Showdown Between T-Wolves Gobert and Anderson Leads to Gobert’s Dismissal

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The Minnesota Timberwolves are really excited for the playoffs. But, it is unclear if their team has what it takes to stay in contention for long. On Sunday against New Orleans, center Rudy Gobert got into an argument with teammate Kyle Anderson and even threw a punch, while Jaden McDaniels showed his disappointment by banging a wall.

“Today’s game was really tough. We faced many blows, but we stayed strong by relying on one another. At times, it felt like Kyle and Rudy were on opposite sides or that something bad happened to Jaden. But it only made us work harder and dig deeper.” said the point guard Mike Conley.

Gobert sent a text to everyone in the team to apologize. The coach wouldn’t talk about what kind of punishment Gobert should get because he was playing with back pain and hadn’t been feeling well. Gobert then apologized again on Twitter, saying that his emotions had taken over, and he shouldn’t have reacted like that no matter what was said.

Anderson, who has had a very successful first season with the Wolves, got into an argument with Gobert during a huddle in the middle of a timeout near the end of the second quarter. Anderson’s fiery, yet respected leadership was giving the team a big advantage.

Gobert then tried to hit Anderson on the upper part of his body, but the two were split up and Gobert was taken back to his locker room. Taurean Price also responded by jumping from his seat and pushing Gobert away.

Anderson later said he didn’t think that they’d have trouble being friendly with each other going forward.

The player said that this sort of thing has happened before and he hopes to win games. The President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, made a statement saying that the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Gobert home due to his behavior on the bench which was not ok. This was the first major decision Connelly had made since he had gotten Gobert in a trade from Utah last summer.

The Wolves won the game against the Pelicans with a score of 113-108 and ended up in eighth place in the Western Conference. This win allowed them to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in tournament. In the beginning it seemed like they were going to lose and end up with a lower seed, but they overcame it by playing better in the second half.

Anthony Edwards tried to get 3 points by shooting a step-back shot but missed. After that, the Pelicans quickly moved down the court, and Brandon Ingram dunked in a basket giving his team a 12 point advantage which causes the Wolves coach Chris Finch to immediately pause the game. Then, there was a fight.

At halftime, it was announced that Gobert and McDaniels would not be playing anymore. It turns out, McDaniels had gotten mad in the first quarter and punched something in the tunnel that leads to the locker room, which resulted in breaking his hand according to ESPN and The Athletic. Coach Finch said that immaturity has been an issue for the team all season long.

The Wolves have been having trouble in the games that were suppose to be easy for them. They have lost 16 times against the teams that are lower ranking in the league. If they had won just two more of those games, they would have avoided playing in a play-in tournament. Moreover, if they had four more wins, then they would have gotten a No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.

However, as stated by Finch, even though these ‘what-if’ scenarios occurred, their focus now has to be on what’s happening right now – moving forward.

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