Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert rejoined the team on Thursday after being suspended for Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Lakers, writes Dave Campbell of The Associated Press.
However, Gobert remains hampered by the back spams that he was experiencing on Sunday when he got into an altercation with Kyle Anderson that led to his suspension. He said he probably wouldn’t have been able to suit up on Tuesday either way, and his status for Friday’s matchup against the Thunder is up in the air.
“‘Still pretty sore, still not moving like I would like to be able to move, but small progress every day,” Gobert said.
Gobert, Jaylen Nowell (left knee tendinopathy) and Karl-Anthony Towns (right calf strain) are all questionable for Friday’s game, the team announced (via Twitter).
As for his relationship with Anderson, Gobert says they’ve moved past the incident, according to Campbell.
“We both apologized to each other and you move on. That’s life,” Gobert said. “It’s different when you have millions of people all watching videos and have an opinion on things that happened, but that we can’t control. What we can control is the respect that we have for each other and our relationship.
“I still love Kyle. He’s still my brother. I tell people, ‘Sometimes you fight with your family. Sometimes you fight with people that you have a lot of love and respect for.’ It’s life. No one is perfect. Mistakes happen and then you grow and you move on.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Anderson told reporters prior to Tuesday’s game that he and Gobert had moved on by Sunday night, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “We definitely hashed it out,” Anderson said. “That happens all the time in sports. I feel like people are acting like they’ve never seen it before. We’re grown men. We’re able to put it behind us. We both want to win. We spoke about it that night and just seeing how everything is playing out is kind of lame, honestly. We’re teammates at the end of the day. I don’t want it to be a Kyle vs. Rudy thing. That’s never the case. I always got my teammates’ back, and we moved on.”
- Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune downplays the significance of Friday’s play-in game against the Thunder, as he doesn’t think the Wolves stand a chance against the top-seeded Nuggets anyway even if they win and advance as the No. 8 seed. However, Souhan does believe it could be a critical moment in Gobert’s career, writing that the center’s “remarkable immaturity” on Sunday was just the latest in a string of questionable decisions the 30-year-old has made over the past few years.
- The altercation between Gobert and Anderson wasn’t the only unfortunate incident on Sunday — Jaden McDaniels punched a wall out of frustration after picking up a couple early fouls and broke his hand. Did those events — combined with the team’s inconsistent play and a limited sample size of the Gobert/Towns pairing — make the Wolves’ offseason plans even more complicated? Michael Rand and Patrick Reusse of The Star Tribune explored that topic in a recent podcast.
- Anderson’s on-court versatility and strong defense were key factors in the Wolves finishing with a winning record in 2022/23 despite missing Towns for most of the season. Anderson’s blunt yet effective communication style also played a role in the team’s success, as Hine writes for the Star Tribune.
“Back spasms” is an interesting way of saying “being scared of the playoffs”
Kyle Anderson makes $9M a year, Rudy makes $38M – if this is the other way around I wonder if Kyle would still be calling this “lame”.
Rudy to the Nets ……
Ben and Claxton ……..
I’m not sure I’d do Clayton for Gobert straight up. If you’re doing it to get rid of Ben’s contract, does it make sense to take Gobert’s? I could definitely see Minny doing it with the hope Simmons comes back to somewhat his former self, and Clayton would be a better fit for KAT.
Claxton. Damn autocorrect.
It’s a lose lose that one…
Linking to Souhan articles is one of the sole ways to funnel Boomer NBA takes onto this website.
Rudy has to play for them to have a shot
With all the disrespect Anderson gave Gobert for playing when he wasn’t able to due to the back spasms, if it was me I ain’t playing the game.
I mean no good deed goes unpunished, right?
Dude is playing in excruciating pain & that clown Anderson tells him to try harder, seriously?!?!?
Gobert just don’t bother & pack your vacation clothes & enjoy the summer!
Next season is becoming a turning point to many franchise player Lillard, Luka, Gobert, Zion, Siakam some team like the Bulls Hawks Miami will be in the mix too to shake things up …
Bulls were supposed to fail without Lonzo and now they are in the running to make a trade for some of those players regardless of how well the do from here on.
Honestly though, if they do beat the thunder AND somehow beat the Nuggs, how dope would that be to witness?
It would not be dope
Quote, Gobert: “I still love Kyle. He’s still my brother.”
And little brothers sometimes need a little physical reminder not to give lip to their older siblings with impetuous outbursts.
Back spasms, like any severe pain involving large muscle groups, are no joke. Anderson’s verbal attacks against Gobert were completely inappropriate.
And so was Gobert’s.
When all is said and done: regardless of: owner, VP, GM, HC, Coaches, players. The Timberpuppies have always stunk, still stink and will always stink. Let’s face it, the team never fails to under perform, is always terrible in Q3, has only one kind of luck = BAD, and is just plain CURSED ever since 1989.