Certainly Rudy Gobert quickly apologized, but the punch struck Sunday by the Frenchman on the chest of one of his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates might not have been worse, posing a risk of suspension while his franchise is going to play. on a game or two following his NBA season.
Eighth in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season, the Wolves will face the LA Lakers of LeBron James on Tuesday for a place in the play-offs. In case of defeat, they will still have a chance to qualify three days later once morest the winner of the match between New Orleans and Oklahoma.
But will Minnesota be able – and will it want – to count on its rookie from last summer? Nothing is less certain following the bloodshed of which the former Utah player was guilty during the match once morest the Pelicans, won without him by the Wolves (113-108).
During a timeout near halftime, with the Minneapolis franchise trailing 48-36, video shows the start of a sideline verbal altercation between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson.
According to the sports channel ESPN, the two players exchange reproaches: Anderson asks Gobert to counter more, which retorts him to take a rebound. An insult from the American winger fuses, followed by the punch delivered by the French once morest him. According to The Athletic, the altercation continued in the locker room at halftime.
Sent home, the 30-year-old Olympic vice-champion, however, quickly sought to ease the tension, apologizing.
– Love and respect –
“Emotions got the better of me today. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, regardless of what was said. I want to apologize to the supporters, the organization and in particular of Kyle”, tweeted the French international. Anderson, he assured, is “someone I really like and respect as a teammate”.
This mea culpa was doubled, according to the leader of the Timberwolves Mike Conley, of a message transmitted to all of his teammates.
Anderson also played the appeasement. “We will talk regarding it and we will move on. We are adults,” he said following the match.
But, when Minnesota prepares to play one or two crucial meetings, it is not certain that all that is enough.
If the NBA has not yet reacted, Rudy Gobert is under the threat of a suspension which might be synonymous with the end of the season.
At the end of March, the French pivot has already been fined 25,000 dollars for virulent criticism once morest arbitration, following a defeat in Phoenix.
– “No fight” –
And, on Sunday evening, his franchise itself left uncertainty over possible sanctions.
“We have taken the decision to send Rudy Gobert home… His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue to manage the situation internally,” Wolves general manager Tim Connelly said.
“We are not proud,” added coach Chris Finch. “Veterans can get angry too, so I don’t want to be too hard on him… But obviously we won’t tolerate that sort of thing.”
The Frenchman was so far credited with a mixed season, rather positive in defense but insufficient in attack, to the point of bringing the owner of Wolves to have to defend in February the recruitment of the ex-pivot of Jazz, elected defender of the year three times.
From a statistical point of view, Gobert is running this season at averages slightly lower than his best years at the Jazz (13.4 points per game once morest 15.9 in 2018-19).
His bloodshed on Sunday also refers to a previous controversy, in Utah, marked by icy weather relations with another teammate, at the start of the Covid pandemic.
The first NBA player to contract the disease, in March 2020, Gobert had been accused of negligence, following touching microphones and recorders with his joking hands during a press conference held a few days earlier. Contaminated in turn, Donovan Mitchell had impeached him.
The French then minimized the quarrel, arguing that there was – this time – “no fight” between teammates.
