Can the Wolves afford to run it back? Windy says they are headed for a financial cliff! | First Take

until they kept winning defeating the

six seated Suns who were the betting

favorites in the first round they then

did the unthinkable knocking off the

defending champs beating Denver three

times on their home court before

ultimately losing to the Mavs in five

games here's Minnesota on their season

being over before they

wanted we never clicked all together as

a team in this series not yeah not even

one game I think that was the main thing

like no like um the last two series we

was all clicking at one time making

shots and stuff we wasn't clicking at

one time now it's a lot of our guys

first time being in this in this in this

light so especially me it's my first

time um so we'll be ready man we'll be

all right we haven't tapped into a full

potential even close to it yet so it's

uh obviously frustrated but it's really

exciting exciting too and uh I'm aware

of you know the noise and people have

different opinions people sometimes say

things that they don't even believe

themselves

eventually they're going to respect uh

and eventually they're going to be

inspired at some point but until then

you know I'm going keep being the best

version of

myself okay so they didn't reach their

full potential and they weren't clicking

and on the same page perk first react to

the sound and then I'll ask my

question well let me let me say this

first of all Anthony EDS is right okay

I'm not making no excuses but they're

going to go through Growing Pains they

hit you know a well coached Dallas

Maverick team and what happened is when

you start having that type of success as

a young ball Club then you start seeing

uncharacteristic type Behavior right you

see Jay McDaniels he's trying to make

plays and do things out of his role you

start seeing Rudy he wouldn't get his

big ass out of the paint and kept asking

for the ball on the low block he had the

most shot attempts in the first quarter

for the Minnesota timber Wars right get

out of there play your role play the

dunker spot come up and set a screen

right you start seeing guys do things

because one the outside noise start to

creep in and everybody start telling you

to do more instead of standing in your

role in that locker room number two I

don't want to hear nothing from Rudy

goldbert okay at the end of the day when

it comes down to him he was outplayed

this series by a rookie and Derek lley

Derek Lively it may not show up in the

box score and that's why you cannot go

to the box score all the time when

you're talking about games you have to

watch it with the ey test Derek Lively

played his role to the T he outshined

car Anthony towns and Rudy this guy is

playing like a veteran right now I

expect the timber wolves to get better

but at the end of the day this is a a

humbling moment for them where they go

into the off season look themselves in

the mirror and figure out how each

individual can get better okay so perk

here's what I need to know should the

Wolves make dramatic offseason changes

what needs to

happen no they shouldn't I mean look you

run it back with the same ball Club

you're not going to get better Talent

than car Anthony towns even if you try

to trade him he's still one of the top

five most talented bigs in the game he's

right up there with joic and uh Anthony

Davis when you talk about his offensive

skill set Anthony Edwards He's going to

get better right we saw him we saw him

grow through this Western Conference

Finals he averaged a little bit more

over a little bit uh above eight eight

eight assists a game right we saw his

playmaking making guys around him better

that grew n Reed is going to get better

you run it back you run it back with

this ball Club you give them another run

at it they'll be perfectly

fine so okay the when you're talking

about the Wolves future you have to kind

of take a step back and understand

everything that's going on ownership the

wolves are headed for a absolutely

Stephen A and they're headed for a

basically a financial Cliff okay because

now that the season is over Aunt Edwards

rightfully so after making the all NBA

team just hit the super max as a

four-year player congrats to him he got

a $40 million extra bonus on his

contract for making all NBA that

contract starts July 1st Carl towns made

all NBA two years ago signed a humongous

$250 million contract extension his key

was within his contract but his new

contract begins on July 1st he's getting

a 13 $1 million raise over was already a

$35 million salary they have a bunch of

other high dollar players on the roster

including Rudy goar who by the way is

eligible for an extension this summer

they're going to have to deal with they

just signed Jaden McDaniels to $130

million contract that starts July 1 guys

and he earned it he was second Team all

defense was a huge player on this team

we are in Minneapolis here we are not in

New York City this team is not owned by

by someone worth a hundred billion

dollar like the LA Clippers and not only

that the ownership situation is in flux

they the mark Lori and Alex Rodriguez

are in a legal battle with Glen Taylor

about who's going to own the team going

forward even if it is Glen Taylor he has

only played a paid a little bit of

luxury tax in the in the entire time

he's owned the team they're going to

he'd have to pay more luxury tax this

next season then all of his years owning

the Wolves combined probably doubled so

when you think about the Wolves you

can't think about whether this team

needs to change you have to think about

whether they can afford to keep this

team together I I personally think that

the ownership situation will be resolved

shortly I'm of the mindset Wendy that

you know what when you you've already

invested 600 million dollar uh because

you would do to invest 900 million of

the 1.5 billion price tag that Glen

Taylor um had ordained the uh franchise

to be worth I'm sure that was a huge

mistake on this part because now that

you've seen the elevation of Anthony

Edward Wards and the box office appeal

he has it's probably doubled the value

of the franchise so he probably feel

he's getting hoes or whatever uh so

clearly you can understand why he would

want to change course but you don't get

to do that I think that Alex Rodriguez

and Mark Lor are smart enough to make

sure that the stuff in the language is

Ironclad and I think all of this stuff

about Glen tillay is that Glen tillay

didn't want to see he didn't want

somebody else standing at Center cour

sent a court with the trophy hoyston and

and he wasn't a part of that because you

know the majority owners going to be the

one that's right there in in front of uh

in in in last night's case Ernie Johnson

for example even though Mark cubin was

right over there in the vicinity and

celebrating with the rest of the team

Glen Taylor I think that Mo that kind of

moment was important to him but it

didn't happen I think ultimately it'll

be resolved and you'll see Alex

Rodriguez and Mark Lori get a majority

stake in the franchise which is what

they were aiming to do but obviously

that remains to be seen here's what I

would tell you about what what perk is

saying perk I don't disagree with you I

don't think that this wholesale changes

that should be made but I do

think one has to consider what you're

going to do with Carl Anthony towns not

because we're going to indict his Play

Even though obviously shot 24% from

three-point range this series all right

and was not that impressive all be with

the exception of one game really I'm not

counting last night because they got

obliterated in the first quarter we

ain't giving them credit for that you

got to look at it and ask yourself is

that the ideal match

for an Anthony Edwards number one and

number two what could you get for Carl

Anthony towns because of how talented he

is and how much he would work for

another team compared to what somebody

would how somebody would work with

Anthony Edwards instead of him those are

the kind of questions that I think have

to be answered again I'm inclined to

roll with you perk and not condone or

support making wholesale changes but I

will say

that yo I I it's I got to see what I

could get for him because of his talent

and the value he could potentially bring

particularly since I'm limited in stuff

that I could do in free agency and

Beyond I'd have to at least look at it

well well well here's the thing right I

think this team when you look at the

Minnesota Timberwolves they would built

to beat the defending champs right

that's why you had the double big lineup

you had car Anthony towns and Rudy

playing alongside one another but what

the Dallas Mavericks exposed is they

exposed that double big lineup and to be

honest with you you know Wendy talked

about Rudy come being eligible for a

contract extension that's the person

that I'm looking to shop I'm looking to

build around Carl Anthony towns and

Anthony Edwards again Carl Anthony towns

Talent is like no other when it comes to

his skill set his AB his ability to

shoot the ball from the three his

ability to go to the low block take you

off the dribble finish in the paint

either hand so at the end of the day I'm

looking at this yeah all that right one

leg turnarounds whatever you want he got

it I'm looking at the Rudy situation and

I'm like is it really worth it right

like I know he's the defensive player of

the year I'm not even about to go down

that path I didn't already read him his

rights on how I feel about that but

that's what I'm looking at Jay McDaniels

he's going to be there defensively

Anthony Edward he's going to be there

defensively car Anthony Town's next step

in his career is taking that Anthony

Davis type leap being a guy that could

play both sides of the basketball

Anthony Davis all NBA all uh defensive

team that's what call Anthony towns gold

need to be going into next season

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