Kyle Anderson

Wolves Notes: Connelly, Anderson, Edwards, McDaniels

May 31st, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly reportedly has an opt-out in his contract. Amid an ownership dispute, there has been speculation that the veteran executive may exercise that opt-out clause.

However, he told reporters on Friday that he’s “super excited’ about the team’s future and doesn’t plan to leave Minnesota, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune (subscription required).

“I mean, moving [from Denver] wasn’t fun,” Connelly said. “I’ve had a blast here. Feels like we have roots here. It’s pretty special. That’s the goal. It has been a great couple years, and hopefully, we can make it a much longer couple years.”

Connelly said he’d be comfortable no matter which group ultimately gains majority control of the franchise, Zgoda adds. Longtime owner Glen Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, is on one side of the dispute, with minority stakeholders Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez on the other. The matter is heading to a three-person arbitration panel.

“Ownership is obviously in a unique place right now,” Connelly said. “Whatever happens is kind of a level up. I trust whatever happens will be the right path. We’ve all shared great moments throughout this whole season. There are conversations that we’ve had, and they’ll be ongoing. Now that we’re officially in the offseason, we’ll get a better sense of what we might do.”

The Timberwolves were eliminated from the Western Conference finals after being blown out by Dallas in Game 5 in Minnesota. It was just the second time the Wolves have advanced that far in the postseason, and Connelly believes they’re capable of advancing further in the future, according to Zgoda.

“When you’re a home-court team and a final four team, all those teams can win a championship,” Connelly said. “So I don’t know if there is any linear path to that next step. I don’t think there is one singular answer. A lot of it is match-ups and health.”

Connelly praised Karl-Anthony Towns, who had an otherwise solid playoff showing but largely struggled against the Mavs. Minnesota’s top basketball executive also discussed the team’s future payroll, suggesting the Wolves would be willing to be a taxpayer, but not on a repeated basis due to the restrictions of the new CBA.

“It’s a big task for ownership,” Connelly said. “It’s a lot, a lot of money. Relative to the impact on our flexibility, I think the jury is still out. It’s not a place you want to be long-term. It gets more and more harsh each year. Dipping your toe in it, it could have relatively limited impact on what we can and cannot do. But we’re learning it like the other 29 teams.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Veteran forward Kyle Anderson, who has been rotation regular for Minnesota the past two seasons, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Retaining him will be a real challenge, considering how much money the Wolves have tied up in their other players. While Anderson said he enjoyed his time with the team and wants to return, he acknowledged he might be headed elsewhere this offseason, tweets Dane Moore. “I don’t know where I’ll be… but obviously (I) want to be back here,” Anderson said.
Star guard Anthony Edwards, who will be playing for Team USA at the Olympics in Paris this summer, said he plans to do some extra training this offseason to prepare for 2024/25, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes (subscriber link). “I’ve never played this deep into a basketball season,” Edwards said. “So now I know, like, OK, in order for me to be dominant in the third round, and if we get past this and finally go to the finals, I’ve got to train like I’m going to go to the playoffs. So I can’t be missing training days, I can’t take days off, you know what I mean? I’ve got to be ready. So I know what it takes, and I’ll be ready.”
Consistently unlocking Jaden McDaniels offensively is an offseason goal for Minnesota, says Patrick Reusse of The Star Tribune (subscriber link). McDaniels’ lucrative rookie scale extension begins next season. He earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team this season, but often wasn’t involved enough on offense, Reusse observes.
Mark Deeks of HoopsHype provides his offseason preview for the Wolves. In addition to Anderson, veteran point guards Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin will also be unrestricted free agents, and so will forward T.J. Warren. Big man Luka Garza will be the club’s lone standard RFA.

Wolves Notes: Towns, Edwards, Finch, Anderson

May 29th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

No Timberwolves player had more points (29), rebounds (10), or assists (9) in Game 4 on Tuesday than Anthony Edwards, but the fourth-year shooting guard told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN, that teammate Karl-Anthony Towns deserved credit for the victory that saved the club’s season. Towns, who struggled immensely during the first three games of the series, scored 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting (4-of-5 threes) and was a game-high +15.

“Everything came together for him; he was super confident,” Edwards said. “He played exceptionally well, and he came through big-time. He was the reason we won tonight.”

Head coach Chris Finch, who said after Game 3 that Towns’ shooting woes were “hard to watch at times,” praised the star big man for bouncing back, referring to the performance as a “great step” for him.

“KAT’s a great player,” Finch said, per McMenamin. “His struggles were not going to last forever. He got himself going. Even when he got deep in foul trouble, we left him out there. … Just let him roll, and he played smart, played under control, rebounded really well for us, executed defensively. Really proud of him.”

Here’s more on the Wolves, who still trail Dallas by a 3-1 margin in the Western Conference finals:

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, who is still recovering from knee surgery, is off his crutches and came onto the court in the third quarter on Thursday to object to the fifth foul call on Towns, earning a technical foul of his own in the process. As Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, Finch was looking to “inject emotion” into the game by earning that tech and then taking over the team’s huddles for the first time since he injured his knee a month ago. “He fired us all up,” Naz Reid told Amick. “He’s doing that, and he’s bringing that energy, so it’s like, ‘We ain’t got no choice.’ It’s definitely special and huge to see him that engaged, and that in the moment. So everybody’s excited for that. I mean, you see he’s limping and it doesn’t matter. He’s still gonna keep going.”
Kyle Anderson logged a series-high 25 minutes in the Game 4 win, and while he had more fouls (3) than points (2), he made the most of his increased role by adding four assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Anderson was also an important factor in a crucial late-game possession, directing Towns to the corner and then making sure Edwards knew he was open for a three-pointer (Twitter video link). “I was dribbling the ball. I damn sure was about to shoot it,” Edwards said of the play, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “And I seen him pointing at big fella, and I’m like ‘OK, cool.’ Big fella, he done cashed out.”
After struggling in clutch situations throughout the series, the Timberwolves came up big down the stretch on Tuesday, holding onto a slim lead in the game’s final minutes as Edwards consistently made the right decisions on offense, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic.
While the Wolves remain a long shot to come back and win the series, it bodes well for the franchise going forward that Edwards and Towns performed so well in an elimination game in late May, notes Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune.

Wolves Notes: Game 4, Anderson, Clutch Situations, Towns

May 28th, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday, Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune acknowledges that the odds of the Timberwolves mounting a comeback and winning the series over Dallas are extremely long, but stresses that they’re not zero — even if no team is NBA history has ever advanced after facing a 3-0 deficit.

The first two games of the series were decided by a single possession and the Wolves had the lead in Game 3 with five minutes to play, so it’s not as if they haven’t been competitive. Souhan suggests that playing Kyle Anderson more following the forward’s solid performance on Sunday makes sense for Minnesota.

Souhan also points out that the team could regain an advantage in the frontcourt with Dereck Lively not expected to be available for Game 4 due to a neck injury. The Mavericks had a +14.7 net rating in Lively’s 63 minutes on the court during the first three games of the series, compared to a -6.9 mark in the 81 minutes he didn’t play.

For their part, the Wolves’ players are trying to avoid thinking about winning four games and instead focus on winning one, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“It stays in the belief department right now,” Mike Conley said. “Just, mentally believing that it’s one game. Just one game. Get one, bring it back to Minnesota and give ourselves a chance in this series. We’re more than capable of doing that.”

Here’s more on the Wolves ahead of a must-win Game 4:

The Mavericks’ superiority over the Wolves in clutch situations was foreshadowed in a January game in which Dallas closed out the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run after trailing by six points with four minutes to play, Hine writes for The Star Tribune. According to Hine, Minnesota had the league’s worst net rating in clutch situations from that night through the end of the regular season.
There will be a “reckoning” this summer in Minnesota if Karl-Anthony Towns – who is shooting 27.8% in the series vs. the Mavericks – doesn’t turn things around before the Timberwolves are eliminated, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com. As great as the season has been, the Wolves’ financial situation going forward may be untenable due to the big raises coming for Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels, which will push team salary above the second tax apron. Of the club’s high-priced players, KAT is the one whose future in Minnesota appears least certain.
John Hollinger of The Athletic shares some thoughts on the Timberwolves/Mavericks series, observing that Anderson has been Minnesota’s most effective defender against Luka Doncic. It could benefit the Wolves to lean more into that matchup, Hollinger writes, but it’s tricky to play Anderson alongside Rudy Gobert due to the lack of shooting and spacing. Hollinger also takes a closer look at Towns’ struggles, noting that three-point inaccuracy has been an issue but that the big man is also having trouble scoring inside against a stifling Dallas defense.

Wolves Notes: Conley, Confidence, Maturity, Jokic, Gobert, NAW

May 16th, 2024 at 2:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley was ruled out for Tuesday’s Game 5 with a right soleus strain and is officially questionable for tonight’s Game 6. However, the 36-year-old plans to suit up, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter).

After Game 5, head coach Chris Finch said the team was optimistic Conley could return for Game 6, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “We’re hopeful Mike can go in Game 6,” Finch said. “That was one of the reasons to be cautious with him right here, feeling that he could go [on Thursday].”

Conley’s leadership and steady hand in the backcourt have buoyed Minnesota throughout the team’s 56-win season, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. The 36-year-old also understands his window of opportunity is shrinking, and the same may be true of the Wolves in the series.

“I’m one of those people, I don’t want to learn through losing,” Conley said. “I don’t want to learn by letting a team win a couple games in a series to make us change some things. Why don’t we, in games, figure this out? We’re good enough to do this. I don’t have time for it, y’all don’t have time for it.”

Conley, who signed a two-year extension during the season, played 76 regular season games in ’23/24 and is the team’s top on-ball decision-maker.

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Despite dropping three straight games for the first time all season, the Timberwolves remain confident as they look to stave off elimination against Denver in Thursday’s Game 6, according to McMenamin of ESPN. “Adversity has been something we’ve answered all year,” All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It’s something that if I was to go through this with anyone, I would go through it with these guys in this locker room. I have full confidence in these guys, I have full confidence in our locker room, I have confidence in our coaching staff. Everyone has been tremendous all year. It’s now time to put all that experience and that unity we’ve built throughout the whole year, even last year, and put it on the table and play our best basketball so we can give ourselves a chance to bring back Game 7 here.”
Star guard Anthony Edwards struggled with Denver’s extra defensive pressure in Game 5, but he said he’s looking forward to making up for it tonight in Minnesota, McMenamin adds. “Super excited,” Edwards said. “You get to compete. Get to go home and play with our backs against the wall. It should be fun.” If he’s healthy, Conley’s return should alleviate some double-team pressure from Edwards.
Despite their public proclamations of confidence, the Wolves haven’t dealt with adversity well the past few games, particularly from an emotional maturity standpoint, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscriber link). Several players have been guilty of immature moments, which has been an issue for this group the past couple seasons, Hine adds. “I mean, we got to keep our head. I think that’s the story for us,” Rudy Gobert said. “… We have to be mentally tough, individually and collectively, to be able to keep playing our game and not let anything that happened in the game affect the way we play.”
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details how three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is also the reigning Finals MVP for the defending-champion Nuggets, was able to eviscerate four-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert and Minnesota’s top-ranked defense in Game 5. The Serbian superstar was particularly lethal in the third period, recording 16 points on just seven shot attempts and recording four assists, frequently while intentionally hunting Gobert. John Hollinger of The Athletic contends that Jokic’s remarkable performance — 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting, 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block with zero turnovers — isn’t being discussed enough.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has become an unlikely X-factor for the Wolves, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. The former first-round pick was traded three times in quick succession but has turned into a defensive stopper and a leader for Minnesota, Lopez notes.
Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune argues that if the Wolves are eliminated by the Nuggets, they shouldn’t blow up the big man pairing of Towns and Gobert. Souhan also says the team should replace Kyle Anderson with another three-point shooter to improve the offense, which has been the primary issue over the past three games.

Injury Updates: Vanderbilt, Kawhi, Giannis, Suggs, Anderson, Allen

April 23rd, 2024 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who hasn’t played since February 1 due to a right midfoot sprain, is targeting a Game 3 return, a source familiar with the situation tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

According to McMenamin’s source, Vanderbilt has been ramping up his workouts in the past couple weeks and had one of his most intense on-court sessions yet on Monday. His availability on Thursday will be determined based on how his body responds to that increased intensity.

As previously reported, Lakers big man Christian Wood (left knee surgery) is also aiming to make it back for Game 3 vs. Denver. It remains to be seen how much the team would use Vanderbilt and Wood – and how effective they’d be – following long layoffs. Still, given that they’re in a 2-0 hole against the Nuggets, head coach Darvin Ham and the Lakers will likely welcome all the help they can get as they look for a way to beat the defending champions.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (knee inflammation) is considered questionable to play in Game 2 vs. Dallas on Tuesday, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard took part in Monday’s practice, though head coach Tyronne Lue described it as a walk-through session with no contact.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf strain) went through a “pretty good, brisk workout” on Sunday, then had a “maintenance day” on Monday, per head coach Doc Rivers (story via Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). While Antetokounmpo appears to be making some progress in his recovery, he’s listed as doubtful to play in Game 2 vs. Indiana on Tuesday.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs was carried off the court in the first quarter of Monday’s Game 2 with what appeared to be a significant left knee injury, but he was able to return and play for most of the second half, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Suggs, whose injury was initially diagnosed as a left knee strain, expects to remain available going forward. “I’m good,” he said. “I was able to finish. It will be cool to get back home and get treatment for a couple of days. We play Thursday at 7 p.m. and I’ll be ready.”
Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson was able to practice on Monday, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, but he’s listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game due to a right hip pointer. Suns wing Grayson Allen is also considered questionable to suit up for that contest after spraining his right ankle in Game 1, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports.

Wolves Notes: Edwards, Alexander-Walker, Anderson, Conley

April 20th, 2024 at 9:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points in leading the Timberwolves to a convincing Game 1 victory over Phoenix, and he got to tell his basketball hero all about it, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. After sinking a three-pointer late in the third quarter, Edwards pounded his chest as he had an animated, one-sided conversation with Kevin Durant (video link). It was a dream come true for Edwards, who grew up cheering for Durant.

“I think everybody here knows that’s my favorite player of all time, so that was probably one of the best feelings ever in my whole life,” Edwards told reporters.

The Wolves hope today’s rout sends a message about their approach to the playoffs being eliminated in five games last season. They also got some revenge for last Sunday, when they were embarrassed by the Suns and missed a chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the West.

“These guys came here and whooped us in our home court in the last game of the season and were giggling and laughing,” Edwards recalled. “(Bradley) Beal, he told our coach that he doesn’t think we play hard enough — and he was right. (Chris) Finch didn’t like that. He came in the next day and was like, ‘Man, you’ve got guys on the other team telling me that y’all don’t play hard enough for me.’ And he was totally right.”

There’s more from Minnesota:

The Timberwolves’ edge off the bench was evident in Game 1, particularly from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, observes Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. The reserve shooting guard had a career-best playoff performance with 18 points and registered the highest plus-minus rating of anyone with a +28. His four steals also set a franchise playoff record for a bench player. He and Naz Reid shifted the momentum and helped to erase the lead the Suns held after the first quarter. “Those guys have been so big for us all year,” Finch said. “They have so much confidence no matter what role they’re playing or where we need them. We need those guys to produce, and tonight they did a great job.”
Kyle Anderson was declared out for the game after suffering a hip pointer in the second quarter. There’s no word on his status for Tuesday’s Game 2.
At age 36, Mike Conley is hoping for at least one more long playoff run before the end of his career, per Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Although Conley has played for several good teams, he hasn’t reached the conference finals since 2013. “I told the guys that, selfishly, do it for me, man,” Conley said. “Help me out. Meet me at my level right now because I don’t got long. Y’all got forever, it feels like.”

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Anderson, Jokic, KCP, Blazers

April 3rd, 2024 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s league office hasn’t taken any public stance on the Timberwolves‘ ownership battle, but has kept up to date on the details of the situation and wasn’t caught off guard when longtime team owner Glen Taylor announced last week that he intended to retain his majority stake in the franchise, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Within a look at what might be next for the Timberwolves as Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez look to wrest majority control from Taylor, Windhorst shares a few new details on the standoff. Sources tell ESPN that the sales agreement between the two sides is about 50 pages long and features “numerous protections” for Taylor, so his side believes it’s on “firm legal ground” despite claims for the Lore-Rodriguez group that they met all the requirements.

Windhorst also hears from sources that Taylor – who has paid less than $2MM in luxury tax penalties since 2005 – remained very involved in operating the team as the Wolves made several significant financial commitments in recent years that project to take them well beyond the luxury tax line in 2024/25 and beyond. Last fall, for example, he was “haggling over details” in Jaden McDaniels‘ $131MM extension, Windhorst says.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Kyle Anderson has looked like “the Kyle of old” in recent weeks, according to head coach Chris Finch, which has helped key an offensive resurgence for the Timberwolves, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. As Krawczynski details, Anderson has played more power forward during Karl-Anthony Towns‘ absence and often orchestrates the offense when he’s in the game. The veteran wing figures to play a key role in the postseason for Minnesota before becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Despite dealing with some pain in his right wrist and left hip as of late, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic isn’t looking to take any time off as the team attempts to secure the No. 1 seed in the West, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “My goal is to play every game, and that’s my mindset,” Jokic said on Tuesday after matching his season high with 42 points to hold off the Spurs. Denver currently holds the West’s top spot by a half-game over Minnesota and Oklahoma City.
Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette takes a look at Nuggets wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s quest to earn an All-Defensive nod for the first time in his 11th NBA season.
A 10-game losing streak has put the Trail Blazers (19-56) in position to possibly slip below San Antonio (18-58) and Charlotte (18-57) in the standings and finish as a bottom-three team, which would result in the best possible draft lottery odds, notes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Northwest Notes: Gobert, Wolves, Ayton, Henderson, Sharpe, SGA

March 9th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert picked up an ill-timed technical for making the “money” sign to officials after fouling out Friday night, but he didn’t back away from his accusation that their calls can be influenced by gambling, according to Joe Vardon and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The technical, which allowed the Cavaliers to tie a game that they went on to win in overtime, came after Gobert was whistled for his sixth foul with 27.8 seconds remaining. He admitted that his reaction was a mistake, but he believes the reasons behind it are justified.

“Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, too,” Gobert said. “But sometimes I think it’s more than mistakes. I think everyone that’s in this league knows. I think it’s got to get better.” After saying he expects to be fined for his comments, Gobert added, “I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way.”

Gobert has a history of being outspoken about officiating throughout his career, the authors note. Speaking to reporters because head coach Chris Finch was ill, assistant Micah Nori called it “unacceptable” to get T’d up in that situation, no matter how strongly Gobert feels about the subject.

“We just have to be smarter,” Nori said. “I think he made a visual or something, it’s kind of automatic. And we all know Rudy. There’s no more professional guy than him. In that moment, for him to do that, obviously he feels awful about it. We just gotta be a little bit better.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Chris Hine of The Star Tribune examines how the Timberwolves can survive without Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s lost for at least four weeks with a torn meniscus. Hine points to Kyle Anderson, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley as players who have to contribute more until Towns returns.
The Trail Blazers welcomed back starting center Deandre Ayton and rookie point guard Scoot Henderson tonight. Ayton had been sidelined since spraining his right hand in a February 27 game, and Henderson hadn’t played since before the All-Star break because of an adductor strain. Coach Chauncey Billups said Henderson will start out under a minutes restriction, but will eventually be reinstated into the starting lineup, tweets Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Billups also expressed hope that Shaedon Sharpe can return from core muscle surgery before the end of the season (Twitter link). “This has been tough on him,” Billups said. “He wants to play 82 games. He’s one of those guys. … If he’s healthy, we’d love to have him back. I don’t care how much of the season is left. He’s a guy who needs those reps.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes the Thunder have the talent to compete for an NBA title this season, telling ESPN (video link), “I think we’re capable of anything.”

Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, Sale Process, Anderson

March 5th, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves got off to an inauspicious start on Monday night vs. Portland, as star guard Anthony Edwards didn’t report to the court on time for the opening tip. According to reports from Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune and ESPN, Edwards – who does resistance band work outside the team locker room before each game – said he lost track of the time.

The Timberwolves were hit with a delay of game violation as Nickeil Alexander-Walker ended up starting in Edwards’ place and playing the first 35 seconds before the All-Star checked in.

“Sixth Man of the Year,” Edwards joked after the game, per Zgoda.

As Zgoda details, the Wolves weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders for much of the night against a Trail Blazers team missing several key players due to injuries, but they did just enough to come away with a five-point win, avoiding a third consecutive loss. Rudy Gobert led the way with 25 points and 16 rebounds on a near-perfect shooting night. He went 9-of-10 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the foul line.

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Following up on a pair of tweets over the weekend discussing the situation, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic takes a more in-depth look at the Timberwolves’ unconventional sale process, which remains on track to be finalized in the coming weeks. As Krawczynski explains, the incoming group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez already controls 40% of the franchise and exercised its option in late December to purchase another 40%. That option pick-up opened a 90-day window to complete the transaction, so it should be completed by the end of March. Longtime team owner Glen Taylor will retain 20% of the franchise even after Lore and Rodiguez assume majority control.
There have been some questions throughout the process about whether Lore and Rodriguez have the money to complete their purchase of the Wolves, but sources tell Krawczynski that “everything is in order.” The new ownership group, which recruited some minority investors along the way to help with financing, will have to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors as majority stakeholders.
Second play-maker Kyle Anderson got off to a slow start in his second season in Minnesota, but has looked more comfortable as of late, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Anderson has three assists or more in 14 straight games, the longest streak of his career, and has shot 50.0% from the field during that time, bumping his season-long mark to 46.9%. “He understands that he needs to be a play-maker for us at all costs. He’s a guy we can trust with the ball, a guy who makes the right decisions whether it’s scoring the ball, posting up or finding guys in the right spots,” teammate Mike Conley said of Anderson. “Defensively he’s a guy who can switch onto different guys, guard other guys and give Jaden (McDaniels) a break, give Ant a break. He has been those things so far. He’s just confident in that role.”
In a separate story for The Star Tribune, Hine says there’s not a specific playoff matchup that Minnesota fears, since the Wolves believe they’re capable of beating any team in the West if both clubs are playing their best basketball.

Wolves Notes: Edwards, Anderson, Finances, Sale Date

February 29th, 2024 at 10:11am CST by Arthur Hill

After Anthony Edwards helped the Timberwolves beat Memphis by shutting down Jaren Jackson Jr. on Wednesday night, he told reporters he deserves a spot on the All-Defensive Team, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Jackson had 29 points midway through the third quarter when Edwards volunteered to guard him, even though he’s about six inches shorter than his World Cup teammate from last summer. Jackson was limited to four points the rest of the way as Minnesota rallied for the victory.

“They just got to watch the games because this is not my first time doing this,” Edwards said, referring to media members who will vote for All-Defensive honors. “I have nights like this all the time where somebody gets hot, their best player gets hot and I go shut ’em down the rest of the game.”

Edwards also sparked the offense with 17 points in the third quarter, Hine adds, bringing some energy on a night when the Wolves were mostly lifeless in a matchup with a sub-.500 team. Edwards, who played nearly 40 minutes despite turning his ankle in Tuesday’s game, said every victory is important to him.

“I come from winning 20 games my rookie year, so I don’t care how we win,” he said. “… If we win the game, I’m happy. I have nothing bad to say.”

There’s more from Minnesota:

Kyle Anderson sat out Wednesday’s contest with a sprained left knee, but coach Chris Finch is optimistic that it won’t be a long-term concern, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I don’t know. It’s, I would say, more day to day,” Finch said. “I don’t think it’s super long, but you never know how these things respond over 48 hours.”
Success will be expensive for the Wolves, who are facing heavy tax bills and second-apron restrictions if they keep the current roster together, Keith Smith of Spotrac states in an overview of the team’s finances. They currently have nine players under contract for next season at a combined $183.7MM. Filling out the roster with five minimum-salary signings brings the total to $189.5MM, which is right at the second apron and $18.2MM above the tax line. If free agents Anderson and Monte Morris both re-sign for $10MM per season, Smith adds, the team salary will balloon past $207MM, which is higher than the Warriors or Clippers. Smith notes that the payroll will get even more expensive if Edwards receives All-NBA honors, which would increase of the first year of his new extension from 25% to 30% of the cap max, bumping it from $35.25MM to $42.3MM.
Owner Glen Taylor tells Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) that the sale of the franchise to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez won’t be finalized today, which was originally the target date. Taylor said a new closing date will be set.

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