The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the season as a crew seeking to construct on their darkish horse Western Convention Finals run from final yr, however are ending November simply hoping to remain within the playoff hunt, and it’s protected to say franchise star Anthony Edwards isn’t completely happy about it.
Lower than per week after exploding at Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert on the courtroom for beefing with one another in the midst of an in depth recreation, the always-unfiltered Edwards teed off on his “trash” crew (together with himself in that evaluation) after their 115-104 loss to the Sacramento Kings:
Ant had lots to say this night. Will probably be writing about it tonight. Says he feels just like the crew has been rising aside. That they’ll’t speak to one another anymore. It’s everybody, he’s not singling out the newbies. Says everybody has their very own agendas proper now.
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) November 28, 2024
Ant: “We acquired up and all people cheering and fucking hype. We get down once more and don’t no person say nothing. That’s the definition of a frontrunner. We as a crew, together with myself, all of us was frontrunners tonight. It was some bullshit, for certain.”
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) November 28, 2024
Anthony Edwards: “Nonetheless many people it’s, all 15, we go into our personal shell and we’re simply rising away from one another. It’s apparent. We are able to see it. I can see it, the crew can see it, the coaches can see it.”
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) November 28, 2024
Anthony Edwards (2/2): ” …. Only a bunch of little children. Identical to we enjoying with a bunch of little children. All people, the entire crew. We simply can’t speak to one another. And we’ve acquired to determine it out, as a result of we will’t go down this street.”
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) November 28, 2024
Anthony Edwards: “The followers fuckin’ booing us. That shit is loopy, man. We’re getting booed in our residence enviornment. That’s so fuckin’ disrespectful, it’s loopy.”
I form of perceive him. That is all irritating proper now. But it surely feels just like the set off is a bit of fast.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) November 28, 2024
The loss to the Kings dropped the Timberwolves to simply 8-10 general, good for twelfth place within the present Western Convention. However suffice to say it’s not simply the file that has Edwards upset. As our personal Ryan Eichten summarized over at Canis Hoopus, the Timberwolves proceed to lose in more and more agonizing methods. After a powerful third quarter, Minnesota utterly rolled over on Wednesday night time:
The Kings would end the sport on a 29-6 run together with scoring on ten straight possessions late within the recreation to safe a 115-104 victory over the Wolves, their fourth straight loss.
It’s not instantly clear how issues get higher for the Wolves. They aren’t coping with any main accidents, however simply appear to have far worse chemistry than they did of their magical season final yr. Shedding Karl-Anthony Cities in an offseason wage dump (that was nakedly designed to avoid wasting possession cash) was at all times projected to harm their offense, however it shouldn’t have made their protection collapse from first within the league to twelfth.
Earlier than tonight, one would have guessed that the Wolves would normalize a bit from these lows — they usually nonetheless most likely received’t stay this dangerous — but when Edwards calling out the entire crew like this publicly doesn’t mild a hearth beneath them to show issues round, this might descend right into a season from hell quicker than you may say “entrance runners.” However not quicker than Edwards can.