The Minnesota Timberwolves are quietly making a comeback as one of the contending teams in the West after defeating the Detroit Pistons at home 123 to 104. Should we start putting more respect on the Timberwolves or has their window closed as legitimate title contenders for this iteration of the team? Here's an interesting stat. The Minnesota Timberwolves win 11 and three during the month of March and are currently half a game out of the sit seat in the West Conference.
Are they back? I going from the Western Conference Finals to where they are now. It does seem like it's a decline. However, they've been balling over the last, you know, a little over a month.
I just think the thing that holds me back from saying anything positive is Julius Randall. And I do not, I think he's a cancer. He's not. He's full blown.
He's a full blown cancer. And that's why I was like and show the next guy that's about it. And we've been we've been seeing the boys and boys and boys and boys guys ever since. And I'm saying, so I think that's because like what's crazy is that with him is that again, there is an injury prone thing with him as well, too.
But when he's playing healthy, like his potential is that he is a he is like 25 10. And he can create his own shot. And he can score any point on the floor. It's just that he goofy in his own way.
He's almost like Pat on a dark skin version. It's a weird thing to classify mass, but he's very goofy in how he plays is like, why can't you just do the thing that you do best and make smarter decisions after all the failures that you've seen when you go with your gut and go with the goofy shit. So I, as much as I believe in that, how much I don't believe in Julius, that's the reason why I think they're second round at best this season. So that you believe in Kat Mornin, then Randall, I believe in Brunson.
I believe in Brunson and Kat. I believe the pair of Brunson and Kat better than the pair of Brunson and Ram. I think that what we learned is that Kat was way more important to this team than we thought. And they thought statistically, maybe they could replicate what he was able to do when you just look at the numbers, but there has been an adjustment period.
And based on how they've been playing, maybe they finally figured it out when I watched them play. I don't know, something just always seemed off to me. And, and I think that is the issue. They just don't know how to play without Kat in trying to move everything to end.
You know, we talked earlier, you know, this year seemed like it taught about number three, and was taking was a lot. You know, I think Rudy go bare is just awful. I don't care what anybody's saying. He doesn't contribute anywhere.
But I don't know, man, I think it's been interesting because maybe they overachieved last year. And this is who they are to go from where they were. It looked like they were going to ascend and become a legit player in the West Conference Finals. And they took a step back.
So for me, I really want to see how they perform in the playoffs. And can they, they got to win at least they got to get out of the first round and come close to getting out of the second round. But for me, man, I'm looking at it. I'm looking at it.
And can you be the guy that, you know, everybody think you can be? And we haven't seen it, but they cat cat was very important to this team and ant was very specific when he said, and very clear when he said cat is the best office of player on that team. You got to go to I'll be quickly, folks. I know you got a lot of basketball tape.
I think you got to be next to next level. So I don't think I don't know if he's going to be a recent player. I don't think he's recent yet. And I don't think that you could be as successful as you were as the Timmables with Julius Randle, which you know, I don't think that there's a world where that happens.
They need to find a true number two. If not, he has to be like next level Michael Jordan 36 again in the playoffs for them to be successful. Can you set a couple of things? Number one, I'm not the biggest really go bare fan, but he did win defensive player of the year.
And I want to say that you clamored you and Shelton clamored for him winning defensive player of the year over when be so I don't remember. Yeah, chat chat when that takes pull that up. Hey, I really remember you, so can you be on the fringe? I know I would say that when we should have been defensive player of the year and now this guy really go bare I said they wouldn't give him to him because he deserved it.
Okay, either way, I called it from the beginning of the season. I felt that this was a soft rebuild because you didn't necessarily get better, but you took a house that back, you know, and the reason why cat was an issue from Minnesota can and I don't think that they would have won a championship with cat either is because cat is just mentally weak and you can get into his head and he doesn't perform when the lights are the brightest and that's evident by the New York Knicks not being able to beat the best teams in the league. Yes, they are a better team with cat in terms of the New York Knicks and with Brunbren and all of that. But they can't beat the elite teams and that's where they are slated to be by making a cat tree, right?
So cat is in a weird space of having immense talent, but not having the mental capability to be elite. He has a it's kind of like all of these years when Anthony Davis, right? Batman physical, Robin mental, and it's like you can't win like that. And that's the issue that cat has.
Now you also said that it hasn't been balled. You said if I did, I'm gonna smoke. Okay, because it has definitely been balling, and especially since the all star break, I don't have the numbers in front of me. But y'all can go look him up.
It has been on a tear, which is why they are where they are right now. Spike, I also don't disagree that for them to make a true legit run, we need to see what we saw out of the way years ago. Oh, with Dallas, a good guy. He has to go super saying, bro.
Like if they are truly going to be a contender this year, he has to go super saying where he's like, you can't stop him, you triple team him, he pulled him up from three and he's just he shrugging at you. He give you the journey. That's the level he has to play at. Can he get there?
We've seen spurts and moments of it, but he had that for a sustained play over him. We don't know. He hasn't done it yet. Where the Minnesota Timberwolves go from here, in my opinion, is you got to shout Julius in all seasons.
You got to see what you could potentially get. Obviously, I like Nasri. You know, I said when they signed him that it made cat expendable. Not saying he's as good as cat, but what cat gave you you get from Nas?
You know, I will look at, yo, can we go get K.D. Can we get what what is out there that is to be had and Minnesota needs to make that move because they're not a true legit championship contender as president. We construct it. What's that you're shouting?
I think that they they are a legitimate continue, a contender in effect. But I like what is doing other than that. I don't think so I'm with Nick on the Julius Randall tape. I think that he is going to be a detriment.
We talked about I never believe in can't even know I but he was still good for what they needed him for but I didn't think enough to win the championship anyway. But this year, based off the fact of where the West is right now and how it's kind of up in the air for everybody is really all about getting hot at the right time. And they can click together right now and put it together with that fight with Detroit kind of helped them out a little bit. It got a little bit of a little bit over the head and ride this momentum and this wave into the playoffs and care far and kind of pick up steam kind of how they did last year.
They did the same thing last year when they went on that run and they have an opportunity in every series. No matter what, this first round match up give it holds true to form what it is now that we play in a Houston team. We know Houston's young. So they have experience back there.
So they can win the first round second round. You mess up with maybe a Lakers team, for example, you can win that match up because you got you know, you got using experience combined against the Lakers squad. So you have a chance to kind of dance your way to the top with the right opportunity. So they they have legitimate in the sense that you have one of the best players in the league.
Yeah, we'll be watching. We'll see how they go. But it's good to see them turning things, starting to turn things.