After experiencing the postseason last spring, the Timberwolves made a daring move that their management thought would elevate them to the level of legitimate contenders.
To acquire center Rudy Gobert from Utah, they traded a group of players and four first-round picks, including the pick for this year’s draught. It has been a terrible decision up to this point.
After falling to Detroit, the team with the worst record in the league, at home, Minnesota is now five games under.500. In the second half, the Timberwolves were outscored 66-40 while being jeered by the home crowd.
The Timberwolves defense was supposed to be stabilized by Gobert, but they are still struggling to make enough stops. The Timberwolves are 22nd in terms of points surrendered, despite ranking a respectable sixth in field goal percentage defense.
To be fair, Minnesota has been playing without its greatest player for the past five weeks. Since Nov. 28, Karl-Anthony Towns has been sidelined due to a right calf strain. His return date has not yet been set.
In his absence, Minnesota would be largely dependent on the guard duo of Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell to score points. Russell, who has a salary of more than $31MM this year, will enter unrestricted free agency.
The Timberwolves have also had issues with their rebounding, and their bench, which ranks 18th in the league in scoring, hasn’t done much to help.
They now don’t have many assets to trade owing to the Gobert trade, save from Russell’s contract that is about to expire.
That brings us to today’s dilemma: Should the Timberwolves be patient and hold out hope that things will improve once Karl-Anthony Towns is back? Or should they try to make moves to restock their resources and assemble a stronger squad for the upcoming season?
Please share your thoughts on this in the comments area. We eagerly await your feedback.
