Towns returns vs Spurs GDT

[kekgeek]

This is why +/- is a dumb stat. Kat was a team worst tonight

[Duke13]

Ricky's defense on that shot was horrible. He took himself out of the play instead of staying on front of a shorter player. Ricky has looked like the Wolves rookie so far this season.

The whole 4th quarter, watching Ricky play was painful. Him being on this team and how they are using him classic Timberwolves being the Timberwolves. Disgusting.

[Duke13]

I guess what I don't understand is why Culver wasn't in there instead of Edwards. We need wins and Culver is the better decision maker, defender, and rebounder than Edwards. DLO, Beasley, and KAT are enough firepower offensively during OT.

I'd blame Kat way more then Edwards, Kat's defense on PnRs was embarrassing

[KiwiMatt]

I guess what I don't understand is why Culver wasn't in there instead of Edwards. We need wins and Culver is the better decision maker, defender, and rebounder than Edwards. DLO, Beasley, and KAT are enough firepower offensively during OT.

I'd blame Kat way more then Edwards, Kat's defense on PnRs was embarrassing

Yea it's not great, but doesn't help that all our perimeter defenders always go under screens and never fight over.

Having Vanderbilt play next to KAT would help a lot. Even Okogie. Juancho and Layman playing the 4 is a big part of the problem.

[KiwiMatt]

I guess what I don't understand is why Culver wasn't in there instead of Edwards. We need wins and Culver is the better decision maker, defender, and rebounder than Edwards. DLO, Beasley, and KAT are enough firepower offensively during OT.

I'd blame Kat way more then Edwards, Kat's defense on PnRs was embarrassing

Yea it's not great, but doesn't help that all our perimeter defenders always go under screens and never fight over.

Having Vanderbilt play next to KAT would help a lot. Even Okogie. Juancho and Layman playing the 4 is a big part of the problem.

[Lipoli390]

I guess what I don't understand is why Culver wasn't in there instead of Edwards. We need wins and Culver is the better decision maker, defender, and rebounder than Edwards. DLO, Beasley, and KAT are enough firepower offensively during OT.

I'd blame Kat way more then Edwards, Kat's defense on PnRs was embarrassing

Yea it's not great, but doesn't help that all our perimeter defenders always go under screens and never fight over.

Having Vanderbilt play next to KAT would help a lot. Even Okogie. Juancho and Layman playing the 4 is a big part of the problem.

I thought KAT's defense overall was pretty good tonight. As you noted, Matt, our perimeter players don't fight over screens and, except for Culver and Okogie, they do a terrible job generally of staying in front of players. So KAT always has players coming at him. At the same time, without Vanderbilt on the floor, KAT has no one to help him defensively in the paint or help him on the boards. That leaves KAT with an impossible amount of responsibility inside.

Every minute Juancho was on the floor instead of Vanderbilt was a minute too long.

[kekgeek]

How Karl-Anthony Towns described his decision to play tonight:

"It was like 26 or 27 minutes left before tip and the actual words I said was 'Fuck it'. I just put my jersey on and said it's time to go play. Obviously, it wasn't the best decision for my personal health at all."

[kekgeek]

.@DaneMooreNBA asks KAT about what he can do with his left hand.

KAT: "It ain't much"

Mentions that despite that, he wants to help this team win and continue to find more ways to do it, and doesn't want the team to get behind the 8 ball in the W/L column.

[kekgeek]

Karl Anthony-Towns said he was told he was going to need to miss 6-8 weeks but rushed back at "hyper speed" to come back in two weeks. He said he was just happy to be able to play.

[Lipoli390]

I've read every online medical article I could find online about wrist dislocations. Every single one said that it's a 2-4 month recovery if minor (not requiring surgery). so the 8-week time frame KAT said he was told sounds like the minimum in the recovery range. He's risking long-term damage by being out there. The team should have kept him out and should make sure he stays out until he's at a point where it is fully healed and there's no significant risk of long-term damage.

When KAT said he can't do much with his left hand, I could relate. I had a bad wrist sprain years ago (not even a dislocation) and it was at least a month before I could turn a door knob.

This organization is a losing organization. Rosas and Ryan are desperate because Rosas has left this team ridiculously lacking in size and stuck with a starting PF at $7M per year who should be on the end of an NBA bench at the League minimum like his brother. And so KAT goes out there giving a valiant effort playing essentially with one hand and, in doing so, he risks further longer-term injury.

Meanwhile, our other max player went 7-22 (32%) from the field and 1-6 from behind the arc. That's a shameful performance, especially when KAT out there playing with one hand and in pain while he puts his future at risk.