The Timberwolves fell to .500 (4-4) with a 116-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns (6-1) Tuesday night as the growing pains of incorporating two 7-footers into the lineup continue.
The glaring issues point directly at Minnesota’s starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. They’re the only team in the NBA with two 7-footers in the starting lineup and with McDaniels at 6’10” they’re the only team in the league with three starters at his height or taller.
So far, going big has been a big issue – and Charles Barkley thinks the Timberwolves have wrongly attempted to go big when the league has gone small.
“That’s because they got two 7-footers out there like idiots. Nice trade,” Barkley said after Tuesday night’s game. That was a hard rip in the postgame, but he was critical of Minnesota giving up Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmero, Walker Kessler and four future first-round picks for Gobert.
“I hated that trade. They can’t play the pick-n-roll. It would’ve been fine in our day,” Barkley said, adding that Minnesota’s big lineup “can’t guard today’s game” and “they’re not dominating in the paint offensively or defensively.”
“Who the teams they’re going to have to beat?” Barkley said, with Shaq and Kenny Smith agreeing that the West goes through Phoenix, Golden State and the L.A. Clippers.
“None of those guys got big dudes,” said Barkley. “So what good is it to have big two big dudes out there? They can’t guard 3-point shooters. I just didn’t like the trade at all.”
https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1587646782841962498
This is at least the third time Barkley has referred to the Timberwolves as “idiots” or “dumb” in recent years. In 2018 he said they’re “one of the dumbest teams I’ve ever seen in my life.” And last season when Minnesota was blowing giant leads to the Grizzlies in the playoffs, he said they’re “dumber than rocks.”
Up next: Timberwolves vs. Bucks, Friday at 9 p.m.
