Timberwolves Notes: On the loss, plus Towns’ All-Star bid

The Timberwolves lost a close game to the Pacers on Thursday night, but Tom Thibodeau wasn’t livid. Plus, many folks thought that Karl-Anthony Towns should have been an All-Star.

Thursday night’s home loss to the Indiana Pacers was frustrating for a number of reasons, but head coach Tom Thibodeau only seemed moderately upset with his team.

Indeed, it would have been ideal to continue what had been a three-game winning streak and stretch in which the Timberwolves had won six of their last eight games. The Pacers were only a .500 team when they took the floor at Target Center, after all, and had been reeling of late.

But the Wolves were sluggish early and only picked things up in the final moments, cutting a double-digit deficit to just one possession over the course of the final three minutes of the game. It wasn’t enough, of course, but Coach Thibs simply told it like it was and chose to focus on the positives, namely that the Wolves came back so furiously in the final moments.

From the above-linked Star Tribune game recap:

"“I did like the fight at the end,” he said. “To be down 10 and then you’ve got to find a way to claw back. Fifteen seconds to go, I thought he [Teague] was out of bounds. Then it was down three and a chance to tie.”"

In related news, Jim Souhan of Star Tribune penned a piece regarding Thibodeau’s demeanor and how the team is finally responding to his gruff in-game behavior but honest, even-keeled attitude behind the scenes.

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Shifting gears, ESPN’s affiliate site The Undefeated named five players that they think should have been All-Stars. Indeed, Karl-Anthony Towns was included, with the following excerpt.

"Karl-Anthony Towns could very well be one of the NBA’s Top 10 players now. The No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA draft averaged 22.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and three assists entering Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers in just his second season. Towns is also very skilled, dominant, competitive, athletic and worth the price of admission. Don’t worry, the 7-foot 244-pounder will likely be an NBA All-Star next year. Meanwhile, you can see the New Jersey native represent the United States in the Rising Stars Challenge."

Here are quotes from first Towns and then Thibodeau regarding the selection process and Towns’ prospects, prior to Thursday night’s announcement.

"“It doesn’t matter if I get to play on that Sunday,” Towns said. “It’s what happens after that Sunday: Can we make the playoffs? Can we win games? Can we keep this momentum riding? That’s the most important thing.”…Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau submitted his vote by Tuesday’s deadline.“It’s not easy,” he said. “There are many players who are deserving. Somebody’s going to get left out all the time. You try to be as fair as you can be. It’s real close and you can make a case for a lot of guys and oftentimes you’re looking to see if a guy has missed time, is he is nicked up, who has better record and how have they contributed to winning? A guy may be left off and then the next year he gets in.”"

Don’t be shocked if Towns manages to land an All-Star spot next year, especially if the Wolves sneak into the playoffs this year and have a winning record at the midway point of 2017-18. Fair or not, team success is a big help (or hindrance, in Towns’ 2016-17 case) when it comes to being named as an All-Star.

Next: Ricky Rubio Rumors, D-League Clarity

We’ll have additional notes on the ongoing Ricky Rubio trade rumors throughout the weekend. There are a few intriguing possibilities out there if the Wolves’ brass is indeed focused on making a deal…