Podcast: Where the Timberwolves Stand After Losing Anthony Edwards to Knee Surgery
· Yahoo Sports
The Minnesota Timberwolves looked like one of the best teams in the West in the first week, but the last few days changed that.
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Minnesota is 3-2 after back-to-back losses, and shooting guard Anthony Edwards will miss up to two months after an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee that was scheduled for Thursday, as ESPN's Shams Charania reported this week.
A Fast Start Followed by Two Losses
The Wolves won their first three games by 25, 22 and 23 points, beating Miami 131-106, Orlando 115-93 and Toronto 117-94.
Edwards scored 45 points in Miami and then put up 47 in Monday's 127-125 overtime loss in Cleveland, even after being listed as questionable with the knee issue.
Minnesota led that game by 15 points before the Cavaliers came back, which made it a tough first loss.
Wednesday's 119-114 home loss to the Warriors was the first look at life without Edwards.
Minnesota fell behind by 24 points before forward Jonathan Kuminga and forward Jaden McDaniels led a push in the fourth quarter.
Kuminga scored 20 points against his former team while McDaniels and guard Terrence Shannon Jr. added 19 each, but Golden State won the rebounding battle.
Life Without Anthony Edwards
Edwards averaged 33.3 points through the first four games, and his 133 points in that stretch were a franchise record, per the Associated Press.
President of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Edwards wanted to play against Golden State, but the team chose to protect him for the long run.
"We're just concerned about his long-term health. We want to make sure we're putting him in the best position he can be so he can be the best version he's going to be for a long time," Connelly said before Wednesday's game.
The front office made the right call, and this team has handled it before, as Edwards missed 21 games last season and the Wolves went 12-9 without him.
This time point guard LaMelo Ball, who came over from Charlotte in a four-team trade this summer, has to carry more, and he went just 3 of 11 from the field with six turnovers against Golden State.
No one player can fill the hole Edwards leaves, so guard Ayo Dosunmu moving into the starting lineup and scoring 17 points with four steals was a good first sign.
What Comes Next for Minnesota
The Los Angeles Clippers come to Target Center on Friday for an NBA Cup group play game, and Minnesota then visits San Antonio on Saturday before hosting Milwaukee on Monday and heading to Houston on Wednesday.
Guard Donte DiVincenzo is still out with the torn right Achilles he suffered in the playoffs, and the team has not set a return date.
Most of this falls on Ball, because he has the passing to keep Kuminga, McDaniels and Shannon involved, and this is his chance to move past the reasons Charlotte let him go.
Center Rudy Gobert also has to give more than the one point and four rebounds he had against Golden State, since the defense runs through him.
I expect the Wolves to win at least two of the next four, and I think Ball looks like himself again by the time they reach Houston.