Jacqueline Towns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, passed away today after complications from the Coronavirus. A few weeks ago, Karl-Anthony took to his Instagram account where he told fans to stay and to stay home. During this address, he noted that both of his parents had gotten the Coronavirus and that his father had recovered. However, Towns had noted that his mom was being put into a coma as she was experiencing complications.
An update on Jacqueline's condition was released last week, noting that she was still in the ICU, fighting for her life. Today, the Minnesota Timberwolves took to Twitter where they announced the unfortunate news about her passing.
Towns' death is a sad reminder of how this virus is affecting people all across the country. Over 500,000 people in the United States have contracted COVID-19 and over 20,000 people have died. With these statistics in mind, it is important for everyone to stay home and continue to practice social distancing as it will help save lives.
In the meantime, our hearts go out to the Towns family and all of the other families who have been impacted by the pandemic. These are troubling times but if we work together, we can get through this.
Kevin Garnett Puts Timberwolves Owner On Blast For Being A "Snake"
Kevin Garnett doesn’t seem too interested in a Minnesota jersey retirement.
Kevin Garnett is a legend of basketball and his contributions to the game will forever be immortalized in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Garnett is being put in the Hall alongside other legends like Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. While Garnett won a championship with the Boston Celtics, he started out his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has had a topsy turvy relationship with the organization, particularly owner, Glen Taylor.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Garnett spoke about how Taylor went against the wishes of himself and the late Flip Saunders. Garnett is extremely upset with Taylor and says he doesn’t want his jersey retired in the city because he doesn’t want to work with snakes.
Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
“Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip. For that, I won’t forgive Glen. I won’t forgive him for that. I thought he was a straight up person, straight up business man, and when Flip died, everything went with him,” Garnett said. “Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart. But I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake mu’fuckas. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.”
If you’re a Timberwolves fan, these comments have to sting although they are understandable when you consider Garnett’s relationship with Saunders. Hopefully, these wounds can be mended sooner rather than later.
[Via]
Jimmy Butler Tells Carmelo Anthony How Bulls Trade "Hurt" Him
Jimmy Butler was in Paris when he found out he was no longer on the Chicago Bulls.
Jimmy Butler has consistently proven himself to be one of the hardest-working players in the NBA over the last couple of seasons although his reputation is that of a player that doesn’t get along with his teammates. His tenure in Miami has disproven this very notion although there are some NBA executives who are still wary of the star.
Back in June of 2017, the Chicago Bulls decided to move on from Jimmy Butler and traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he lasted about a season. During an IG live session with Carmelo Anthony, Butler explained how he was with Melo and Dwyane Wade in Paris when he got the call that he was being dealt. As he explains, the whole situation hurt him dearly.
“Ya’ll helped me through that though,” Butler said. “I remember sitting at the dinner and ya’ll was like, ‘Yo, you’re still a helluva player. You’re gonna go do what you were doing in Chicago in Minnesota. You’re gonna change the culture there…I was hurt.”
Things ended up working out for Butler as he is now thriving on a young Miami Heat squad that could play spoiler in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs end up going on as planned. At this point, we’re sure Bulls fans wish they still had Butler on the roster.
[Via]
Steve Kerr On D’Angelo Russell: "To Be Blunt, The Fit Was Questionable"
Kerr was candid about Russell's fit on the Warriors.
Steve Kerr believes D'Angelo Russell's fit in Golden State was questionable from the beginning.
“To be perfectly blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him,” Kerr told reporters on Friday, according to Yahoo Sports. “Nobody questioned that. When you already have Steph and Klay and you add a ball-dominant guard, you can rightfully question the fit.”
The Warriors currently hold a disappointing 12-40 record. After losing both Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, Russell alone was not enough to hold together the broken team. He averaged 23.6 points and 6.2 assists for the Warriors.
Russell was traded before the deadline this week for former number 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins seemed happy to be out of Minnesota, tweeting a video of Drake celebrating. Battling against high expectations, Wiggins has been inconsistent to start his career. He's not a phenomenal 3-point shooter and he can be rocky on defense, but the Warriors hope he'll be a good fit for the team.
With Curry and Thompson set to return for next season, the Warriors look to build for the future.
Kerr finished by telling reporters, “I’m happy for D’Angelo. I think he’s gonna have a great situation in Minneapolis. ... In the end, I think this could work out for everybody.”
Warriors Reportedly Couldn’t Wait To Get Rid Of D’Angelo Russell
The Warriors were busy at the deadline.
Yesterday, the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves participated in a blockbuster trade that sent D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota in exchange for Andrew Wiggins. If you were to ask most people around the NBA, they would tell you D-Lo is a much better player than Wiggins. However, it’s clear the Warriors couldn’t keep Russell’s contract and wanted someone who would fit into their system once Steph Curry and Klay Thompson come back.
According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the Warriors were eager to trade D-Lo and they didn’t seem to mind what they got in return. In fact, as Thompson describes, Russell didn’t fit in with the team and executives around the club were trying to get rid of him sooner than later.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Per The Athletic:
“Take that as an indictment on Russell, if you want. It doesn’t seem like he did much to instill confidence. He didn’t play defense and disappeared when off the ball. He didn’t instill confidence in the leaders of the franchise that he would figure it out. But it should also be seen as a failure by the Warriors.”
“They championed him. They said they wanted him as part of their core. And before they even got to see him with their core, they walked away. Which means, at minimum, they completely miscalculated Russell’s fit. It’s early, and you never know how these things turn out. But the Russell experiment must have gone so poorly that the Warriors look like they might have been the ones to blink first in a negotiation with Minnesota.”
Russell will be joining a Timberwolves team that is currently on a 13-game losing streak. Despite this, he will also be joining his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns, so we’re sure there will be some palpable chemistry between the two.
Karl-Anthony Towns Pens Touching Message To Traded T-Wolves Players
Towns has been through a lot lately.
Karl-Anthony Towns has consistently been one of the best players on the Minnesota Timberwolves over the past few years. Unfortunately for him and his team, they have been in a huge rut. The squad is currently on a 13-game losing streak and they appear to be freefalling to the bottom of the league standings. In order to correct this trend, the Timberwolves made a plethora of trades, including one that sent Andrew Wiggins to Golden State in exchange for D’Angelo Russell.
Earlier this morning, Towns took to Instagram where he penned a heartfelt message to some of the guys he won’t be playing with anymore. He even posted some pictures of himself and these players which added to the sincerity behind his words.
“Want to take the time to thank my brothas that not only made me a better player but better person,” Towns said. “To Wiggs and G, you held me down ever since I stepped through the doors of minny and can’t thank you enough for being there with me when I needed y’all the most. I got love and respect for you. All love to everyone and praying for success.”
As of right now, the Timberwolves are stuck at a record of 15-35 and will be looking to get back in the win column Saturday night when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Andrew Wiggins Uses Joyful Drake Clip To Shade T-Wolves After Trade
Wiggins is going from 14th to 15th.
Andrew Wiggins has had to deal with a lot of scrutiny over the last few years thanks to his lackluster play with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The former number one overall pick hasn't lived up to expectations and Timberwolves fans have become fed up with him. Over the past week or so, there have been rumors that the T-Wolves could trade Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for D'Angelo Russell. Earlier today, that's exactly what happened.
Timberwolves fans are excited about the trade and have already taken to social media to rejoice. Meanwhile, Wiggins himself also took to social media where he posted a video of Drake on his Instagram story. In the clip, Drake is acting in a frantic, excited fashion. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that this is how Wiggins feels about being traded to Golden State.
For now, it looks like the Timberwolves have won this trade but with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson coming back, they didn't need D-Lo's services, nor his large contract. As for Wiggins, he will be able to learn from some veterans and perhaps even improve his game. Wiggins has been thrust into the spotlight with very limited support throughout his career and clearly needs a change of pace. Maybe a secondary role will help him develop and become a more confident NBA star.
What do you think of the Warriors/Timberwolves trade?
Karl-Anthony Towns Lashes Out After T-Wolves Drop 13th-Straight Game
The T-Wolves are a mess right now.
Despite a strong start to the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been god awful. They lost to the Atlanta Hawks last night and are currently on a 13-game losing streak. Recently, star player Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to have a negative reaction to their latest trade and he’s not done commenting on this team’s failures.
In fact, Towns hasn’t been in the lineup for a Timberwolves win since before Thanksgiving and he’s starting to get fed up. After last night’s game, he spoke to the media about the T-Wolves’ most recent loss and he didn’t hold back when speaking on his displeasure.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
“I’ve been losing for a long time. I’m not trying to do that shit anymore,” Towns said per Jon Kwayczynski of The Athletic. “So every possession means a lot. You obviously see my patience running low with a lot of things. There’s no excuses. We gotta get it done.”
As it stands, the Timberwolves are 14th in the Western Conference with a record of 15-35. With 32 games to go, their playoff hopes have pretty well evaporated and now, they’re going to have to hope for a high draft pick. Either way, it doesn’t seem like things are getting any better in Minnesota and if this keeps up, Towns will have even more reason to be upset.
Karl-Anthony Towns Appears To Be Disgusted By T-Wolves Trade
The T-Wolves are making moves.
Late last night, the Minnesota Timberwolves were a part of a four-team trade that sent Robert Covington to the Houston Rockets. In return, the T-Wolves ended up getting Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Many feel like this trade was a huge downgrade for the Timberwolves who are on yet another double-digit losing streak. Perhaps the player most affected by these trades is none other than Karl-Anthony Towns who has had to put up with a lackluster team. In fact, Towns hasn't been in the lineup for a Timberwolves win since before Thanksgiving, in November.
Following the trade, Towns took to his Instagram story where he appeared to react to the news with some interesting photos. These images come from various memes in which the subject is pretty upset or disgusted at what they are seeing. Based on the tone of what he posted, it seems as though Towns isn't very pleased with the direction of the team.
At the end of the day, Towns doesn't have much of a say in what moves the team makes and his reaction won't really change anything. The Timberwolves have been a part of various trade rumors over the last little while and by the looks of things, fans were expecting the team to acquire D'Angelo Russell.
Regardless, the Timberwolves locker room is bound to be an interesting place in light of what went down last night.
Clint Capela & Robert Covington Headline Massive 4-Team Trade
This is one of the biggest trades in NBA history.
With the trade deadline just a day away, various teams throughout the NBA are trying their best to get deals done in order to improve their teams. Late last night, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and Denver Nuggets came together for a 12-player trade that was one of the biggest in the NBA's history, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Below, you can see how the trade breaks down.
Houston Rockets get: Robert Covington, Jordan Bell
Atlanta Hawks get: Clint Capela, Nene
Minnesota Timberwolves get: Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner, Jarred Vanderbilt, first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets Hawks.
Denver Nuggets get: Gerald Green, Noah Vonleh, Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier, first-round pick from Rockets.
Covington's name was being brought up a lot in trade rumors over the past few weeks and the Rockets were a team in the mix. Not to mention, the Atlanta Hawks have been looking for help to give Trae Young and Clint Capela certainly fits that bill. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves and the Nuggets get the large bulk of the players.
This trade was brewing all day yesterday so it wasn't surprising to see it come to fruition. This year's trade deadline is bound to get interesting and it's just getting started. With this in mind, stay tuned for trade updates as we will be sure to bring them to you.