Kevin Garnett never holds back, and that hasn’t been good for the Timberwolves over the last week.
First, Garnett was interviewed by The Athletic and told Jon Krawcyzynski that Jimmy Butler’s trade request has made it “a s— storm up there” in Minnesota. For more context, here’s his full quote.
“I’m just hoping they can get through this rough patch and everybody can get on the same path and figure it out. It’s a s— storm up there.”
That was last week. This is last night.
Yes, Garnett, the greatest player in Wolves history, said team owner Glen Taylor “doesn’t know s— about basketball” on live TV.
In fairness, there are a lot of team owners who don’t know much about sports but know everything about business, and that’s probably fair for Taylor. That said, Taylor and his wife Becky can be found sitting court-side for nearly every Wolves home game, so he probably deserves more credit than Garnett is giving him.
Meanwhile, Taylor told the Star Tribune’s Sid Hartman that he still plans to trade Butler, which would have to happen before the trade deadline strikes in February.
“I think [Butler has] made it very clear that he would not re-sign with us at the end of the year and therefore it is in our interest to get a trade so that we can get a player or two to replace him that helps our team,” Taylor said.
Taylor also said president/head coach Tom Thibodeau isn’t coaching for his job, but Taylor has asked him to focus on coaching the team while general manager Scott Layden handles Butler’s trade situation.
Butler will be in the starting lineup when the Wolves open the season Wednesday at San Antonio. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
