NFL
By: Randall Gimm
The Minnesota Timberwolves new General Manager Tim Connelly wasted little time making one of his career’s most significant trades. The Wolves announced their newest member of the pack, Center Rudy Gobert, at his introductory press conference today.
They acquired Gobert from the Utah Jazz for:
• Malik Beasley
• Patrick Beverley
• Jarred Vanderbilt
• Leandro Bolmaro
• 1st round pick in this year’s draft Walker Kessler
• and 4 future first-round picks.
A high cost of nine players for one. One that to this point has gotten:
• Three-time All-Star
• Three-Time Defensive Player of the Year
• All-Defensive Team 6 times
• Four-Time All-NBA Talent
• Rebounding Champ ’21 – ‘22
The Wolves have pushed all their chips into the center, for what they hope to be a large return. In the Wolves’ introductory press conference today, Rudy said that he is here to win a championship.
But does this move make this Wolves roster jump to contention?
Prior to this trade, I saw the Timberwolves as a young team that needed to learn how to win in the playoffs. They now must do that against an increasingly difficult Western Conference. I thought it would take a four-year window toward contention. Not even a title, simply contention. Great teams take time to develop. Especially the Timberwolves that haven’t sniffed the Western Conference Finals since Kevin Garnet was around.
Now, that the Wolves have Gobert. They are shaping up to be one of the most dynamic teams in the NBA. The Wolves retained their big three, Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell. But, most importantly, they retained most of their bench. That bench consisted of Jordan McLaughlin, Jaylen Nowell, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and resigned Taurean Prince. To add to that mix, they got a two-way player in Kyle Anderson from Memphis, Austin Rivers from Denver, and Brynn Forbes a 3-point specialist. Minnesota is slowly becoming a Free Agent destination. We don’t have beaches, but we have Lake Minnetonka.
That mix of players is complementary and defensively sound. Especially with the superb defense of Kyle Anderson. In the Grizzlies playoff series vs Utah in 2021, he had 14 steals over 5 games. Nearly 3 per game. They lost that series to Rudy Gobert and the Jazz 1-4 and Rudy averaged 3.2 blocks, 17 points, and 13 rebounds. They both take pride in their defense and they both communicate at a high level to make that happen. Not surprising when you consider Anderson’s tenure with the great Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.
When you look at all the alterations to this roster, can the Wolves maintain their fast-paced, gritty, not afraid of anyone attitude? Pat Bev and Jarred Vanderbilt were the CEO and President of that department during their time with Minnesota. D’Angelo Russell stepped up to be the voice of the team and helped hold people accountable but didn’t play his best ball in the playoffs. The voice of the team needs to also be the most credible. That doesn’t mean they need to be the best player; they need to be the most consistent. Pat Bev was that. No matter the day, he kept that same energy.
Rudy Gobert has been rumored to be difficult in his time with the Jazz. What type of energy will Gobert bring to his new locker room? Will he and everyone new to the team, make the sacrifices to maintain the developed culture and get everyone on the same page? Those are questions that Head Coach Chris Finch could answer.
Entering the 2021-22 season, the Wolves focused only on defense in Training Camp. They allowed the offense to develop naturally with their young talent. That turned into them turning other teams over 14.2 times per game. They would scramble very well against talented teams. But those talented teams are also seasoned players that can go to their 4th-5th option with no issue. That is something the Wolves will have to catch up on this season. Last season, that Wolves team was fearless, had nothing to lose and everything to gain. They gained a 3x DPOY, an upper-level wing from a budding rival, a proven backup playmaker, and a seasoned sniper.
That is a lot to integrate and coordinate. Chris Finch is starting over in some ways. He can keep the locker room engaged, he can develop a great game plan, and he knows when to push guys and leave them alone respectively. I want to see the Wolves communicating more effectively, having their late-game sets crisp, and attacking relentlessly. I think the identity set in 21-22 will be carried over but we might be surprised at who is going to embody the philosophy fully.
Gobert has an odd reputation around the league. Opinions on him are either one of two things, “he’s expendable” or “he is what made the Jazz good, on BOTH ends”. I think he knows this and is prepared to correct that narrative and prove what he can bring to a team. It appeared that the wolves had many holes to fill; Offensive spacing, Late-game poise, Rebounding, Blocking Shots, and not arguing with the referees too much. A little is okay by me. Rudy Gobert solves those issues directly and indirectly. Not the arguing part, he might add to that a little. Nonetheless, he occupies so much space down low and, on the pick and roll, that Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell are going to be having a field day.
Besides all the good things I want to see happen, here are some of my concerns. D’Angelo Russell led the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs in 2018-19. He was the best player on that team that was building a culture and reinventing itself. That roster and organization proved to be more fitting for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, than the New York Knicks. Now the Nets are in jeopardy of losing 3 Top 75 (Kyrie Should be one) players because of chemistry issues, ideal differences, and a lack of loyalty.
With the Wolves being thrown a defensive rock into the pool of their young cohesive unit, how many ripples will it cause? I think that is for Rudy and D’Angelo Russell to answer. Russell has seen this happen before and was almost traded from this situation a second time. Gobert is the new guy in town and must make sure he doesn’t rub anyone the wrong way. If everyone can sacrifice and contribute their full effort to building their identity, the Timberwolves will be contenders. Represent the Wolves with the newest gear here
