The Minnesota Timberwolves’ season from hell continued Friday night as they lost to the Chicago Bulls in double overtime and may have lost Anthony Edwards for the remainder of the regular season to an ankle injury. There hasn’t been an official update from the team. Edwards returned to the bench in a walking boot toward the end of the game and briefly told reporters he was going to be fine.
I can appreciate Ant’s attitude and toughness. He’s played in 71 of 71 games while other stars can barely be bothered to play seven straight. There are only three weeks left on the NBA regular season calendar, and the T-Wolves are a game out of the playoffs and a game away from missing the play-in.
But have no fear, Minnesota, backup should be arriving any time. (Hey, Karl, that’s your cue.) Karl-Anthony Towns is close to returning from a calf injury that has lingered for months. The update from two days ago was that KAT will be back in the “coming weeks.” Whatever that means better mean he’ll be back on the floor soon.
The Good
All things considered, it’s still not that bad because the bottom of the West is abysmal. Minnesota has to stave off the Jazz, Pelicans, and Blazers for the 12 seed. Two of those organizations are in a free fall, and Danny Ainge is doing everything in his power to keep the third team in the lottery.
Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert are more than capable of playing .500 basketball for a short span, and hopefully, it’s long enough to bridge the gap until Towns returns. Oh and when that happens, whatever issues Gobert and Towns had sharing the floor together better magically disappear.
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The Bad
Minnesota without Edwards is the 2021 Utah Jazz but older and without Donovan Mitchell, and that’s about as depressing of a basketball situation as you’ll find. The front office gave away a million draft picks for Gobert, and the only argument it was a smart move is that he’s the last cornerstone standing.
D’Angelo Russell is a Laker, KAT’s natural state is nursing an injury, and the brightest spot of all the spots crumbled to the court Friday night and screamed “TIMEOUT!” like he was trying to stop a fight after getting belted by his older brother too hard.
The front office has already tried to retcon the narrative once, and it didn’t take, so if this season ends abruptly, the next steps could be more drastic.
The Ugly
The only way the Wolves avoid an offseason of pundits wondering who’s unhappy and fans making fake KAT trades is if they get into the playoffs and win a round. It’s possible, but it’ll take Edwards returning for the playoffs, and Towns going ballistic as soon as possible for as long as possible.
Any time we wonder which franchise is the gold standard for mismanagement, Minnesota offers up a season like this, or the year after the last time they made the playoffs when Jimmy Butler hacked his way out of Minneapolis with a machete. Then that prompts people to ask, “Weren’t you the team that took two point guards not named Steph Curry ahead of Steph Curry?” And things continue to spiral from there.
So, best of luck, T-Wolves fans. And just know, it’s not your fault.
We truly feel bad for Minnesota sports fans, but not enough to write nice things about Kirk Cousins. Read more Timberwolves and Vikings news on Deadspin’s team pages.
