Minnesota Timberwolves Center Karl-Anthony Towns has been a model of consistency for the franchise since being taken No.1 overall in the 2015 NBA draft. But that hasn’t exactly translated to wins.
The team itself has made just one playoff appearance during his tenure, over which it has a 188-284 overall record.
Great stats. Low impact.
With the Timberwolves off to another slow start and mired in a four-game losing streak, Towns liked a tweet saying,
“#FreeKAT”
Towns was quick to say his account was hacked and he then apologized via The Athletic. But we know better. It was a message by a guy who has experienced so much in the past two years and has probably had his share of the ineptitude in Minnesota, which has basically become an NBA wasteland.
“Sorry to the Wolves fans. I ain’t wanna cause no hysteria or anything like that. But just know I’m very happy. I know we’re on a skid so it came at the worst possible time, that little hacking. I’m excited to hopefully build more years, not just this year.”
Towns Loses Multiple Family Members To COVID-19
The pandemic was extremely hard on Towns’ family, as he lost seven family members at the height of it, including his mom, who was his biggest fan and very vocal at every game. That made Towns question his basketball career and whether or not he even wanted to continue playing. But with the help of his remaining family members and his girlfriend Jordyn Woods, he was able to pick up the pieces and get back on track.
Karl Anthony-Towns Plays Through Pain Following COVID’s Attack On His Family
Timberwolves Have A Young Talented Nucleus
The Timberwolves have a young talented nucleus led by Towns, D’Angelo Russell and the 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards. So it’s kind of hard to say if Towns really liked the tweet. But when you’re a top player in the league and things like that happen, teams around the league take notice.
Many believe Towns may be looking for a way out as Edwards called out himself, Towns and Russell a few games back for their lack of team play in a loss to the Pelicans. Edwards was displaying leadership in just his second season.
“Lock the bleep in”
“Wake-up call for sure. Lock in. Lock the bleep in,” Edwards said in the news conference after the 107-98 loss on Oct. 25. (Sounds awfully familiar to the criticisms Jimmy Butler once had of KAT and Minnesota’s young nucleus.)
“Everybody coming in here thinking it’s sweet playing the Pelicans. Whupped our ass. Now our back’s on the wall again. We got to wake up,” added the opinionated Edwards.
In the past when other players called out the T-Wolves’ effort and especially Towns, there was a rebuttal. In fact, when former teammate Butler called out Towns and then teammate Andrew Wiggins back in practice in 2018, tempers flared and practice became highly contested.
Butler spewed the following:
“They ain’t bleep, and they soft,” after he led third-stringers to victory over the two then franchise cornerstones and their starting unit.
“He can’t do bleep against me!” Butler yelled as he guarded Towns in the post. Out of frustration Towns kicked the ball out on the possession.
Based on that incident, many believed that Towns might have not been too happy about Edwards’ words following their loss to the Pelicans. But Towns is adamant that he’s happy and content spending many more seasons there.
High Turnover In Wolves Front Office Since 2015
Since drafting the former All-Star in 2015, the Wolves have gone through five head coaches and six general managers. Not exactly a model of stability.
With the team being sold to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, there’s going to be some major shakeups in the near future. Including a possible franchise relocation.
The hope is to keep Towns happy, but in order to do so the team may have to pull the trigger and trade for the unhappy Ben Simmons. But then you have to wonder if that’ll truly satisfy Towns, because any deal for Simmons would have to include his best friend D’Angelo Russell.
Only time will tell, but Minnesota doesn’t have much to hang its hat on outside of Towns and second-year player Anthony Edwards. Towns would have to demand a trade for Minnesota to let him go, which isn’t really the mild-mannered Towns’ style.
Besides, he just signed a super max deal in 2018 which is yet to bear any fruit for Minnesota.
In a deal that cements him as the franchise’s long-term cornerstone, Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed to a 5-year, $190M super-maximum extension, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2018
There are about five teams who are a KAT away from being serious championship contenders, but they will have to wait for the 25-year-old to age a bit.
The franchise has given KAT the keys, so barring a catastrophe he will be sitting at home with Woods during the playoffs probably until his contract expires in 2023. At that point, he can leave the frozen plains of Minnesota and select a championship situation for himself.
Can you say Kevin Garnett, Part 2?
