News Timberwolves Team Notes

[Minnesota Timberwolves]

Timberwolves Coach Calls Out Anthony Edwards After Game 1

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Anthony Edwards didn’t play well for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, and his coach knows it.

Speaking to ESPN after the Timberwolves were taken down by the Golden State Warriors, Chris Finch got honest about Edwards’ performance.

“What is there to talk about? You’re the leader of the team,” Finch said. “You’ve got to come out and set the tone. If your shot is not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into an opening second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.”

Finch feels that even though he’s the coach, it’s not his job to inspire Edwards to lead the team.

This should be something he does naturally at this point in his career.

Edwards got off to a really rocky start on Tuesday, missing his first 10 shots before hitting a basket.

In the end, he had 23 points and went 9-of-23 from the floor, including 1-of-5 from the three-point line.

Of course, this loss wasn’t all because of Edwards.

Julius Randle, Mike Conley, and Donte DiVincenzo all had bad nights as well.

But to Finch’s point, Edwards is the team’s leader, and the rest of the squad will follow him.

The good news here is that this is only one game, and the T-Wolves can absolutely bounce back, especially since Game 2 will also be in Minnesota

Plus, Edwards is the sort of player who gets fired up when people discount him, and he will be ready to prove himself.

This game could be a turning point for Edwards, and he might explode in Game 2.

But if he doesn’t, it won’t be only Finch who will call on Edwards to improve his game as soon as possible.

The post Timberwolves Coach Calls Out Anthony Edwards After Game 1 appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/timberwolves-coach-calls-out-anthony-edwards-after-game-1/

 

[Minnesota Timberwolves]

Rudy Gobert Gets Honest About Warriors’ Approach In Game 1

(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The Golden State Warriors lost Stephen Curry during Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, but Rudy Gobert feels it didn’t affect them much.

Following his team’s disappointing and surprising loss to Golden State, Gobert opened up to ESPN about what he noticed.

“I didn’t see any change in their approach,” Minnesota center Rudy Gobert said. “Obviously, Steph is Steph, but they were playing like their life depended on it since the beginning of the game and I didn’t feel that for us early on.”

This is a big problem for the Timberwolves and a huge testament to the will of the Warriors.

Golden State have been fighting hard for the last few months, clawing their way into playoff contention after being counted out by many NBA fans.

They are also coming off a hard-fought series against the Houston Rockets, which has only improved their confidence.

This is a team that has looked totally different since adding Jimmy Butler in February, and they feel they are capable of anything, even if Curry is out with an injury.

Gobert didn’t like what he saw from his team, who weren’t acting like a squad trying to fight for their lives.

Will that change in Game 2 and beyond, especially if Curry is out with a hamstring injury?

The Timberwolves desperately wanted to take Game 1, and now they are on their heels after a surprising loss.

But they have time to recover, change their approach, and look much better in a few days.

Even when they lost their greatest star, the Warriors kept playing well, Gobert said.

Will his own team learn from that and adjust?

The post Rudy Gobert Gets Honest About Warriors’ Approach In Game 1 appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rudy-gobert-gets-honest-about-warriors-approach-in-game-1/

 

[Minnesota Timberwolves]

Anthony Edwards Gets Honest About His Injury Scare On Thursday

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

For a brief moment on Thursday, it looked like the Minnesota Timberwolves were going to lose Anthony Edwards.

Edwards was already nursing a hurt left ankle after an injury during the opening round against the Los Angeles Lakers.

But things got worse during Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, and he limped off the court, leaving all fans scared about what would happen next.

He eventually came back and played even better than before.

Following the 117-93 win over the Warriors, Edwards spoke with ESPN about his ankle.

“That one was crazy,” Edwards said of his sprain. “But I’ll be all right.”

This is exactly what T-Wolves fans wanted to hear.

They were terrified that he would miss all of the game after tweaking his ankle against Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Edwards remained on the floor as the game went on, and it was clear that he was suffering.

During a timeout, he hobbled to his feet and limped to the locker room.

That could have been the end of the game for Minnesota, but they were able to hold onto their lead.

Then, Edwards came back and scored the majority of his points, proving that he was doing just fine and there was nothing to worry about.

But injuries are never cut-and-dry, and some fans were still concerned that this would cause him trouble in the days ahead.

Was there a chance of him missing Game 3 because of the ankle tweak?

He said no one should be concerned about it and that all is well with his body.

That means hopes are still high for the Timberwolves.

They were afraid, but only briefly, and now they can start to get excited about Game 3 and beyond.

The post Anthony Edwards Gets Honest About His Injury Scare On Thursday appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/anthony-edwards-gets-honest-about-his-injury-scare-on-thursday/

 

[Minnesota Timberwolves]

Julius Randle Had High Praise For Anthony Edwards’ Resiliency

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

For some reason, Anthony Edwards actually played better for his Minnesota Timberwolves after an injury on Thursday night.

Edwards had to leave the court midway through the second quarter of Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors.

But he came back looking better than ever, a true sign of his resilience and strength.

Following the game, Julius Randle talked about Edwards and what he is capable of.

“He’s one of the more resilient people that I know,” Randle told ESPN. “Nothing holds him down. He never misses games. For as much attention and effort teams do to try to stop him, he’s never one to sit out a game. … I don’t know, he’s like Ironman. I’ve seen him get hit, get knocked down so many times. Better off, he’s like Wolverine. He gets hurt and he does something in the back. I don’t know what the hell he does … but he comes out and he balls. That’s what he does.”

Comparing him to a Wolverine makes sense because Edwards can be downright ferocious and unstoppable on the court.

His ankle was already questionable because of an injury he suffered during his team’s opening round against the Los Angeles Lakers.

So when he hurt it again on Thursday, people feared the worst.

They thought he was going to miss the rest of the game, or beyond, when he limped to the locker room.

Instead, Edwards spent time getting treated and then came back.

He then scored 13 of his 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting after halftime.

Edwards clearly wanted to win, and he wasn’t going to let a nagging injury get in his way.

Now, everyone is wondering how he will look for Game 3.

Will this injury subside completely, or will he struggle and not be at 100 percent?

The post Julius Randle Had High Praise For Anthony Edwards’ Resiliency appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/julius-randle-had-high-praise-for-anthony-edwards-resiliency/