Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to remove a loose body, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Russell is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, Wojnarowski adds.
It’s another big blow to a struggling team that has dealt with injuries and illness this season.
Russell last played on February 8, when he lasted just six minutes against the Mavericks before leaving with what was described as left leg soreness. He also missed a game this month due to right quad soreness.
Russell is averaging 19.3 PPG and 5.1 APG for a club that has won just seven of 27 games. Without him, Malik Beasley, Ricky Rubio and Jordan McLaughlin will get the bulk of the minutes at the guard spots.
After being drafted by the Lakers with the No. 2 pick in 2015, Russell was shipped to the Nets in the summer of 2017. He became an All-Star for Brooklyn in 2019 but wound up with the Warriors on a four-year, $117MM maximum contract sign-and-trade that summer.
He was traded last February, along with Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman, to Minnesota in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and two future draft picks.
As The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski tweets, Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns have only played five games together since the trade.
Wolves can’t catch a break…
It’s not about “Catching a Break”
Team has been cursed since 1989 inception.
Well them choosing Rubio & Johnny Flynn over Curry wasn’t a curse, it was management being foolish!
They actually drafted a 3rd PG that year also.
The Wrath of (David) KAHN !!
Just because we know who’s coming: Even if the Wolves have the worst record, the Warriors still have a 60% chance of getting the 4th-on pick.
Just like when you said all last year “Giannis to gsw, book it”. I’m not sure you know what you’re even talking about anymore lol. Same guy who compared Wiggins’ game to MJ a few months ago. Geez strike four we all know it’s you, just show up already.
Ps good luck getting KD and Kawhi and keeping curry Dray Wiggins lmao
“GeT oFF oThEr tEaMs PoStS yOu HoMeR”
Isn’t that what you said a week ago? That we should stick to our own teams Bc we’re ALL homers, except you. Lmao
All I can picture is a 5’2 overweight teenager every time he comments. He probably shoots jumpers with two hands too. Its mean, ik, but this image of him in my head is how I justify his blatant disrespect to others
I just take it like this, we all love the sport otherwise we wouldn’t be commenting on here. It’s a free forum, don’t be a buzzkill just bc ppl don’t agree with your opinions on players or teams. The game has been evolving since the days of Mikan and Petit to now Curry and LeBron. Eventually it’ll be Luka and Zion. That’s the beauty of the game and the sport. It will never stay the same ever.
Completely agree. Being passionate about a team or player is great, in fact it helps add to the conversation. But thinking your opinion is above someone else’s is why politics is full of a**holes on every side.
Stating that you think Curry is the GOAT is fine, just say that you feel that way respectfully, try and back it up with facts, and move on. Stating Curry is the greatest, you are all wrong, you are all dumb for being wrong, is just disrespectful and doesn’t progress your argument in anyway.
Some people on this app don’t see other users as human, rather they see just text below a username, so they treat them as only a username. As you said the game is always changing and evolving, there are thousands and thousands of fans from different eras/cities/backgrounds with their own worldview on these sports subjects. It’s important to respect and embrace that.
Marty, I apologize for making my previous comment, but you have many people on this app frustrated with your arrogance including myself.
I’ve been here for the last two years off and own. I usually use Twitter but it’s turned into a bunch of Lebron or Curry fans. Some people just have no clue when it comes to the sport. I use this app for my daily nba news and interact with actual nba fans (for the most part). Also it helps me tell and vent about my team who keeps having Archidacanno on the roster.
If they don’t trade one of Beasley DLo Edwards, their ceiling is 12th seed next year
According to truehoops, Rockets will end up with the worst team in the nba
IMO
It’s possible in 2022
Truehoops is wrong, Houston isn’t even close to being the worst in the NBA. They have a lot of talented players locked up over the next few years. The belief that they will miss the playoffs over the next 7 years is completely ridiculous.
If they get the number one pick they should draft Cade, trade DLO, then your potential starting 5 could be
PG: CADE Cunningham
SG: Anthony Edwards
SF: Malik Beasley
PF: Sign or trade for someone
C: Towns
Smells like a sub .500 squad.
Dumpster Fire: See Minnesota Timberwolves
Wonder if Beasley will take another big step over the next couple weeks. He has looked like he could be a potential all-star in the next couple years.
Wolves seem like they built their team on guys who could put up numbers on lotto teams. No defined roles and no effort on the defensive end
From what I read
Beasley, DLo and Edwards are bottom 20 defensive players among qualifiers
Focus too much on scoring?
DLo defensive FG 51.4%
This sums them up perfectly. They have a lot of talent if you look at the players individually but they don’t fit together well at all and none seem capable of defending.
I bet we win more games than ppl expect with him out. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a good team
Yes, I agree with this.
Lets hope so !!!
– Warriors fan.
A truly lost organization.
This might help them. If they put Rubio between Beasley and Edwards, then they look like a real perimeter group. Russell can’t be an effective PG for Edwards. The poorest imaginable fit, and that the FO took Edwards suggests they really didn’t understand him as a player.
Yes good post. I imagine Edwards as a high-volume shooter with a low 40s percentage but athletic and can get it done when you need him to. Strong, shoots the three, capable on defense. What do you mean I understand him as a player if I may ask? That he’s probably a 3 instead of a 2?
Basically, I mean that – at least IMO – whether at 2 or 3, Edwards has a star’s skill set, and shouldn’t be relegated to roles like spot up shooter or getting the ball only to make and take his own shot. He’s a scorer/ facilitator, similar to (not saying he’s as good as) D. Mitchell or D. Wade. He shouldn’t be the primary ball handler, except in spots, but he needs a PG who can get him the ball more often, earlier and in better positions than DR, a combo G himself, can accommodate. Minn’s FO let out before the draft their thoughts that LaMelo and DR wouldn’t fit well, which I didn’t agree with, and indicated that Edwards would be the better fit. So, yeah, I question whether they knew what they were buying.
Yes okay that makes sense and it’s different than “taking turns” being the facilitator like Harden/Chris Paul, Harden/Westbrook. Really takes a special point guard to pull that off. Maybe a non shooter type point guard like Rubio? Ricky can be the primary ball-handler and still allow other facilitators, while mostly providing shots for the four other guys…
4-6 weeks is a loooong recovery time for a simple loose body removal. With the on again, off again and the various ‘types’ of leg/knee soreness that have plagued him over the season, I’d guess part of his meniscus is flapping around in there.
Wolves traded for DLo b/c it would make Towns happy. Towns wants to pay with either DLo or Booker. Maybe it’s time to trade Towns. Swap Ayton for Towns (maybe a 3 team).
Minnesota has to do something to clean up their guard log-jam. They put “SF” next to some of these guys, but we know they are undersized to play the 3 defensively.
Need to move Culver, Rubio, and one of Beasley/Edwards.
They should target Otto Porter this offseason, no one is giving him a big contract. He should be attainable for a reasonable $ figure. Would sign him to something like 3/18 to be your 3&D reserve.
I would hate to be a Timberwolves fan they have been in misery for so long lol
Honestly getting a good pick in this draft would improve the team more than playing DLo, so this is a blessing not so in disguise.