The Minnesota Timberwolves capped off their regular season with a crucial win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Of course, some would argue that the victory came at too high of a price. In that one game, the Timberwolves lost small forward Jaden McDaniels, who punched a tunnel wall out of frustration at being called for a foul.
That punch resulted in breaking two bones in his hand and taking him out of the Timberwolves lineup indefinitely. But that was just the start of the headaches for the Timberwolves organization.
The second incident involved center Rudy Gobert being sent home late in the third quarter for striking teammate Kyle Anderson in the chest during a heated bench argument.
Timberwolves keeping Rudy Gobert in suspense
In the aftermath of that dispute, Rudy Gobert has been suspended by the team for one game. There is no doubt that as a result of some pretty unwise decisions, the Timberwolves have dug themselves into a hole.
"“It’s certainly not something that we condone. Veterans can get upset, too. I don’t want to be too hard on him, but obviously, it’s not something we’re going to be able to tolerate here.”- Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch discussing Rudy Gobert’s confrontation with teammate Kyle Anderson (see video below)"
The press conference can be seen in the embedded video below:
Two punches were thrown, and two Timberwolves starters are now ruled out for the first game of the NBA Play-In Tournament as a result. Yikes.
Yes, the absence of starting center Rudy Gobert and small forward Jaden McDaniels as the team prepares to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, has backed the Timberwolves into a corner.