How are the Minnesota Timberwolves players coping with the potential sale of the team?
It’s now clear that things are going to get worse in Minnesota before they get better. Yet, that’s in the boardroom. On the court, things are doing just fine.
The Minnesota Timberwolves appear to be in a critical moment with the potential sale of the franchise on the table. Now, while there have been some hiccups in that process, it’s interesting to note that it has had little no effect on the team’s performance.
Timberwolves’ players are focused on the ball not the bag
If you’ve been following recent reports, then you will know that the owner of both the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, Glen Taylor, is currently locked in negotiations with former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and his associate Mark Lore. Indeed, the pair have made the move to purchase the franchises from Taylor, however, the transaction has hit some snags in recent times, with Taylor declaring earlier this week that the franchises were no longer for sale, before Rodriguez and Lore declaring that they intended to follow through.
Yet, those are just details. When all is said and done, this is a sports team, and like any team, the object is to win and it’s got to be said, that’s what has continued to happen despite the boardroom banter that has intensified in recent days. Where the T’Wolves are concerned specifically, it’s been impressive to observe how the team has extended its winning streak to four games despite the unrest that appears to be brewing in the front office. Take a moment to appreciate that with Friday’s 111-98 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets, the Wolves reclaimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, something that several players made it clear was the only thing that mattered, not the movements in the office.
“I don’t think it affects the players as much,” Mike Conley said to the media following the game. “Maybe it affects the image of the team, the aura of the team around a little bit. But as far as the players are concerned, I think we just are like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy.’ Then we go back to watching film and worrying about [Nikola] Jokic, Jamal Murray, and [Michael] Porter and those guys. It’s a unique situation and it’s something we don’t have any control over. We’re trying to do our job.” There was also star guard Anthony Edwards who seemed to express even more disdain for the situation. “I don’t have social media, so I don’t know nothin’ about nothin’,” Edwards said. “I just found out today. Yeah, that has nothing to do with me. I’m just here to play basketball. Wherever that go, that go.”
At this point, it’s hard to disregard what the players have said when the proof is in the pudding. Here and now the Timberwolves are on the right side of 50 wins for the first time since 2004 and are likely on course to register the second-most wins in a single season in franchise history. Now, what they’ve got to do is win their first playoff series since that very same year, and if they can do that, start thinking about challenging for a Western Conference title. In the meantime, the machinations of the boardroom will continue with Rodriguez/Lore seemingly vowing to continue with their bid to buy. As we always say, watch this space.