Sunday was a day for Minnesota Timberwolves fans to forget. Unfortunately, the latest development in the Rudy Gobert-Kyle Anderson drama will make that very difficult to do with the NBA Play-In Tournament commencing Tuesday.
After Gobert punched Anderson in the chest in their regular season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans, the two teammates had a heated locker room confrontation during halftime. Anderson reportedly challenged the big man and said “I’ll knock your a– out,” according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski.
Potential dissension among the Timberwolves would be disconcerting at any time of the year, but especially right before a crucial game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Jaden McDaniels, a key breakout for the team this season, has his own issues after he fractured his right hand punching a wall in frustration. The adversity facing Minnesota seems almost insurmountable.
And yet, the Wolves rallied through it all Sunday night, coming back to beat the Pelicans in a game that directly impacted positioning for the play-in round. They leaped ahead of New Orleans to grab the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, which means one victory against the Lakers Tuesday night, or the winner of the Pels and the Oklahoma City Thunder, secures them an official seat at the NBA postseason table. Repeatedly overcoming internal conflict does not seem like a safe bet with the stakes at their highest, though.
Gobert and Anderson have both said all the right things publicly, but they will need to squash the beef enough so that they could co-exist on the court. Monday would probably best be spent doing some team-building exercises.
The tumultuous Timberwolves have less than 48 hours to get right.
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