The Wolves bet big on themselves
In his post-draft media availability, Gersson Rosas made it clear the choice to draft Anthony Edwards and keep him was intentional.
“It’s funny, the narrative has been there’s no consensus #1, the draft is down. We had conversations with over 10 teams about #1. The reality, is, where we valued Anthony was greater than any deal we were going to get there. The talent is too special. The upside is too special. We’re betting on Anthony.”
Alright then.
But here’s the thing. Yes, this pick is betting on Anthony Edwards to figure it out, but what that really is saying is the Wolves are betting on themselves to teach Anthony Edwards how to figure it out.
Ethan Casson and Gersson Rosas have worked tirelessly for 18 months now to create a positive team culture for the Wolves. One where the front office values players and employees as people, not just assets; where coaches forge personal relationships with the players, checking up on their lives, not just their games. A culture that would undue the toxicity left behind by the Thibs era.
But what this also has done is put a support system in place to take on players….kids….with red flags. And taken as a whole, draft night and free agency thus far can only be seen as the Wolves doubling down on that - effectively doubling down on themselves.
Edwards came into this draft with a number of concerns. His lone season at Georgia was underwhelming. He displayed streaky shooting on questionable shot selection, little commitment to defense, and at times appeared to simply not care. Those alarms got louder in the pre-draft process, particularly when he let slip in an interview with ESPN that he can’t watch basketball unless he’s in the game, and that he doesn’t enjoy watching basketball as much as football (the sport he began his athletic career in)
Jaden McDaniels also comes into this with a boatload of questions. He was a top recruit out of high school, but failed to crack the starting lineup on a bad Washington team. He led the conference in turnovers, fouls and technical fouls, and showed erratic behavior on and off the court.
And of course, there’s Malik Beasley, who was lights out to end the season, only to get himself into legal trouble in the offseason. The jury is still out on him - literally, in this case - but the Wolves nonetheless committed 4 years and $60 million to keep him in town versus him leaving for New York or Milwaukee.
And much more personally and seriously, Edwards lost his mother to cancer at just 14 years old. That, obviously, has defined his life ever since. As his father isn’t a part of his life, Edwards has been raised essentially by his older brother. He’s risen up through the athletic ranks quite literally without a parental figure in his life.
No one questions the talent of any of these guys. Malik is a bona fide lights out shooter and cerebral tactician who studies and executes his game with exceptional craft. Jaden is an unbelievable athlete with skills NBA teams trip over themselves to get in a big man: inside/outside scoring, high level handles and court vision, tremendous mobility. And Edwards is the #1 pick for a reason. He’s physically a monster, both in size and athleticism, and he’s shown flashes of everything - scoring, rebounding, facilitating, defending - that you look for in a potential star.
Yet at the end of the day, the Wolves willingly have taken on two young kids with a lot of red flags on the court and a lot of baggage off it, and committed themselves to someone potentially facing weapons and/or assault charges.
They wouldn’t do that unless they believed they were equipped to handle it.
Flip the coin on their other moves, and you can see where the Wolves have not only asserted their belief in their own culture, but have intentionally bolstered it.
Ryan Saunders is a very young head coach, and questions about his qualifications for the job will persist until he proves otherwise. But make no mistake, there is something significant to having him. In a young league, on a young team, with young players that need more than just a suit and tie and clipboard, Saunders is poised to be perhaps the league’s best relations coach.
For Edwards, who hasn’t had a parent in his life for all of high school or college, that’s monumental. Georgia coach Tom Crean could not have been more elated for Edwards to land in Minnesota, praising Ryan often and effusively for his ability to connect and mentor young minds beyond just the film room and practice court. Edwards needs, quite frankly, a father figure. Not just to adjust to the fame and money and pressures of NBA life, but just to become an adult. That’s not something he’d likely have gotten from Steve Kerr, and without it, his talent will always be locked away. He needs a Ryan Saunders to become the best player he can be because the first step to that is becoming the best person he can be.
It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say Ed Davis may be the NBA’s most popular player to other players. Damien Lillard quite literally said, if he could pick one person to be his teammate his whole career, it would be Ed Davis. D’Angelo also swears by him, going to the season they shared in Brooklyn. Davis is a soft spoken, but tough, veteran leader, and one who can still play at a high level.
And of course, there’s Ricky.
Words will be written about Ricky Rubio the player. He’s not the same as the one who left Minnesota three years ago. He’s a better shooter now, a little slower on defense, a little steadier and less prone to flash. He’s had a big hand in turning both Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker into All Stars, and the Wolves will be leaning on him to do the same with Edwards, will helping to elevate D’Angelo.
But that’s all on court stuff. The real heart and soul of bringing Ricky home is off the court.
In the last year before being traded, Rubio lost his mother to cancer. This came just months after the passing of Flip Saunders, through which Rubio and Ryan forged a bond like brothers.
Now the Wolves are living that pain all over again. Just 8 months ago, Karl-Anthony Towns lost his mother Jaqueline to Covid-19. And they’ve drafted a 19 year old kid who’s been without a mother as long as Ricky, but from a much younger age.
Rubio is not just here to elevate his teammates on the court. He’s an immediate and vital support system off it. Jon Krawczynski said he did speak with Ricky about it, and that Rubio is more than ready and willing to pay forward the support he got from Ryan four years ago. Although it wasn’t discussed much, Rubio and KAT were extremely close during their time together here - they have like personalities, a vibe, the sort of understanding that goes beyond words. The Wolves will need that this season and more.
That there will be days when the pain of that loss will dominate KAT’s mind, or the memory of happy childhood days will derail Ant’s focus. Days where it’s overwhelming and basketball just isn’t a thing for reasons that have nothing to do with basketball.
The Wolves now have both a coach and a player who don’t just sympathize, but empathize with that experience. Ricky knows what it feels like, as a person. Not just intellectually, but emotionally. Those days KAT can’t see past the pain are days when a coach like Vanterpool or even a best friend like DLo might not be able to get through. But Ricky will, because he remembers being in that pain.
Rosas and Co. certainly see all angles of their offseason decisions. Ed Davis is not just a veteran player, but a leader. He doesn’t just have a connection with DLo, but also with Vanterpool and Prigioni. He’s going to know a lot of both the offense and defense from day 1.
Ricky’s not just a starter caliber point guard. There’s tangible evidence of the massive, positive effect he has on young all star guards. He also won the 2019 FIBA championship with Juancho Herangomez. He also, as a Spanish speaker - and along with Pablo Prigioni - can greatly ease the transition for Leandro Bolmaro. And yes, he’s dearly beloved. There’s an entire generation of 20-and-younger Wolves fans who don’t know Kevin Garnett’s greatness as a Wolf. To most of those fans, Ricky Rubio is their favorite player.
No matter what angle it gets looked at - on the court, off the court, to fans, to coaches, to each other - there’s some sort of positive connection to having Ryan as the head coach, and to adding Davis and Rubio to the team. That’s by design. That’s a front office thinking through their plan and deciding they can take the risks on the massive talents of red flagged players because they believe they’ve built the support system - that they have the people - to handle it all. Not every team is equipped for that. The ones that aren’t and take the risk anyway end up damaging a lot more than their win/loss records.
That ultimately may be the greatest gift Rubio can give this organization, and might end up being the biggest part of his legacy as a Timberwolf. Bringing not just his talent and joy to the court, but bringing his humanity off it. If he can, in any small way, help KAT and Anthony through their healing process, then his return will be beyond anything a box score could ever describe.
