The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered possibly their worst loss of the season on Friday night, when they allowed the New Orleans Pelicans to fight back from an 18-point second-half deficit to win 119-115.
The Pelicans (14-40) are closer a lottery pick than the playoffs, and surrendering a lead of that size on home court to a team with the third-worst record in the NBA left veteran centre Rudy Gobert frustrated when speaking to reporters after the game.
“It should start with ourselves, but it seems like we don’t have that, so I think at some point [it has to come] from the coaches,” Gobert said to reporters after the game, when assessing possible ways to right the ship.
“It’s not an easy position for a coach to take guys out of the game. It’s not something that you want to do, but I think if the players don’t show any effort, at some point, no matter how talented we are as a team, if you don’t have that, you just can’t be a winning team.”
The Timberwolves (32-21) entered this season with championship aspirations after being eliminated in the Western Conference finals the past two years. With superstar guard Anthony Edwards leading the attack on offence alongside Julius Randle and the dynamic Jaden McDaniels, this team “[has] a real puncher’s chance to win a championship,” team president Tim Connelly said on Friday.
They have looked like a championship-calibre squad at times this year too, with two wins each over the top two teams in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Connelly made a trade to bolster the bench by acquiring Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls, and gave up young talent to do so because he believes the team is on that level.
But too many times, the Timberwolves have played poorly against inferior opponents including Friday’s game against New Orleans, coupled with losses against the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz in the past three weeks.
“At some point, if the players don’t have accountability, someone has to have accountability for the players,” Gobert said. “I’m on straight effort. I’m just talking straight effort. I’m not even getting to the basketball side of things, like there’s always mistakes are a part of the game, but the effort to me for a team that wants to play for a championship, it’s unacceptable.”
Gobert, who has averaged 10.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season, his fourth in Minnesota, did not shy away from some of the blame for himself. A four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert allowed Pelicans forward Zion Williamson to dominate the paint with 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting in the loss.
“It starts with me. If I’m not showing effort, bench me,” Gobert said. “Take me out of the game. Everybody else will follow. Our best players, leaders, if we don’t show any effort, it doesn’t matter if you score 50, we’re not going to win.”
After the loss to the Pelicans, the Timberwolves – who have gone 7-8 over their past 15 games – sit sixth in the Western Conference, a half game clear of the Phoenix Suns in seventh in play-in tournament territory.
“We want to be a championship team. We want to lift that trophy in June,” Gobert said. “This is a lesson that we need to get right now. It starts at the top.”