"Did call him a b***h"- Stephen A. Smith blasts the Minnesota Timberwolves for imploding right before the play-in game against LA Lakers
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be locked in the Play-In Tournament with the LA Lakers as their opponent tomorrow. As they get ready for the game, Wolves have encountered a few obstacles that could put their season in jeopardy.
After the incident that led to Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson getting heated, Minnesota's season could be over soon. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith broke down the reasons why.
"Rudy Gobert, swinging and hitting Kyle Anderson, stupid, immature belligerent, uncalled for, wrong. Even though, Kyle Anderson did call him a b***h. Yes, he did. That's exactly what he said to him. That's why Rudy swung on him." Smith said.
"But then you, Jaden McDaniels, you're a rookie. You're one of the elite defenders in the game of basketball. Somebody in all likelihood, who would have been defending against LeBron James. You go and knock yourself out for the rest of the season because you upset about something and you punch a d**n wall and break your hand."
"Dumb. Not you Jaden, your actions. Dumb, irresponsible. I think Minnesota's toast."
In addition to the incident between the Frenchman and Slow-Mo, Smith included McDaniels' recent injury. It was reported that the third-year forward suffered a broken hand after punching a wall on his way to the locker room. Following his actions, the team is now without their best perimeter defender heading into the Play-In Tournament.
On top of that, the team announced that Gobert's actions caused him to be suspended for one game. That one game will be their play-in game against the Lakers tomorrow. Without him, Los Angeles could easily get a win to secure a spot in the playoffs for the Western Conference.
You might also be interested in reading this: LA Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves - 3 biggest factors that could decide the matchup
The short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves could lose tomorrow's match against the LA Lakers
Heading into tomorrow's game against the Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves could've potentially put their season on the line. After the events that transpired in the past ten days, the Wolves could lose their most important game this year. Not to mention, they had a lot to prove after trading for Gobert the previous summer.
Karl-Anthony Towns could take Gobert's place at the center spot since Naz Reid is also out. The backup center is dealing with a broken wrist and has missed the team's final five games. With that said, the team is looking thin when it comes to reinforcements.
Although it hasn't been finalized, it looks like the Wolves will play the Lakers with some missing players. Minnesota has three key players out of the lineup entering the Play-In Tournament and this could cause them to lose the game.
Also read: NBA Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves' motives behind trading for a point guard were more 'maturity' and less 'flashy plays'