“They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels.” — Anthony Edwards, in 2023. He was right.
It was 2023 when Anthony Edwards may not have known that he was predicting the future.
In an interview during All-Star week last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves star remarked, “They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels.”
KD would of course be Kevin Durant, and before you think that’s just Ant hyping up his T-Wolves teammate, maybe Edwards knew that in Game 2 of the Wolves’ playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, McDaniels would explode for 25 points, outplaying Durant (6-of-15 for 18 points).
The clip went viral on Tuesday night, and fans talked about a ton it during the win on X (formerly Twitter):
Out of context, this looks pretty bad: Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards blocked a Bradley Beal shot in Game 2 of the playoff series against the Phoenix Suns … and a referee — Zach Zarba — daps him up.
But there’s context, as far as I can tell, and it explains the whole thing. After Ant’s block on Beal, Zarba might have just been trying to show where the inbounds was coming from (Refs don’t give high fives, ask Tom Brady).
The video is still a little perplexing, with the referee not really reacting to the exchange, but it makes more sense now and isn’t a sign that the refs are in cahoots with the T-Wolves:
No one is a better defender than Wemby, according to this survey of NBA players.
Victor Wembanyama has only played one season in the NBA but his peers already have incredibly high praise for the big man.
In an anonymous survey of 142 players around the association, reporters from The Athletic asked nearly one-third of the league to answer a series of questions. For example, we learned Indiana Fever draftee Caitlin Clark is the second-most popular non-NBA player among players in the league.
One of the questions was if you could pick one player to build a franchise around, who would it be? Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, emerged as the player with the most votes in this category.
Victor Wembanyama entered last yearâs draft with enormous hype.
And it's safe to say he delivered on the hype in his rookie season in the eyes of his peers.
Even though he missed the playoffs, Wembanyama had a slight edge over two-time NBA MVP and reigning NBA Finals MVP winner Nikola Jokic.
But that isn’t shocking considering that he is quite a bit younger and so long as he stays healthy, he should have a much longer career remaining than the Denver superstar.
Wembanyama also has a far greater defensive impact than Jokic. In fact, per this survey, he is actually a better defender than anyone else in the league.
Wembanyama likely isn’t going to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie.
That honor will instead potentially go to Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert. Wembanyama, however, feels confident that the next several years of the award will go to himself.
Anthony Edwards wasn’t afraid to talk a little trash to Kevin Durant during Suns – Timberwolves.
During Saturday’s first 2024 NBA playoff game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, Wolves guard Anthony Edwards wasn’t afraid to talk a little trash to Suns forward Kevin Durant.
With Edwards one of the game’s rising stars and Durant one of its established greats, the former didn’t miss the chance to share what was on his mind to the latter after making a 3-pointer right in front of the future Hall of Famer.
Durant had a big smile on his face as Edwards taunted him, as the spirit of competition just makes these big-stage playoff games all the more fun for the players and the fans.
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 20, 2024
Edwards and the Timberwolves are major contenders in the Western Conference this spring, and moments like this will only add to the team’s momentum in this opening series and in the playoffs as a whole.
If you’re Durant, all you can do sometimes is get a kick out of the new generation trying to stick it to you on the court.
The Chicago Bulls should look to target Leonard Miller on the trade market this summer.
The Chicago Bulls are facing a weird offseason ahead of them. Following their second straight sub-.500 season, they need to take a look in the mirror and figure out the direction of their franchise. Should they decide to endure another youth movement, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report believes Minnesota Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller could be a target.
“Status quo is the best bet. Because, well, these are the Bulls,” Favale wrote. “Regardless, their need to vary up the frontcourt will persist no matter how they carry themselves over the summer. Andre Drummond could leave in free agency, and even if he doesn’t, neither he nor NIkola VuÄeviÄ is a long-term answer. Leonard Miller could be.
“Drafted 33rd overall last June, the 20-year-old has spent hardly any time on the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But he has done filthy things during his time with the G League’s Iowa Wolves. At 6’10”, he is stronger than he looks. He screens and seals and goes up for boards like a burlier big. His floor game is a work in progress, but when it’s humming in conjunction with his outside shot, he plays like a hybrid 3-4-5.”
If Leonard is gettable, the Bulls should hit the phones.
After Jaxson Hayes played very well in Anthony Davis’ absence on Sunday, D’Angelo Russell said he will be securing a big bag this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers, faced with yet another key game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, were hit with thunderbolts during their quest to improve their postseason seeding.
LeBron James was ruled out prior to the tip due to an illness, and Anthony Davis left following the first quarter after he was hit in the eye. The absences resulted in a 127-117 loss, and they’re back to ninth in the Western Conference.
That loss caused their chances of finishing at least eighth, let alone avoiding the play-in tournament, to greatly dwindle.
But Sunday was still a great night for Jaxson Hayes, who did an admirable job of filling in for Davis. He scored a season-high 19 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and adding five steals.
Afterward, guard D’Angelo Russell gave Hayes his flowers.
DâAngeo Russell on Jaxson Hayes: âHeâs gonna make a lot of money this summer.â pic.twitter.com/wH6mkZFh9X
Earlier in the season, Hayes seemed soft at times and often didn’t play to his potential. But he has raised his game more recently, especially since Christian Wood, L.A.’s only other legitimate big man, went down with a knee ailment.
In his last 31 games, Hayes has averaged 6.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 15.8 minutes a game while making a remarkable 75.5% of his field-goal attempts. While he will never become a legitimate starting center in the NBA, he has made significant strides in a matter of weeks.
At the same time, his improved play could create a problem for the Lakers. He has a player option for next season, and if he turns it down, it could be difficult for them to re-sign him because they have very little, if any, salary cap flexibility.
The Lakers will face a key game on Sunday without their most valuable player.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been gathering momentum as the end of the regular season nears. They’re on a four-game winning streak and have won nine of their last 10 games, a spurt that momentarily moved them up to eighth place in the Western Conference.
On Sunday, they will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are in second place in the West and are fighting for the top seed. If the Lakers win each of their remaining four regular-season contests, they may have a chance of avoiding the play-in tournament altogether.
Unfortunately, they will be short-handed versus Minnesota. LeBron James has been ruled out of Sunday’s game because of an illness.
LeBron James came to the arena Sunday afternoon to begin preparing for the Wolves game and Darvin Ham said his stomach virus made James not feel right. He went home to get rest and not be around his teammates with his flu-like symptoms.
At first glance, it may seem the team will not have much of a shot at defeating Anthony Edwards and crew without James. Interestingly, Los Angeles is 6-4 without the NBA’s all-time leading scorer this season and has won four of its last five such games.
After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Alex Caruso spoke about his mindset.
So far this season, Alex Caruso has been having one of the best years of his career. Not only has his defensive prowess remained at an all-time high, but he’s also been a menace on the offensive side of the ball. And since the All-Star break, he’s stepped up into an even larger role at times for the Chicago Bulls.
On Sunday night, the Bulls took on the Minnesota Timberwolves, earning a 108-101 win. Caruso played a major role in the victory, locking up Anthony Edwards on one end and pouring in a career-high seven threes on the other. He was instrumental to the Bulls’ success.
âI just tried to focus through All-Star break and then coming out of the break staying true to the work and just being aggressive,â Caruso said. âI think itâs shown over the last couple of games, Iâm shooting pretty well just because I know where Iâm going to get the shots and then I just trust in the work Iâve put in.â
If the Bulls want to make any sort of noise in the postseason, Caruso’s continued leadership will be crucial.
After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, DeMar DeRozan showed love to Alex Caruso.
Following their lackluster defeat against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, the Chicago Bulls traveled west to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team jockeying for the top spot in the Western Conference. They were met with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, but Chicago managed to get the job done.
The Bulls earned a 109-101 win over the Timberwolves. While DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 27 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, it was Alex Caruso, in particular, who stepped up to the plate. He drained a career-high seven threes and played his usual elite defense, locking up Anthony Edwards.
After the game, DeRozan showed love to Caruso for his role in the win. (H/t ESPN)
âItâs amazing to have a teammate like that,â DeRozan said. âFor him to carry us tonight, what he did on both ends of the floor, itâs just a sign of his greatness and the heart and mindset he had going into the game.â
Caruso finished the night with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals while shooting 7-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for rocking with The Morning Win today. We appreciate you here.
I don’t even want to waste time with small talk. I know you saw that Anthony Edwards dunk on John Collins last night. And, if you didn’t, what in the world are you doing?!?
I’ve seen so many people calling this the Dunk of the Year. And, yeah, that’s appropriate, I guess. There hasn’t been â and will not be â a better dunk than this this season.
But calling this the Dunk of the Year undersells this, man. It feels disrespectful to me. It’s much, much bigger than that. This might be the best dunk I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely the best one I’ve seen in at least a decade, at the very least.
Yeah, we’ve seen other immaculate poster dunks from other dunkers recently. Ja Morant has quite a few. Zion Williamson’s got some here and there. Ant Man’s got some others out there, too.
But this one here from Ant? This is generational, man. We’re going to remember this one for a long, long time. This is the one that’s going to have kids dunking their friends into trash cans and calling out “ANT MAN” as they do it.
This is one of the best dunks I’ve ever seen. Shoutout to Edwards for giving us this treat. My condolences to John Collins for involuntarily being on the wrong side of history.
Palace intrigue in the MLBPA
Mandatory Credit: Greg Lovett-USA TODAY NETWORK
There might be some big changes coming to the Major League Baseball Players Association soon.
Players held a zoom call on Monday that ended with an informal vote to oust MLBPA deputy executive director Bruce Meyer with MLBPA â the No. 2 guy in the player’s association, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
Players have long had complaints about the current union leadership and their ability to get things done. There’s also a belief that super agent Scott Boras has a strong influence on the union through Meyer â a claim he denied back in 2021.
This friction is coming at such a fascinating time when teams spent nearly $3 billion this offseason on player contracts. On the surface, that looks great! Especially following the newly minted CBA.
But when you really dig into it, Shohei Ohtani ($700 million) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million) are making over a third of that money with one team. Meanwhile, Passan writes, most teams are still spending less:
“Two historic financial behemoths, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, committed less than $50 million to free agents. Eight teams — the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians and Colorado Rockies — guaranteed less than $15 million.”
The top of the league is doing great. The middle? Not so much. That’s a problem.
It’s hard to blame the players for wanting change when these are the results. We’ll see if Meyer ends up being the fall guy for it.
Keenan Allen keeps it real
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Keenan Allen doesn’t play about his paper. He was asked why he left the Chargers this season after being traded and, essentially, that was his answer. Robert Zeglinski has more here:
“As Allen explained during his introductory Bears press conference, when the Chargers approached him about restructuring his contract, his answer to his former employer wasnât emotional. The 31-year-old playmaker said he bluntly told them it wasnât happening because he was coming off one of his best statistical seasons. Thatâs it.”
I’m not mad at this at all. When you’re performing at your best, you expect to be paid for it. You definitely don’t expect your job to ask you to put that money on layaway. That’s unfair.
Allen is getting what he deserves from the Bears. Is it a worse situation? Maybe. But Zeglinski asks a poignant question in his piece: “Why take a pay cut or move around money youâre owed in writing just to help your employer, especially after you performed well?”
My thoughts, exactly. Get your money, Keenan Allen. Good on you.
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