Lofty expectations for KAT’s return is setting up Timberwolves for deep disappointment
By Bret Stuter
Just wait until your Daddy gets home
Many of us who were raised in a different time recall our childish games that frustrated our mothers and were an almost endless source of entertainment. It was a time of exploration, of testing boundaries of ourselves and the world around us. It was a time when the threat of paternal intervention was enough to stop most children dead in their tracks, and oftentimes immediately temper the misbehavior into obedience. And it all happened as soon as the mother uttered the words:
“Just wait until your Daddy gets home.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves are playing a dangerous game right now. If the team is justifying lackluster play today and betting on a new day dawning when Karl-Anthony Towns arrives to rally the troops, this season is as good as lost. If nothing else, you can be certain that new point guard Mike Conley ‘gets it,’ and is trying to keep his new teammates in line.
Conley:
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 25, 2023
"We can’t wait two weeks and say KAT’s going to come back and we’re good. We’ve got to do it now and build that chemistry now so that when he does come back he’s jumping into a situation that can be elevated to another level and hopefully push us to where we need to be."
When Conley stated: “We’ve got to do it now,” he is spot on.
Minnesota Timberwolves insist on playing down to competition. light. Related Story
Conley is taking the reins of the Timberwolves
Conley is absolutely right on this point. The return of Karl-Anthony Towns to this roster will not suddenly smooth the rough edges nor will the players who have been struggling on offense or defense suddenly have the revelation of how to elevate their own contribution.
Stability is something that the Minnesota Timberwolves simply have not had the luxury to enjoy this season. Whether it has been the prolonged absence of Towns for the past 41 games, the revolving set of minor injuries that have resulted in the benching of multiple other starters, or simply the uncertainty over who will be healthy enough to play, the Timberwolves’ season of experimenting with a two High Wall defense has instead morphed into some far more basic: How much adversity can the Timberwolves take?