The Twin Cities were thrown for a loop Wednesday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with Gersson Rosas, president of basketball operations, for what they call an “inappropriate relationship.”
Just in: The Minnesota Timberwolves are parting ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2021
The untimely move comes just one week before the team is set to open training camp for the 2021-22 NBA season. Owner Glen Taylor, whose sale of the team is not yet finalized, announced the shakeup in a statement.
“Today, the Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. As an organization we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of.”
This is a complete shock to the NBA as a whole but especially to the players, coaches and others in the Timberwolves organization.
For a team that’s looking for stability with its rising young core, this isn’t a good look.
On the surface Rosas has done a great job leading the Wolves’ front office. He’s had a couple of questionable moves, such getting fleeced by the Warriors in the Andrew Wiggins trade, and then choosing Jarrett Culver in the top 10 of the 2019 NBA draft.
Overall, Rosas had brought a real sense of normalcy, hope and stability to the rather dormant franchise.
Alex Rodriguez Wants To Change The Culture
This move has the new ownership group of Marc Lore and former MLB great Alex Rodriguez written all over it.
Word on the streets is that the money men want to bring in a “top five”-status executive like Elton Brand, general manager of the Sixers.
In wake of Gersson Rosas' departure, word has circulated among league sources since Summer League that incoming Minnesota Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have communicated they are fond of Sixers general manager Elton Brand. A name to keep an eye on here.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) September 22, 2021
Lore and ARod are slated to take over as controlling owners of the franchise in 2023. But, generally speaking, new owners want their own guys in positions of power.
Rosas is a Glen Taylor guy, which didn’t help his cause.
Who Will Be New Timberwolves President ?
You better believe it’ll be someone that Lore and ARod approve of. But with the preseason opener two weeks away, time is of the essence.
They’ll probably start with an interim leader before T-Wolves brass makes a decision on a long-term replacement in the coming months.
Speaking of the Sixers, this move brings another interesting tidbit with it. With Brand as a possible candidate to replace Rosas, it also brings up the ongoing Ben Simmons saga in Philly.
Ben Simmons & Elton Brand Package Deal
The T-Wolves have been linked to Simmons over the last few months as a very plausible trade destination. The team’s interest in Simmons has been loud to say the least.
You do the math, it isn’t too difficult. Minnesota could be looking for a “TwoFor,” as bringing both Brand and Simmons aboard would be franchise-altering moves in the city that “Prince” built.
The move to part ways with Rosas didn’t sit too well with franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns, as he took to Twitter with the exclamation “WTF” upon hearing the news.
It’s a bit strange that the team didn’t at least let its franchise player know what was happening before pulling the trigger on this decision.
Obviously, something has to be in the works behind the scenes, but it’s definitely a major storyline as we head into training camp and the 2021-22 NBA season.
