Rudy Gobert goes down swinging
The first matter to address is the unfortunate physical altercation between center Rudy Gobert and point forward Kyle Anderson. This was the type of play that no fanbase wants to see between key contributors, and the aftermath of this one may be even more painful to the Timberwolves roster than the incident itself.
"We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter. His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will handle the situation internally."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 9, 2023
-- Statement from Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.
The play followed a post-Pelicans score and subsequent inbound pass from power forward Karl-Anthony Towns intended for center Rudy Gobert. But the New Orleans Pelicans sniffed out the lackadaisical play of Gobert, jumped back to the pass ahead of Gobert, and scored an easy layup. The remainder of the Timberwolves roster reacted as expected, with a bit of surprise and astonishment at the mental lapse that seemed to precipitate that play.
Tempers boil over
Of course, an immediate timeout after that play simply heated up the situation for the team, from a smoldering simmer to a flash boil, that came to a head when the visibly upset Rudy Gobert, already tormented by his own remorse, lashed out at the stern admonishments of teammate Kyle Anderson.
INTENSE moment on the bench between Timberwolves teammates Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson 👀 pic.twitter.com/NQXq54UhxI
— Bally Sports (@BallySports) April 9, 2023
As a result of the dissent, the Minnesota Timberwolves elected to send Rudy Gobert home and will address the incident further internally. Of course, a resolution is a must, as the Minnesota Timberwolves will need to bring their A-game to face and overcome any opponents from here on out.