The NBA was astonished and dubious about Rudy Gobert’s signing. When Aden McDaniels’ phone rang, he knew the truth, but he reacted like most people do when confronted with disturbing information: he denied it.
The Minnesota Timberwolves forward remarked, “People were telling me and I thought I’m not believing that until my coach tells me.”
The Whole Group Conversation Then Proceeds to State
When faced with a new difficulty, “everyone in the group chat begins stating ‘OK, this is going to be a struggle at first.'”
The Wolves acquired three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz in a four-player, four-first-round pick transaction on the afternoon of July 1.
Executives from the other teams in the league were taken aback by Minnesota’s price tag. However, the players were caught aback by the fact that some of the team’s most beloved members, like Patrick Beverley, the seasoned captain, were being sent out.
They had just finished a 46-36 regular season and won a play-in game to advance to the postseason for only the second time in 18 years.
Guard Jordan McLaughlin, now in his fourth season with the Timberwolves, stated, “We were already with sort of the mentality to run it back with the pieces that we had.”
When the transaction finally went through, everything changed for us. In the words of the forward Taurean Prince, “it wasn’t that it put us in a foul mood, but, um, we were shocked.”
No one on the Wolves’ roster, in the stands, or against them in the standings knew at the moment how fully committed the organization’s leadership is to Gobert. And they do not give a hoot about how others perceive their crush or the specifics of the deal.
The Wolves’ Remaining Itinerary Includes a Visit to The Lakers
Do not miss Wednesday’s preseason game when the Wolves visit the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest of this season’s action involving the team at 10 p.m. ET, ESPN and you will quickly realize they think their huge turnaround over the summer was more than a home run; they think it was a grand slam.
They see Gobert as more than simply a championship-caliber addition; they think he gives their other stars a much-needed boost.
Chris Finch, the Wolves’ head coach, stated, “We put up the 30 best players in the league on a board,” waving wildly as he recalled the early meetings when the transaction was being discussed. It seems like three or four of them are accessible at any one moment.
If you were to provide ten choices, some of them would not even be accessible. The more we looked into it, the more convinced we were that we could not trade for him if you have one you can get, and he fits, and he does a lot of the things that we like.
The fact that Gobert has been named to the All-NBA team four times was a factor. The Wolves were convinced of him because of the positive impact his arrival would have on the careers of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell.
In His First Two Seasons as Coach, He Was a Savvy Strategist
Finch, who in his first two years as a coach has earned a reputation as a strategist, used up a lot of dry-erase markers mapping out his strategy on a whiteboard.
The basketball operations department and his assistant coaches analyzed the Wolves’ potential weaknesses and the advantages of passing on the deal. They came up empty, even after justifying that they would not have to part with Towns, Edwards, Russell, or McDaniels, their four best players.
Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who signed a five-year, $40 million deal with the team in May, stated, “It’s a very narrow roster of exceptional players.” never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d get a call like this.”
The team’s VP of basketball operations, one of the most renowned analytics gurus in the game, Sachin Gupta, provided extensive data on the benefits of signing Gobert.
Playing with Gobert might be beneficial for Towns, who averaged only five 3-point attempts per game last season but made over 40 percent of them. In the last year, “we experienced so much double in the post with KAT,” Finch said.
The other teams did not even bother to properly defend some of the players. Towns have difficulties protecting opposing centers. Gobert can help and split time at the center would provide fresh chances.
Edwards, who was 11th in the NBA in thefts last season, might be more aggressive with Gobert protecting the rim. They paired Russell, who has not played in Minnesota, with Gobert, a screen-setter, and the spreadsheets looked good.
The goal was to have Towns and Edwards together all the time — they were the center of a No. 1 offense after Jan. 1 last season — and have Gobert and Russell out there as much as possible, providing 48 minutes of firepower if the groupings were spaced appropriately.
Poor Defense and Rebounding Cost the Wolves in The Playoffs
The Wolves were 16th in defense during that time, and rebounding hurt them in their playoff defeat to Memphis. The Wolves were outrebounded by 28 in Games 5 and 6. The NBA’s rebounding leader was Gobert.
As the Wolves deliberated, they fell in love. New team owner. Marc Lore, who acquired 25% of the club alongside Alex Rodriguez last year, will buy another chunk from owner Glen Taylor in December and become majority owner in 2023.
Lore led the team’s bidding battle to hire Connelly away from the Nuggets following last season. He also supported the Gobert trade.
“It’s rare to obtain a guy of Rudy’s quality without trading stars,” he said in July. It reminded me of Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, who orchestrated a contentious deal in 2012 to get Andrew Bogut, whom he labeled “transcendent.”
Warriors supporters booed Lacob then; the club won the championship three years later with Bogut at the center. The NBA’s general managers voted it the most unexpected move of the summer, which may not be a recommendation.
Connelly questioned Finch, “Are you going to stay with it?” before agreeing to the Jazz’s high ask. said Finch. “When opponents underperform.” They were amazing with Gobert. Last season, the Jazz had the best offense with Gobert yet lost in the first round like the Wolves.
Two years ago, the Jazz had the NBA’s best offense, defense, and record but lost in the second round. Smaller, faster lines in the playoffs forced Gobert to pick between his inside game and perimeter defense.
Finishing Off This Discussion
Towns, who is not a defensive stalwart, might face smaller power forwards in the playoffs. Connelly’s query to Finch meant this. Gobert’s 2020 five-year, $205 million deal drew suspicion for the same reason.
Could the Wolves be constructing the Jazz North by sacrificing their draft future? Finch: “You don’t play small with Karl Towns.” “Blind spots were discussed. We researched. With KAT’s adaptability, the notion didn’t worry me.”
The end. According to Wolves officials, there was considerable unity. Since then, the Wolves have not stopped smiling. Finch traveled to Europe late in the summer to see Gobert play for France. Finch convinced the new focus of team ideas. “I admire Coach’s game plan and how he wants to utilize me. He will discover solutions “Gobert” “Our roster and talent are amazing.”