Anthony Edwards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

KAT Had “Major Setback” In January, But Return “Imminent”

March 20th, 2023 at 7:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns has had a lengthy recovery from a Grade 3 calf strain that has kept him on the sidelines since November 28. However, he’s optimistic about being cleared to return soon, as he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“I feel good there is a day (coming),” Towns said. “There’s a time. I’ve been in the darkness of the tunnel and trying to figure out where I’m going. It’s good to know that there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.”

According to Krawczynski, Towns said he had a “major setback” in late January, which essentially restarted the entire rehab process. The 27-year-old declined to go into detail about the setback, but he was unable to sit on the team’s bench during that time because he had to keep his leg elevated.

“I was standing up for 20 minutes, and my leg was done,” he said. “That was my first time trying it. I was thinking I could do it, and there was no way.”

As Krawczynski writes, this has been Towns’ longest absence of his career, and his first time dealing with a soft tissue injury, which can be tricky in the best of times. There’s also a risk of further injury to a lower extremity, like tearing the Achilles tendon or the ACL, if an athlete returns before the calf is fully healed. Town said his calf was “95 percent torn off,” making it even more of a risk.

“That was a very real possibility of happening if I went back on the court,” Towns said. “It was one of those things we were all worried about. As a competitor I was like, ‘Ah f— it, I’ll play. I can do it. I’ll figure it out.’ There was just no way with what I had that I could even attempt to do that.”

Towns told Krawczynski he wishes that he and the team had been more transparent about the injury, as fans have been understandably frustrated by how long he’s been out. However, his commitment to playing shouldn’t be questioned and he’s nearing his return, according to president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

“We’re just really proud of how he’s approached rehab, and we’re extremely excited that his return is imminent,” Connelly said.

Here are a few more injury notes on the Wolves, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune:

Head coach Chris Finch provided an update on Anthony Edwards, who has been unable to work out or practice after spraining his ankle on Friday. “For sure there’s some relief,” Finch said when asked about the injury not being severe. “But you know Ant. Ant always wants to play. Never thinks he’s hurt. So, hopefully it is feeling better, which he says it is. In terms of pain tolerance, range of movement, stability, all those things, I think we’re still trying to figure out where that really is with him.”
Finch also spoke briefly about Towns, Hine adds. “Feels really, really close,” Finch said of Towns’ potential return. “That’s all I can tell you. He’s looking good.” The Wolves have dropped five of six games and are barely clinging to a play-in spot, so the returns of Edwards and Towns could play a major factor in whether or not they’re able to make the postseason.
As Hine writes, backup guard Jaylen Nowell was able to return to the lineup for Monday’s game in New York. The impending free agent had been out for the previous 10 games with left knee tendinopathy, missing nearly a month of action.

Northwest Notes: Alexander-Walker, Edwards, Nuggets, Hardy

March 19th, 2023 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker was an overlooked piece in last month’s three-team blockbuster that sent D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles and Mike Conley to Minnesota, but the former first-round pick believes he has benefited from the change of scenery he got as a result of that deal, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

“I feel blessed to be in this organization,” Alexander-Walker said on Saturday. “I know what my role is and I’m getting a chance to play through mistakes, help my team by making winning plays. The way the West is, every game matters and it’s a great chance to grow as a player and person.”

As Grange observes, Alexander-Walker hasn’t been given a chance so far in his NBA career to establish any real continuity. The fourth-year guard is already playing for his third team and his sixth head coach since entering the NBA in 2019. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so it’s possible he’ll be playing for yet another team and coach later this year. But the Timberwolves have been impressed with what they’ve seen from the 24-year-old so far, according to head coach Chris Finch.

“We’ve been very pleased with Nickeil. We like him a lot,” Finch said. “Offensively he’s got a versatile game that we like. Defensively he’s really grown, as you would expect. That’s where I’ve seen the most growth since his rookie year, which is natural, but he enjoys defense, he takes the challenge. He’s got really good size, he’s very smart and now he’s putting the pieces together, like understanding game plan and his opponent’s tendencies and stuff like that.

“It’s crazy when you think that Nickeil has played for six coaches in four years,” Finch continued. “So he just needs to be able to be out there. We’ll put our arms around him and keep encouraging him and I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is already out of his walking boot and is moving around more after spraining his right ankle on Friday, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The swelling in Edwards’ ankle has also gone down, Charania adds. Edwards missed Saturday’s loss to Toronto, but is expected to be evaluated on a day-to-day basis going forward, so it’s possible his absence won’t last much longer.
Denver has now lost five of its last six games, prompting star center Nikola Jokic to acknowledge that the Nuggets “need to be concerned” about their recent slide, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. As Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports writes, it’s not unusual for top NBA teams to let their foot off the gas late in the season, but the Nuggets will need to rediscover their mojo soon rather than counting on flipping a switch once the postseason begins.
Jazz players have appreciated Will Hardy‘s willingness to listen to their ideas and implement them if he finds merit in them, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, who notes that Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk helped convince the first-year head coach to introduce more zone looks on defense. “I think he’s someone who you can approach and he’ll really take your suggestions into consideration,” Olynyk said. “You know, sometimes you go to a restaurant and you see a suggestion box and you never really know if those get read, but he’ll read every one of them. Gotta love it.”

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Wolves, Nuggets, Olynyk

March 18th, 2023 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves consider All-Star guard Anthony Edwards to be day-to-day with a sprained right ankle he suffered in Friday’s game, Marc Stein tweets.

In an interview with team broadcaster Alan Horton (Twitter link) coach Chris Finch said Edwards is in a walking boot, but the injury is “not as bad as initially feared.” He sat out tonight’s contest after being listed as questionable. More tests on the ankle will likely be conducted Sunday, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

Edwards was injured in the first quarter Friday when he rolled the ankle after making a jump pass. He hadn’t missed a game before tonight and is the team’s leading scorer at 24.7 PPG. With 11 games remaining, a prolonged absence could be devastating for Minnesota’s playoff hopes. The Wolves are eighth in the tight Western Conference race, but are just one game ahead of 11th-place Utah.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Finch admitted the Timberwolves will have to adjust their offense while Edwards is sidelined, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota has a 109.6 offensive rating in its minutes with Edwards on the bench, which would rank last in the league. Rudy Gobert has been scoring more since the Wolves traded for Mike Conley, notes Krawczynski, who adds that Jaden McDaniels and Jordan McLaughlin appear ready to handle a larger role in the offense. “We still have other players who can put the ball in the bucket,” Finch said. “We’ll be less of an iso team. You lose Ant’s dynamic big-shot making. Of course, you lose everything he brings. … We’ll have to rely more on ball movement, more on body movement, pass-pass combinations, those types of things.”
The reeling Nuggets held a team meeting this week after Tuesday’s loss at Toronto, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Denver remains on top of the Western Conference, but is dealing with a late-season slump, dropping five of its last six games. “Who do we want to be?’” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “We can’t keep losing like this, we didn’t start off like that. It’s not the time to be losing games that we’re supposed to be winning. It’s crunch time. … It was all about just who we want to be at the end of the season. ‘Do we want to be champions or we just wanna go home?’”
Kelly Olynyk is valuable because he does so many underappreciated things, but the Jazz have to consider who will take over that role in the future, notes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Olynyk will turn 32 in April and has just a $3MM guarantee on next season’s contract.

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Sustains Right Ankle Sprain

March 17th, 2023 at 8:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard/forward Anthony Edwards was unable to put weight on his right leg after sustaining a pretty gruesome looking right ankle sprain. He was helped off the floor and headed straight back to the locker room, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North has the video (via Twitter). The injury occurred with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter of Minnesota’s road game at Chicago, with Edwards rolling his ankle after a cross-court jump pass.

Although Edwards was clearly in a lot of pain when the play occurred, the Wolves didn’t initially rule him out of the game. He was first listed as questionable before being downgraded to out (Twitter link).

A first-time All-Star in 2022/23, Edwards is having an excellent third season for the Wolves, averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.6 SPG on .460/.369/.767 shooting. He has appeared in every game thus far (36.4 MPG).

Edwards potentially missing additional time beyond this game could have huge ramifications for both Minnesota and the Western Conference playoff race. The Wolves are currently 35-35, the No. 7 seed, but five teams are right on their heels in the standings — they only lead the Pelicans, the current No. 12 seed, by 1.5 games.

The former first overall pick will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

Wolves Notes: Winning Streak, Edwards, Alexander-Walker, Nowell

March 5th, 2023 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Road wins over the Clippers, Lakers and Kings have provided a confidence boost for the Timberwolves, according to a report published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“I think we have really good chemistry right now,” coach Chris Finch said. “I think we have great leadership, we have guys who really complement each other on the floor. I see it growing and growing — we just have to get some of the focus mistakes out, and then we can continue to get a little bit better.”

The Timberwolves are in contention for a top-six seed in the Western Conference, which would allow them to avoid the play-in tournament.

We have more on the Wolves:

Anthony Edwards had been in a shooting slump since the All-Star break, as noted by Chris Hine of the Star Tribune earlier in the trip, but has shown signs of breaking out. He had 27 points, including two pivotal baskets, and eight assists against Sacramento. “A lot of it was Anthony stepping up at the right time,” Finch said after the win over the Kings.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been nearly as pivotal as Mike Conley to the team’s recent success, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Both players were acquired in a three-team blockbuster at last month’s deadline. Alexander-Walker, who has grabbed a spot on the second unit, supplied 16 points and five assists against Sacramento. “I had a lot of DNPs in Utah, so anytime I get multiple games with multiple minutes, for me to have an impact was everything I can ask for,” he said. He can be a restricted free agent after the season if Minnesota extends a qualifying offer.
Jaylen Nowell has been sidelined for the last four games with a knee ailment. He’s averaging 10.9 points and 2.0 assists entering unrestricted free agency this summer. Alexander-Walker could cut into his playing time when he returns, but Nowell is confident he’ll get offers this summer, he told Hine. “Coming in as a second-rounder, people would tell me not a lot of second guys make it to their second contract,” Nowell said. “But I always knew deep down this is meant for me. This is what I’m supposed to do. I’m going to make sure this happens.”

Doncic, Irving To Start For Team LeBron

February 19th, 2023 at 7:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are not only Mavericks teammates, they’re also starting together for Team LeBron at the All-Star Game Sunday in Salt Lake City.

LeBron James selected his former Cleveland teammate Irving and Doncic, the league’s leading scorer, during the first captain’s draft conducted on the same night as the All-Star Game. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will start up front for Team LeBron. The reserves for LeBron’s team include Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown, Paul George, Tyrese Haliburton, Julius Randle, De’Aaron Fox and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Donovan Mitchell and one of the players he was traded for, Lauri Markkanen, will start for Team Giannis. Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum round out the starting lineup. Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam, Bam Adebayo and Domantas Sabonis will be the reserves for Team Giannis.

Timberwolves Notes: Conley, Trade Targets, Reid, Edwards

February 12th, 2023 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves brought in veteran Mike Conley to run the point and dealt impending free agent D’Angelo Russell. Coach Chris Finch believes Conley will be a better fit to initiate their offense, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes.

“(Russell has) grown to have a lot of fans around the league and we were able to make a move that we felt matched us up a little bit better as we grow into this roster, get a little bit healthier,” Finch said. “We get KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) back, Ant’s (Anthony Edwards‘) ascendancy — we just kind of needed a connector. I felt we needed a guy who was a connector there. When you have a chance to get a guy like Mike, you don’t think too much about it.”

We have more from the Timberwolves:

Minnesota was looking to make more deals, particularly for shooters, before the deadline passed on Thursday, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. Among the players the Wolves pursued were Denver’s Bones Hyland, Phoenix’s Jae Crowder, Detroit’s Saddiq Bey and Miami’s Max Strus. All of those players except Strus got traded elsewhere.
In the same story, Krawczynski reports that the Timberwolves fielded many inquiries regarding center Naz Reid. More than a dozen teams asked about his availability but the Wolves didn’t come close to moving him. He’ll be an unrestricted free agency after the season.
Conley is not only busy meshing his on-court skills with his new teammates — he’s also quickly establishing himself in the locker room, Krawczynski writes in a separate story. “Leadership. Just being that veteran in the locker room that we needed,” Edwards said. “He can shoot the ball really good. Pass the ball. Him and Rudy (Gobert) got a really good connection, so I think it should be pretty good.”
The fact that Conley is signed through next season also added to the appeal of acquiring his services, GM Tim Connelly told Hine. “There was some appeal of the contract of Mike as well,” Connelly said. “You’re always trying to think for the here and now and think of next year and beyond. It was not done lightly, and (Russell) was not a guy we were looking to move just to move.” Conley’s $24.36MM salary for next season is partially guaranteed for $14.32MM.

Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Pascal Siakam Named All-Stars

February 10th, 2023 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially named Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, and Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as injury replacements for next weekend’s All-Star Game in Salt Lake City (Twitter link).

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), who first reported that the trio was expected to make the All-Star Game, notes that Edwards and Fox will replace Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson in the West, while Siakam will replace star forward Kevin Durant in the East.

Durant, of course, was traded from the Nets to the Suns this week, but was initially named an Eastern Conference All-Star, so his replacement comes from the East.

In his third season with the Timberwolves, Edwards is averaging a career-high 24.7 points per game on .464/.367/.767 shooting to go along with 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per night in 58 games (36.2 MPG). Fox, a sixth-year guard, is putting up similar numbers for Sacramento, with 24.2 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG on .504/.326/.789 in 49 games (33.7 MPG).

Both Edwards and Fox are first-time All-Stars.

Siakam, meanwhile, will be playing in his second All-Star Game after making the team in 2020. This season, he’s averaging new career highs in points (25.0) and assists (6.2) per game. He has also put up 8.0 rebounds per game with a .475/.326/.767 shooting line in 46 games and is leading the league in minutes per contest (37.5) for the second straight year.

In a full press release announcing the All-Star changes, the NBA announced that Sixers center Joel Embiid, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant have all been promoted from All-Star reserves to starters, since Durant, Williamson, and Curry were all on track to start.

Injury Notes: Doncic, Green, Morant, Gobert, Edwards, Harris

January 15th, 2023 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Luka Doncic didn’t play on Sunday, with the official explanation being left ankle soreness, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link). According to the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend, the Mavericks superstar was simply being rested in the second game of a back-to-back.

Doncic played a career-high 53 minutes in Thursday’s double-overtime victory of the Lakers, then scored a season-low 15 points in 35 minutes against Portland on Saturday night.

The Mavs’ Josh Green, out since Dec. 9 due to a sprained right elbow, could return to action on Wednesday, Townsend tweets.

We have more injury-related news:

Grizzlies star Ja Morant delivered an electrifying hammer dunk against the Pacers on Saturday but there’s no guarantee he’ll play on Monday. Morant is listed as questionable to play against Phoenix due to left hip soreness, the team’s PR department tweets.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is listed as questionable to play against his former team, the Jazz, on Monday due to right groin soreness, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Anthony Edwards is also questionable due to left hip soreness.
Magic guard Gary Harris started on Sunday despite what the team’s PR department labeled a mallet finger on his shooting hand, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. It’s an injury to the end of a finger that causes it to bend inward toward the palm. A torn or stretched tendon prevents the finger from straightening out.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Sharpe, SGA, Nowell, Edwards

January 13th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers forward Justise Winslow has been out since December 21 after suffering a Grade 2 ankle sprain. He’s making progress in his recovery, but he’s out for at least two more weeks, Portland announced in a press release.

The Blazers also provided an injury update on forward Nassir Little, who has been sidelined since November 29 with a hip fracture. There’s no official timeline for his return, but he has begun on-court contact work, per the team.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Shaedon Sharpe‘s development is an exercise in patience, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. The No. 7 overall pick of the 2022 draft didn’t play any games in his one year at Kentucky, which makes him behind the curve in some regards. Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups says the 19-year-old won’t get minutes he doesn’t earn. “That’s going to be his year all year,” Billups said, per Fentress. “We as a staff have to have a level of patience with Shae and so do our veterans. But as I tell him, and our veterans tell him, ‘We’re trying to be the best team that we can be. We don’t have time to wait on you. You didn’t go to a team that is trying to lose and get the No. 1 pick. That’s not our situation. You have to catch up.’”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having a brilliant season for the Thunder and helped lead the team to back-to-back road victories over the Sixers and Bulls on Thursday and Friday. After Thursday’s victory, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed confidence about the team’s future, according to Thunder sideline reporter and digital editor Nick Gallo (Twitter link). “I think we’re gonna be a really good team a lot sooner than other people do,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So I think it’s it’s pretty easy for me – I see the growth every day. I’ve seen the growth in the last five months, year, two years. And I’m super excited about it.” The Thunder are currently 20-23, the No. 11 seed in the West.
Timberwolves guard Jaylen Nowell is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer, but he’s not pleased with his season thus far, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Not going well,” he said. Nowell, who shot 39.4% from deep last season, is shooting just 28.5% from behind the arc through 42 games. Head coach Chris Finch believes the 23-year-old is making things difficult on himself. “I think he’s trying to force himself into the game,” Finch said. “What it’s doing probably is bleeding over into the great looks that he’s getting. He’s trying to get himself going by taking some tough shots out there with a lot of hands in his face and then when the ball comes back, or a different situation where he’s shooting it open, particularly from three, he hasn’t seen that go in.”
In the same story from Hine, Finch said Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is dealing with a “deep bruise” in his left hip, but the former No. 1 overall pick has been “cleared of all tests.” Veteran guard Austin Rivers commended Edwards’ willingness to play through the injury, Hine tweets. “It just sets a tone like this dude’s invested. He’s here. This guy’s playing through injuries, no matter. The Houston game, a lot of guys would just sit out, like, ‘Hey, we’ll win without him.’ But Ant came out there and really showed us,” he said.