![]() Perhaps we don’t fully understand the new CBA. Maybe there’s something we’re not seeing with the Big 4 of Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, and Gobert. Under most circumstances, an executive who builds a championship roster would get the benefit of the doubt. Instead of building methodically through the draft, they went all-in on one one-dimensional player to cover for another. Even if the Wolves eventually move off of Towns and Gobert for cap reasons or otherwise, the Gobert trade forever changed the trajectory of the team. Instead of building off a 46-win season in 2021 that re-engaged the fanbase, Connelly and the front office gambled on a two-big experiment. Towns only played 29 games last year Gobert missed time early in the season. The Timberwolves may surprise some of the fanbase and have some success with Towns and Gobert together next year. Barring a team offering fair value for Towns or another surprise trade, the Wolves are running this back and hoping for better results. It’s unwise for him to trade Towns for cents on the dollar he’s still a dynamic offensive player who can space the floor for Edwards. They can’t trade any picks because they sent as many as the NBA allows to the Utah Jazz to keep McDaniels out of the deal. The Timberwolves have limited cap space, and it will only get tighter under the new collective-bargaining agreement. However, Connelly hasn’t given himself many options to improve the roster this year. Gobert would need to provide some offense. ![]() Towns only complements Edwards’ game if he can improve defensively. Jaden McDaniels emerged as a perfect partner, a defensive-minded forward who added to his offensive game this year. The Wolves would better serve Edwards by having him play on a team with 3-and-D shooters who can space the floor and complement his defense. But Anthony Edwards emerged as Minnesota’s star last season, and it makes little sense having two big men clog the lane when he’s driving to the hoop. The Timberwolves traded for Gobert as a complement to Karl-Anthony Towns, who they viewed as their best player. That he would construct a team through the draft and savvy trades, using the same methods that brought him success a mile above sea level. Fans would reasonably believe that Connelly had the answers. $40 million and equity would seem like the starting offer. Imagine if Minnesota had hired him this week after Denver won a championship. He’d had success, but the Nuggets hadn’t been able to get out of the West. When the Wolves hired Connelly, it felt like he was the biggest name they could land. The result was a blockbuster trade that Simmons, Russillo, and many fans have maligned. But the Wolves gave him a $40 million contract, team equity, and new ownership eager to make a splash. Connelly may have meticulously built a homegrown roster in a similar-sized cold-weather city. ![]() MJ may have been the best player in the world while wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey. So how could this be the same guy who made the Rudy Gobert trade? Russillo described it as watching Michael Jordan play baseball. In a league where the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks fired their coaches after winning championships, Denver has had Michael Malone behind the bench since the 2022-23 season. They drafted Nikola Jokić during a Taco Bell commercial and took Jamal Murray seventh overall in 2016 after ( checks notes) the Wolves passed on him. Russillo and Simmons broke down how well Tim Connelly managed the Denver Nuggets. Ryen Russillo had a quip on Monday’s Bill Simmons Podcast that will cause Minnesota Timberwolves fans to chuckle and cringe simultaneously. ![]()
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