Since I last blogged the Timberwolves have beaten the Wizards for the first time since 2019, won a hard fought game in Brooklyn on a back to back, and beat the Thunder on the road to take back first in the West. However things aren’t all happy in Minneapolis especially after a blown lead to the Spurs where the Wolves gave away another game to a bottom feeder. This game has led fans to question Chris Finch’s ability to “do something special” with this team. I even saw a fan say he is our Mark Jackson and we are looking for Ant’s Steve Kerr. I am here to say with the Timberwolves history with coaches I love Chris Finch and I think he is the right guy for this current group. I ripped on him a lot last week for the Charlotte game but the truth is April will seal his fate on how good of a coach he is.
With the Trade Deadline approaching in about ten days (February 8th) many Wolves fans would like to see some moves to help improve our team for the playoffs. The two things I think the team needs are a backup PG, and more three point shooting. We have seen in the past week with Conley’s Injury that NAW is a average PG while McLaughlin and Milton have not shown signs of being good playoff players you can rely on. This has led many Wolves fans to imagining that we could see Tyus Jones coming home to Minnesota from Washington. I find this unlikely as Washington will likely get a first round pick from a team for his expiring salary and the Wolves can’t give up a first til 2031 due to the Rudy Gobert trade. I will have a full deadline preview next week but I think the PG situation will get a boost in the buyout market by a player like Kyle Lowry who was traded to the Hornets last week. As for three point shooting it seems like the Wolves are most interested in Royce O Neale from Brooklyn who used to play with Conley and Gobert.
The final thing I wanted to discuss in this blog is Ant’s comments on officiating last night claiming the Wolves were playing 8 on 5. I personally love that our superstar is advocating for calls because the league has shown that helps you get more foul calls. Anyone angry about it should go touch grass. The Wolves come home this week to face Dallas, Orlando, and Houston before hitting the road next week in Chicago and Milwaukee.
West Coast Hoops 