A smattering of news on Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns and a couple of former Wolves players.
After missing group workouts in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ In-Market Bubble, Karl-Anthony Towns was back in the Twin Cities last week.
Also, there is news on a couple of former Wolves players, including one changing teams overseas and another who has an apparently serious case of COVID-19.
Minnesota Timberwolves Roundup: Karl-Anthony Towns is back in town
It was newsworthy when Karl-Anthony Towns was not present during the Wolves In-Market Bubble.
It became even more newsworthy when paired with the rumor that Towns is “as good as gone” from Minnesota, according to a convoluted rumor, and the fact that Towns was out of the country with his girlfriend.
Finally, there’s a bit more information on Towns’ absence and his attempt to return to the team following vacation.
Remember, Towns was at Mayo Clinic Square for the individual workout portion of the camp, prior to the quarantine/bubble. According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski (subscription required), Towns’ vacation was for his girlfriend’s birthday and had been planned prior to the announcement of the In-Market Bubble dates.
He wanted to rejoin his teammates in the bubble but was unable to because of quarantine regulations. Instead, he waited in Minneapolis to accompany the team on a tour of the George Floyd memorial and an event to register people to vote.
Towns also checked in on teammate Malik Beasley, who had been arrested and released a couple of weeks ago and has not yet been charged with a crime.
Krawczynski also mentions that nobody with the Timberwolves, including front office and coaching staff, was upset with Towns’ absence and everyone was aware that he wouldn’t be there for the majority of the bubble. Rosas also reiterated that the camp was voluntary, noting that D’Angelo Russell and James Johnson were both there for the first half of it before leaving, joining Juancho Herangomez and Malik Beasley, both restricted free agents who missed the full bubble.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Updates on Nikola Pekovic and Marcus Georges-Hunt
On a much more serious note, former Timberwolves big man Nikola Pekovic is reportedly hospitalized in Serbia with a serious case of COVID-19.
Despite some media reports that he was on a respirator, a Sportando report states that Pekovic’s family is saying he is in “stable condition” and is breathing independently.
Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with Pek and his family, and anyone else who has contracted COVID-19. If there are any updates on Pekovic’s condition, we’ll cover it here.
Also overseas, former Wolves wing Marcus Georges-Hunt is changing teams in China after a fantastic season last year. Georges-Hunt averaged 24.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game and will now be joining the Jiangsu Dragons.
Georges-Hunt had shown some promise as a defensive-minded wing on Tom Thibodeau’s 47-win Wolves team in 2017-18 but hasn’t played in the NBA since.