I don’t know if there’s anyone in the world I would hate to be more than a Timberwolves fan right now. Last night, Minnesota secured a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, but it sure as hell seems like anything but a win. After a scuffle with teammate Kyle Anderson, Rudy Gobert will miss a date with Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers due to a one-game suspension. If you haven’t seen the clip already, here is Rudy’s sorry attempt at a “punch”:
It shocks me that Minnesota gave up four first-rounders for this dude. The Timberwolves currently hold the eighth seed in the Western Conference heading into the play-in tournament, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they get upset by the Pelicans or Thunder. Surely this little tussle would be the only noteworthy event from the game though, right? You would be mistaken. Jaden McDaniels decided to show his pal Rudy how to actually throw a punch, but in the process fractured his hand after hitting the wall.
Without Gobert and McDaniels – two elite defenders – I don’t see Lebron losing to Minnesota. While I’ll admit I would love to see the Lakers make an early departure from the playoffs this year, my growing resentment toward the Timberwolves could probably convince me to throw some coin on the Lakers tomorrow. As a diehard Bulls fan, I’ve experienced nothing but pain for way too long, but I genuinely feel bad for Timberwolves fans. Minnesota has consistently underperformed with All-Star-level talent, this Rudy Gobert experiment being just the latest instance. The most euphoric moment in recent history for T-Wolves fans has been Pat Bev celebrating last year’s play-in victory like he just won an NBA title. Obviously, nothing is for certain, but I’m pretty confident that KAT, Anthony Edwards, and whoever else is on that roster will be visiting Cancun a couple of weeks early this year.
