Rudy Gobert calls out Timberwolves fans in postgame presser

After one month, the Minnesota Timberwolves are beginning to find their groove. Things are meshing, chemistry is improving, and this team is slowly beginning to look more like the Western Conference contender it was touted as all offseason.

After rallying to escape with a victory against the Miami Heat on Monday, the Timberwolves secured their fourth straight victory, bringing their record above .500 at 9-8. This came after knocking off other expected contenders in the East on the road in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

Things are on the upturn, and most fans are much more pleased with what they are seeing out of this group than they were two weeks ago. But not everyone is fully satisfied.

On Monday, the Timberwolves found themselves down 14 points to the Heat in the third quarter, and a disturbingly familiar sound began to emanate from the Target Center crowd: booing.

Minnesota Timberwolves fans booed their team once again on Monday

This was not the first time this season that the Target Center crowd had expressed their dissatisfaction with their teams’ play. With the plethora of early season struggles the Timberwolves have encountered, it has become something of a regular occurrence.

However, we can assume the boos had their intended effect, as Minnesota erased their double-digit deficit and came back to beat Miami,105-101. So although both the fans and the team left the arena with the win they hoped for on Monday night, the way the fans received the Timberwolves’ struggles was not appreciated by everyone.

In the postgame press conference, Rudy Gobert spoke about the booing fans, telling them that if they were going to boo, they should “just stay home.”

Rudy Gobert had a strong message for booing Timberwolves fans

Gobert expressed that he does not like fans to be lukewarm in their support of the team. “When you’re a fan, you gotta support your team in the tough or the good moments. There’s no team in NBA history that only had good moments, so if you’re not going to support us in the tough moments, just stay home,” said Gobert.

This message from the Timberwolves’ Center comes in stark contrast to Head Coach Chris Finch’s remarks on the same subject. “My thought is if you don’t want to be booed, play better,” said Finch.

No matter which perspective you agree with, it is clear this is something that has come to the attention of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ players and coaching staff. With the high expectations placed on this team over the course of the offseason, it should not come as a surprise that the fanbase is demanding nothing short of excellence.

But if this Timberwolves team continues to turn things around for the better, we can expect the boos at Target Center to be quickly transformed into harmonious cheers.