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Wolves Notes: Defense, McDaniels, Gobert, Morris, Ownership

May 7th, 2024 at 7:20am CST by Luke Adams

While Defensive Player of the Year favorite Rudy Gobert has earned much of the credit for anchoring a Timberwolves defense that ranked No. 1 in the NBA this season, Minnesota turned in an impressive defensive performance without Gobert available on Monday, limiting the Nuggets to just 80 points on 34.9% shooting and forcing 19 turnovers in a Game 2 blowout.

“We’ve had some really, really good defensive efforts this year, but that has to be right up there with the best of them,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “On the ball, off the ball, the physicality, the execution of the game plan. … Just really locked in on defense.”

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns led the offensive attack for the Wolves with 27 points apiece, but it was fellow starter Jaden McDaniels who turned in the game’s best plus-minus mark (+26) despite recording as many fouls as points (5) and making just 2-of-7 shots from the floor. McDaniels’ under-the-radar impact didn’t go unnoticed by his head coach.

“He hasn’t connected in the scoring column, but my God, he’s a +26. The other day he was a +23,” Finch said (Twitter link via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). “He didn’t have a bucket. He’s got five points in the series and he’s a +50. It’s not about how you score, it’s about how you help your team win.”

Here’s more on the Wolves, who will take a 2-0 lead over the defending champs back home to Minnesota:

Gobert, who missed Game 2 due to the birth of his first child, is expected to return to the lineup for Game 3, says McMenamin. That game won’t be played until Friday, giving the teams three days off this week.
Finch lauded his team after Monday’s win for its effort on defense, sharing the ball, and generally playing like a team that fans want to root for, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. Naz Reid suggested those traits are the result of a culture that has improved in recent years. “When I first got here, [the culture] wasn’t the best, it wasn’t perfect,” Reid said. “But obviously we’re all humans, and over that time we gradually got better. We got more cultured. Time to where we kind of became a unit, a team where we trust each other. We’re selling out for each other.”
The Timberwolves still need 10 more victories to win a championship, but they look like the NBA’s best team right now, contends Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports makes a similar case in a column of his own, writing that Minnesota has made the Nuggets look like anything but champions.
Wolves reserve point guard Monte Morris exited Game 2 due to a right index finger sprain, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s unclear whether the injury will force him to miss additional time going forward. Morris has played just 40 total minutes across Minnesota’s six playoff games, so his possible absence wouldn’t have a significant impact on the team’s rotation.
As the Wolves continue to dominate on the court, the team’s off-the-court ownership battle between Glen Taylor and the Marc Lore/Alex Rodriguez group is headed to arbitration. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic spoke to a handful of legal experts to get a sense of what to expect from that process. “I see this as an uphill battle for Taylor,” one sports investment banker told Vorkunov,” but something that might make sense for him to have potential asymmetric upside if he can either prevail or find a way to get a settlement or a higher number.”

Wolves Notes: McDaniels, Gobert, Edwards, Towns

April 24th, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels had arguably the best game of his four-year NBA career on Tuesday vs. Phoenix, posting 25 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. The Wolves outscored the Suns by 24 points in the 41 minutes he played and were outscored by 12 points during the seven minutes he was on the bench.

As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes, McDaniels has waited all year to shine on this sort of stage after feeling as if he let down his teammates last spring by punching a wall after the regular season finale, breaking his hand and ending his season. The young forward didn’t realize when he went to hit a canvas awning out of frustration that there was a concrete wall behind it, but still felt embarrassed about the injury — and distraught that he wasn’t available to help his club in the playoffs.

“I was sick just watching them play (vs. Denver in last year’s first round),” McDaniels said. “I just felt like it would have been different if I got hurt playing, trying to battle. Just hurting myself, I felt selfish.”

The incident didn’t dissuade the Timberwolves from investing long-term in McDaniels, who signed a five-year, $131MM rookie scale extension in the fall. But he has still been waiting all year for the opportunity to redeem himself in the postseason — through the first two games against Phoenix, he’s well on his way to delivering on that goal.

“His activity’s been on another level so far in two games,” head coach Chris Finch said of McDaniels.

Here’s more on the Wolves:

McDaniels’ strong play in the series vs. Phoenix certainly hasn’t escaped the notice of Suns head coach Frank Vogel, who suggested before Game 2 that his team needs to prepare a plan of attack for the defensive standout. “He’s outstanding,” Vogel said, per Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “His length, his athleticism, his quickness, his speed. He’s a great defensive player. We have to make sure we attack him the right away.”
Despite appearing likely to win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award this spring, Rudy Gobert was voted in The Athletic’s player poll as the NBA’s most overrated player. No one within the Wolves’ organization feels that way though, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who suggests that Gobert’s intensity and attention to detail are key reasons why the club didn’t lose three straight games all season. “There’s a difference between being the reason you win and being the reason you don’t lose,” Finch said. “And Rudy is the reason we don’t lose. He doesn’t let us lose these games. He’s been this way all season. He’s an incredible floor raiser and he just brings it and he knows when the team needs him to do this the most. That’s one of the many reasons he’s so valuable for us.”
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon published a similar feature on Gobert this week, exploring why the French center seems to rub so many of his fellow NBA players the wrong way — and why that no longer bothers Gobert.
Speaking to Taylor Rooks of TNT Sports (Twitter video link), Anthony Edwards expressed a belief that he and Karl-Anthony Towns are the NBA’s top duo. If the Wolves advance to the second round, they’d likely be on track to square off against another duo that believes it’s the league’s best: Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

Northwest Notes: Connelly, Murray, Jokic, McDaniels, Towns

April 11th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Tim Connelly helped to build the Nuggets’ championship team. He has also been instrumental in turning the Timberwolves into one of the Western Conference’s top clubs. However, Minnesota’s president of basketball operations technically has the ability to move on to another organization, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on FanDuel’s Run It Back program (video link).

The dispute between current Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore could cause Connelly to weigh his future in Minnesota.

“Tim Connelly has an opt-out in his contract after the season,” Charania said. “After year two, it was supposed to line up with this ownership transfer with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore taking this team over.”

Connelly signed a five-year contract with the organization in 2022. Charania adds that Minnesota’s owners could rip up his current deal and give him an extension.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

In an interview with Altitude TV’s Katy Winge (Twitter link), Jamal Murray said he’d like to spend his entire career with the Nuggets. “I love Denver, I want to be here for the rest of my career,” he said. Murray’s current contract runs through next season. He can earn super-max contract eligibility if he makes an All-NBA team in 2024/25; he has missed too many games to qualify this season.
The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves, 116-107, in a huge Western Conference showdown on Wednesday. Nikola Jokic likely locked up his third league MVP with a signature 41-point masterpiece, The Athletic’s Tony Jones notes. “I think we are on the right path,” Jokic said. “I think we are playing well. I like how everyone is locked in and focused, especially on the defensive end. I think we are at the point where everyone knows where to go, and everyone knows their job. We played really good defense tonight, especially in important moments. I really like the way we are playing.”
Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to return before the regular season ends. Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels said the team will get an “extra boost” when he’s back in the lineup. “We’ve just been trying to hold down the fort until he gets back,” McDaniels told Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “We’ve been doing pretty well. It shows how deep our team is. All of us can play. All of us are versatile. When he comes back, he will give us that extra boost. He will be another unicorn on our team. We’re going to love to have him back.”

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.”

Northwest Notes: McDaniels, KAT, Edwards, Blazers Injuries, Kessler

March 7th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

With Karl-Anthony Towns out indefinitely, the Timberwolves are going to need Jaden McDaniels to step up on the offensive side of the ball in order for Minnesota to reach its potential, Michael Rand of The Star Tribune writes.

For most of the season, the Wolves’ late-game offense consisted of Mike Conley getting Towns and Anthony Edwards in the best positions to succeed offensively. With or without Towns, McDaniels getting more involved could increase the team’s ceiling, Rand writes.

McDaniels is averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 36.0% from deep this season. However, he’s taking roughly the same number of shots per night as Conley and Rudy Gobert, and with the Wolves ranking 26th in offensive rating in fourth quarters, Rand believes McDaniels’ high ceiling holds the key to Minnesota’s improvement.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

There’s no replacement for Towns and his All-Star production, but Conley expressed optimism in the rest of a roster that has helped the Timberwolves post a West-best 43-19 record this season. “We’ve got full confidence in our roster for guys to step up and make plays in his absence,” Conley said, per Alan Horton of Wolves Radio (Twitter link). “We’ve had some experience with this [last season] and we’re gonna have to do it by committee, there’s no way to take up what he does with just one guy.“
In their first game after the Towns injury news, the Timberwolves defeated the Pacers 113-111 behind 44 points from Anthony Edwards. Edwards exited for the locker room with a foot injury (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski), but returned to propel Minnesota to the win with 16 points and a big game-sealing block in the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers are dealing with a plethora of injuries to key players as the season winds on, with Malcolm Brogdon (elbow, out since Feb. 2), Shaedon Sharpe (abdominal, out since Jan. 11) and Scoot Henderson (thigh, out since Feb. 15) among them. Head coach Chauncey Billups provided updates on that trio, according to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin (Twitter link). Brogdon is doing more work but is still experiencing discomfort in his elbow while Sharpe has begun light shooting. Henderson is further along and could be back this weekend (Twitter link).
Jazz center Walker Kessler, who hasn’t played since Feb. 27, was a full participant in practice on Thursday, according to The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen (Twitter link). While there isn’t definite news for his status in Utah’s Saturday game against Denver, it’s a step in the right direction, Larsen adds. In 51 games (17 starts) this season, Kessler is averaging 8.5 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Northwest Notes: Knox, J. Williams, Wolves, McDaniels

March 2nd, 2024 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward Kevin Knox has returned to the G League, having reported back to the Rip City Remix, according to a tweet from the Trail Blazers‘ G League affiliate.

Knox was with the Remix in the fall, but signed with the Pistons in early November and was in the NBA for three months before being sent to Utah at February’s trade deadline. The Jazz immediately waived him, and with no NBA opportunities immediately presenting themselves, the former No. 9 overall pick eventually decide to head back to the G League.

Knox racked up 26 points and 11 rebounds and was a +23 in a 15-point victory over Iowa in his return to Rip City on Friday. A few more performances like that could help earn him another shot at the NBA level. For what it’s worth, since he was waived before March 1, he’ll be playoff-eligible if he signs a rest-of-season contract with an NBA club.

Here are a few more notes from around the Northwest:

Thunder center Jaylin Williams has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee, head coach Mark Daigneault said on Friday (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder). There’s no word yet on the severity of the sprain, but it’s often a week-to-week injury, so one of the team’s recent frontcourt additions – Bismack Biyombo and Mike Muscala – may get an opportunity to claim a rotation role.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links) clarifies that incoming Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have until the end of March to make their final payment to assume majority control of the franchise. Sources close to the Lore/Rodriguez group say they remain on track to make that payment, per Krawczynski. Current majority owner Glen Taylor said in a recent conversation with Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News that he was told Lore and Rodriguez planned to close the sale at the end of February, which didn’t happen. However, it doesn’t sound like the new ownership group has missed any deadlines.
Chris Hine of The Star Tribune explores Jaden McDaniels‘ importance to the Timberwolves and notes that the club will need an “even-keeled” version of the young forward in order to reach its ceiling. McDaniels memorably broke his hand when he punched a wall on the final day of the 2022/23 regular season and missed Minnesota’s play-in loss.

Injury Notes: Thompson, Edwards, McDaniels, Hunter, Irving, Markkanen, Kessler, Little

December 10th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amen Thompson, the fourth pick of the draft, will return to action on Monday. He’s no longer listed on the Rockets’ injury report.

Thompson will jump right back into the rotation when his team faces San Antonio, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. He’s been out since Nov. 1 due to a right ankle sprain.

“The plan is to incorporate him back into the lineup,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “Obviously, we have guys playing well, so we have to find minutes and opportunity there, and we’ll tweak our rotation some once we get him in with certain groups.”

We have more injury-related news with 13 games on Monday’s schedule:

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable against New Orleans due to a right hip pointer. Forward Jaden McDaniels (right ankle sprain), who hasn’t played since Nov. 20, is also listed as questionable, the team’s PR department tweets.
Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (right quad tendon soreness) is listed as questionable against Denver, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. He played 37 minutes against Philadelphia on Friday.
Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion) and Josh Green (right elbow sprain) are among the Mavericks players listed as out for their game against Memphis, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
The Jazz will be missing two key frontcourt players when they face Oklahoma City. Forward Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring strain) and center Walker Kessler (right foot soreness) won’t play, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets.
The Suns’ Nassir Little has an orbital fracture and is in the NBA’s concussion protocol, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. Phoenix hosts Golden State on Tuesday.

Timberwolves Notes: Gobert, Edwards, McDaniels, McLaughlin

December 5th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rudy Gobert feels a greater acceptance in the Timberwolves‘ locker room and it’s showing on the court, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes.

Gobert has settled in after struggling through his first season with the franchise. He’s become the defensive force the Timberwolves were looking for when the front office made the blockbuster deal with Utah.

“I always tell people, great things take time. Especially myself, the way my life is, I’m not a guy that just comes here on Day 1 and everything is wonderful,” he said. “It takes time to build, to grind every day, build respect, build habits, build relationships with my teammates, the organization, the community.”

Gobert is also blending well with Karl-Anthony Towns on the court, Krawczynski notes. In the seven games since the Timberwolves took over the top spot in the Western Conference, the frontcourt duo has a plus-24.3 net rating in the 157 minutes they’ve shared the floor.

We have more on the Timberwolves:

Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable to play in the Timberwolves’ return to action on Wednesday against San Antonio, the team’s PR department tweets. Edwards is dealing with a right hip pointer and has missed Minnesota’s past two games.
Forward Jaden McDaniels, who suffered a right ankle sprain on Nov. 20 against the Knicks, was reevaluated and he’s progressing well throughout his rehabilitation program with no setbacks, according to a team press release. He has been cleared to participate in individual on-court player development basketball and strength training activities.
Guard Jordan McLaughlin, who suffered a right knee MCL sprain on Nov. 2 against the Celtics, is also progressing well, the team announced in the same release. He has been cleared to participate in full, five-on-five on-court basketball activities.

Injury Notes: Grant, Simons, Duarte, Hachimura, Wolves

December 4th, 2023 at 4:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, Portland announced on Monday (via Twitter). Grant sustained the injury during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Utah and did not return, per the team.

Grant, who re-signed with Portland on a five-year, $160MM contract over the summer, is averaging 22.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .437/.412/.830 shooting in 19 games this season.

In other injury news for the Blazers, guard Anfernee Simons is nearing a return, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Simons, who has been out since Oct. 25 after tearing a ligament in his thumb and undergoing surgery, practiced on Monday and is considered day-to-day, according to Highkin.

Here are some more injury notes from around the league:

Kings wing Chris Duarte will miss Monday’s in-season quarterfinal matchup against New Orleans due to knee soreness, league sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (Twitter link). It will be the second straight absence for the former first-round pick, who is averaging 4.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.1 minutes in his first season with Sacramento.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura was cleared for Saturday’s contest against Houston, but head coach Darvin Ham opted to be cautious and held him out after he missed a week due to nasal fracture surgery. “In all likelihood” Hachimura will play in Tuesday’s quarterfinal against the Suns, Ham said on Monday (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). Hachimura practiced today while wearing a face mask and he thinks he’ll be ready tomorrow, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was a partial practice participant on Monday and is day-to-day after missing the past two games with a hip injury, head coach Chris Finch told reporters, including Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). Jaden McDaniels (ankle sprain) did not practice and will not play this week, but the team is hopeful he might be able to practice next week, Finch added. As for Jordan McLaughlin, who has missed the past month with a knee sprain, he was a full practice participant and he could return as soon as later this week, according to Hine.