Minnesota Meltdown; Gobert punches, Jaden hits wall and breaks hand. Play in tournamewnt.

[Hoops Addict]

Minnesota is melting down.

1. Gobert " punches " teammate, for calling him a B@@@@.
2. Jaden punches wall.....breaks hand....done for the season
3. Gobert suspended for Lakers play in game.

I love this meltdown.......hope the Jazz get the 14th pick.

I admit to having love for Conley and Gobert, BUT I love there is BUYERS REMORSE, and hope Minny is bad for the next 6 years.

Teammates are fighting, Minny knows they are stuck with an aging, overpriced center with an untradable contract.

Let's hope Edwards wants out and does not resign with Minny. Maybe their team will get worse.

[Inigo Montoya]

Next season Ainge will get the Wolves to trade Edwards + picks for THT.

[vryadli]

Next season Ainge will get the Wolves to trade Edwards + picks for THT.

I don't see Edwards as someone better than Carmelo. Of course, Carmelo was better talent-wise, but as the whole it's a coin toss.

[AingesBurner]

Next season Ainge will get the Wolves to trade Edwards + picks for THT.

I’m not an Edwards fan; I would rather dump our load on a wing or Trae.

[shrink]

I figure there are still many Rudy Gobert fans here, so I thought somebody here might appreciate details from The Athletic’s Jon Krawcinski’s Minnesota podcast.

Prior to the game, Gobert’s back spasms were very bad, but Kyle Anderson goaded him into playing. When Rudy struggled and was down on himself for being unable to compete, Kyle called him a bitch. Since Kyle has missed a dozen games with back spasms himself, Rudy probably expected the exact opposite response from SloMo.

Since the punch, it sounds like no big deal between them, in fact, Anderson has talked about being surprised people made such a big deal about it. He said this stuff happens, it “is what it is, we’re grown men, and he’s not the first guy that’s swung on me.”

He added that if it was up to the players, Gobert would have played in the Laker game. But the team’s one game suspension was appropriate for a team trying to change a decades worth of bad culture.

If you want more information from someone who’s in that locker room, you should check out The Jon Krawcinski Show podcast.

[vryadli]

Returning of KAT changes everything. Edwards is not more alpha dog what he (and NBA talking heads) imagined himself. And no more D'angelo to support him in his yapping.

Now Minnesota is very dangerous. No easy sweep for Nuggets! Going to be dogfight, TW are well matched against them.

[vryadli]

Returning of KAT changes everything. Edwards is not more alpha dog what he (and NBA talking heads) imagined himself. And no more D'angelo to support him in his yapping.

Now Minnesota is very dangerous. No easy sweep for Nuggets! Going to be dogfight, TW are well matched against them.

Eating the crow... I seriously overestimate Minnesota abilities. It was way more close to sweep than to dogfight.

OK, this happens.

[zero24gravity]

My post over on the Minnesota board:

Jazz fan here. Draft pick be damned, I was definitely rooting for the Wolves to make noise in the playoffs. I love Conley & Gobert. Also really like NAW.

The Jazz had the 7th & 14th highest offensive rating in NBA history (Statmuse) the last 2 seasons Gobert was in Utah.
Rudy Gobert was 5th in the league in Offensive WinShares in 2021-22, and was 9th in 2020-21. He was also 1st in True Shooting % in 2021-22 & 2nd in 2020-21. (basketballreference.com)

I bring this up, because Rudy, who's career offensive rating is an impressive 127.4 (Towns is 119.4, Edwards is 105.4), may not be a playmaker, but is still capable of being a big part of a good offense. However, it takes the right coach, system, and players. It doesn't seem like Finch was able to maximize Gobert on offense or defense. I don't know enough about your coach to say if he's the right man for the job, but what I do know is that changes are needed to suite the roster if the team is going to maximize the talent you have. I understand that having talented players like Ant & Kat means that Rudy can't be the entire focus of the teams planning. Still, after mortgaging the franchise's assets on the guy, I would think the plan has to be to do whatever it takes to get the best out of him.

Good luck moving forward.

[vryadli]

Heh, but for all bitching about Gobert and accolades for DM, Cleveland did't do any better in PO. I'd say losing 3-1 to Knicks having HCA with that! is even more pitiful then to first team in the West

[pickIBL]

Minnesota is melting down.

1. Gobert " punches " teammate, for calling him a B@@@@.
2. Jaden punches wall.....breaks hand....done for the season
3. Gobert suspended for Lakers play in game.

I love this meltdown.......hope the Jazz get the 14th pick.

I admit to having love for Conley and Gobert, BUT I love there is BUYERS REMORSE, and hope Minny is bad for the next 6 years.

Teammates are fighting, Minny knows they are stuck with an aging, overpriced center with an untradable contract.

Let's hope Edwards wants out and does not resign with Minny. Maybe their team will get worse.

Eeh... new prereq to play in the NBA 1 thru 5. Lateral quickness. Nba is running the traditional big out.

[AingesBurner]

Minnesota is melting down.

1. Gobert " punches " teammate, for calling him a B@@@@.
2. Jaden punches wall.....breaks hand....done for the season
3. Gobert suspended for Lakers play in game.

I love this meltdown.......hope the Jazz get the 14th pick.

I admit to having love for Conley and Gobert, BUT I love there is BUYERS REMORSE, and hope Minny is bad for the next 6 years.

Teammates are fighting, Minny knows they are stuck with an aging, overpriced center with an untradable contract.

Let's hope Edwards wants out and does not resign with Minny. Maybe their team will get worse.

Eeh... new prereq to play in the NBA 1 thru 5. Lateral quickness. Nba is running the traditional big out.

Eh going to disagree and the last 2 MVPs are bigs.

[pickIBL]

Minnesota is melting down.

1. Gobert " punches " teammate, for calling him a B@@@@.
2. Jaden punches wall.....breaks hand....done for the season
3. Gobert suspended for Lakers play in game.

I love this meltdown.......hope the Jazz get the 14th pick.

I admit to having love for Conley and Gobert, BUT I love there is BUYERS REMORSE, and hope Minny is bad for the next 6 years.

Teammates are fighting, Minny knows they are stuck with an aging, overpriced center with an untradable contract.

Let's hope Edwards wants out and does not resign with Minny. Maybe their team will get worse.

Eeh... new prereq to play in the NBA 1 thru 5. Lateral quickness. Nba is running the traditional big out.

Eh going to disagree and the last 2 MVPs are bigs.

Not traditional. The 60s 70s 80s was mostly all bigs mvps. Then jordan came along. I think dirk in 07 won one.I would say jokic is an outlier in a league with the Traditional Big on the outs

[AingesBurner]

Eeh... new prereq to play in the NBA 1 thru 5. Lateral quickness. Nba is running the traditional big out.

Eh going to disagree and the last 2 MVPs are bigs.

Not traditional. The 60s 70s 80s was mostly all bigs mvps. Then jordan came along. I think dirk in 07 won one.I would say jokic is an outlier in a league with the Traditional Big on the outs

The traditional post big is likely done.

[vtime]

Minnesota is melting down.

1. Gobert " punches " teammate, for calling him a B@@@@.
2. Jaden punches wall.....breaks hand....done for the season
3. Gobert suspended for Lakers play in game.

I love this meltdown.......hope the Jazz get the 14th pick.

I admit to having love for Conley and Gobert, BUT I love there is BUYERS REMORSE, and hope Minny is bad for the next 6 years.

Teammates are fighting, Minny knows they are stuck with an aging, overpriced center with an untradable contract.

Let's hope Edwards wants out and does not resign with Minny. Maybe their team will get worse.

I wouldn’t call Rudy overpriced, but he is untradeable because it would be crazy to give him up because of how he has transformed the franchise.

[vryadli]

Minnesota is melting down.

1. Gobert " punches " teammate, for calling him a B@@@@.
2. Jaden punches wall.....breaks hand....done for the season
3. Gobert suspended for Lakers play in game.

I love this meltdown.......hope the Jazz get the 14th pick.

I admit to having love for Conley and Gobert, BUT I love there is BUYERS REMORSE, and hope Minny is bad for the next 6 years.

Teammates are fighting, Minny knows they are stuck with an aging, overpriced center with an untradable contract.

Let's hope Edwards wants out and does not resign with Minny. Maybe their team will get worse.

I wouldn’t call Rudy overpriced, but he is untradeable because it would be crazy to give him up because of how he has transformed the franchise.

Unless they hire Ainge. His trading magic has no limits.

[SoCalJazzFan]

Giving the TWolves Mike Conley has been the biggest misstep of the Ainge Jazz era.

[Inigo Montoya]

Giving the TWolves Mike Conley has been the biggest misstep of the Ainge Jazz era.

What's even worse is that the Jazz actually paid the Wolves to take him and NAW.

[Crunch 99]

Yep, the Wolves are playing incredible defense in round one versus the Suns so far. From the commentator on the Thinking Basketball video below: "Having all these great wing defenders around Rudy Gobert certainly amplifies that rim protection in a way we did not see when he was in Utah. The Phoenix offensive rating in this series is 100. 100. The last time league efficiency was that low was before the three point line."

Along with Gobert, McDaniels and Edwards, NAW appears in a lot of the highlights in this ball pressure video. He's averaging 30 mpg off the bench over the first two games.

Watch on YouTube

[Crunch 99]

Giving the TWolves Mike Conley has been the biggest misstep of the Ainge Jazz era.

Yep, he just won NBA's "Teammate of the Year." It is the second time he has won this award. He has also won the league's sportsmanship award four different times.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40063756/wolves-mike-conley-named-nba-teammate-year

I think his influence may be greater and more important in Minnesota than it was in Utah. Conley caught Edwards at a younger age than he caught Mitchell, age 21 versus age 23, and perhaps has been able to exert more influence on the development of Edwards' all around, unselfish game than he did Mitchell's game.

Conley has been shooting the ball very efficiently at Minnesota, 45.7/44.2/91.1 splits this season, 61.9 TS%, which probably gives him some additional cred with teammates. He was fighting nagging hamstring problems when he first came to Utah, and got off to a cold start shooting the ball here. Pre All Star game his first season here, he had 39.2/36.1/78.0 shooting splits and just 51.1 TS%. I remember doubting him then and being disappointed in his performance.

[Crunch 99]

I might be wildly overestimating Conley's ability to lead, but I would love to bring him back to the Utah Jazz as head coach.