goes deeper than that. There’s the circumstances of how a team adjusts within itself.
“Most people don’t understand the dynamics of the chemistry in the locker room, how guys resolve issues, how they make their points to each other, and all the rest. Those are things that are still being worked out there. Guys have to learn how to approach each other. That’s not as easy as it might seem from the outside. You have to learn what’s going to get you to the result you want.”
Karl-Anthony Towns Thriving … in New York
This source nodded vigorously when going over Towns’ improved numbers in New York — career-best shooting percentage overall (.545) and on 3’s (.433), career-high rebounds (13.9) and a rise to 25.1 points a game from last year’s 21.8.
“The difference with KAT is that he was temperamental, but he wasn’t grouchy,” he said. “He’d have a good laugh and make small of everything. That was his defense mechanism to offset the expectations that came with him being the No. 1 overall pick (2015 draft) — expectations that he couldn’t fulfill. So he always minimized everything.
“In New York, he’s not that No. 1 overall pick. He’s the guy they brought in to help get Jalen Brunson’s team over the top. Even though Anthony Edwards took over in Minnesota, I don’t think KAT could ever shake that No. 1 pick expectation.”
Another source believes Edwards has work to do to find a comfort level with Randle.
“Anthony likes to control the ball and the game,” he said. “Randle’s a ball stopper, too, and that’s not easy. That’s going to take time. Towns didnât pound the ball.
“But ANT’s invested. You can see it with the way he’s spoken out. He’s not perfect. He’s a young player still learning how to be the best version of himself, and that’s a journey. But he didnât excuse himself; he included himself, and that’s really important when youâre trying to command a room.”
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