NBA: Rudy Gobert came close to disaster

Posted on August 12, 2022 at 10:35 a.m. by Quentin Guiton

One of the big moves this NBA offseason is undoubtedly Rudy Gobert’s trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the Frenchman, the Minneapolis franchise has everything to finally turn a corner. If the fans are euphoric today, they could have never seen Rudy Gobert evolve with the Timberwolves jersey…

This offseason is very lively in the NBA. It must be said that soap operas Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving make a lot of noise. But another event rocked the league this summer. After nine seasons spent with the JazzRudy Gobert was traded in Minnesota Timer wolves. A real earthquake. If this transfer has shocked more than one, it is however not that surprising in reality. In fact, in Utah, Rudy Gobert has become a real reference to his position in the NBA, and even one of the very best defenders in the league. The 2m16 pivot has thus won the title of best defender of the season three times (DPOY) and already has three selections in the All Star Game. Nevertheless, with the Jazzhe always failed in playoffs. If we add to that its misuse within the franchise and its conflicting relationship with Donovan Mitchell, a departure was almost inevitable. These are therefore the Minnesota timber wolves who jumped at the chance.

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Gobert and the Timberwolves, the perfect marriage?

But to get the signature of Rudy Gobert, Minnesota had to drop heavy. So in exchange for the pivot, the timber wolves have sent to Jazz Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt and especially four draft rounds! An XXL package that reflects the value of Gobert in the NBA. And if the Minnesota franchise has dropped so much in this trade, it is because it absolutely wanted the native of Saint-Quentin. Rudy Gobert may indeed be the missing piece of timber wolves, the player capable of turning them around. Their last season was very interesting with a team made up of D’Angelo Russell at the lead, Anthony Edwards and of course Karl Anthony Towns. They even managed to find the playoffsbut unfortunately failed in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies. The big weak point of the franchise remained the defense. Who better than Rudy Gobert to fix this? with him and K.A.T., Minnesota will have one of the very best racquets in the NBA. Why not hope to play a role in the title race next season.

“The title is the goal”

In any case, Rudy Gobert clearly came for that. The pivot revealed his very high ambitions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is already excited about the idea of ​​the duo he will form alongside K.A.T. : “The title is the goal. That’s what this exchange suggests. KAT still has room for improvement, it will gain in maturity. We are going to make this team better, KAT better. We want to get there fast. The objective is not only to play the play-offs, it is to be a candidate for the trophy. I’m not going there to take the temperature. »

Gobert’s trade almost never took place!

Only this association of Rudy Gobert and of K.A.T. in the racket was not unanimous at the start. In fact, the owner of timber wolves Glen Taylor revealed, reported by Let’s talk basketball, having had doubts, so much so that he almost canceled the trade! But the coach chris finch finally managed to convince him. “President Tim Connelly, and coach Chris Finch, came to talk to me to discuss the trade and I asked the coach if he knew of a system to best utilize these two players. He was really very confident and he is sure he knows how to use them, how to win these two pivots. We talked a lot about the subject, and he convinced me that this trade was going to allow us to win. I was able to agree immediately. » If he was therefore convinced, Glen Taylor will logically expect results next season. So the pressure is now on the shoulders of Minnesota and of Rudy Gobert !