Rudy Gobert attacked Kyle Anderson on Sunday during a timeout as the Minnesota Timberwolves faced the New Orleans Pelicans. The French pivot hit his teammate following a short altercation on the team bench, shortly before halftime.
Gobert did not finish the meeting: at the break, the franchise preferred to send him home, specifies Shams Charania de The Athletic. A worrying sign as Minnesota prepares to play the play-in.
Will his team suspend him for this decisive match? The question remains open and precedents are rare. By comparison, Bobby Portis was left out of the squad for the final eight games of the 2017-18 season following hitting teammate Nikola Mirotic during a Bulls practice on Tuesday, October 17, 2017. Draymond Green had only been fined for a similar altercation with Jordan Poole before the start of the exercise.
“Kyle (Anderson) wants to win and he is sometimes a bit aggressive in the way he speaks, but I don’t take it personallyhad nevertheless assured Gobert to Chris Hinethe day before. I get it positively because he wants me to be the best Rudy I can be and for us to win. I like his competitiveness, I like the way he plays. The way he makes others better around him. He played an important role this year.”
Another Timberwolves player, Jaden McDaniels expressed his frustration in hitting a wall. Injured in the hand, the winger might not finish the game either. The absence of the defense specialist, very valuable for his team, would be very bad news for the post-season.
