Lakers News: How Darvin Ham Feels About Latest Timberwolves Drama
On Tuesday night, your 42-39 Los Angeles Lakers will suit up for their first game of the 2023 postseason, when they'll host a play-in battle against the 42-40 Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves have had a dramatic close to their season of late. Yesterday, starting center Rudy Gobert punched forward Kyle Anderson in a timeout dust-up. Today, Minnesota announced it would be suspending Gobert for Tuesday's game, a huge blow to its own chances of victory.
Gobert isn't the only player who was available Sunday but will be sitting tomorrow. Forward Jaden McDaniels punched a wall in frustration during the game's first half and fractured his hand.
Another key rotation player for Minnesota, forward Naz Reid, is also going to sit tomorrow, having broken his wrist in late March.
Following a team practice today, LA head coach Darvin Ham was diplomatic today after being asked directly about the Gobert-Anderson hullabaloo.
"It's not Laker business," Ham insisted. "It's an unfortunate situation but I really don't have an opinion on it. We're just focused on trying to be the best version of ourselves and what we've got to do. It's not about who we're playing, it's about how we play, and putting out best foot forward."
When asked by a reporter how the absences of Gobert, Reid and McDaniels impacted LA's game-planning, Ham offered up something of a cagey response.
"It's all about us," Ham said. "I repeat: it's not Laker business. It's an unfortunate situation, but we've got to prepare for us to be the best version of ourselves, make sure we come out right with the right energy, the right urgency, the right effort, and be the most competitive, together team for 48 minutes."
We'll see how much the absences of Gobert, Reid and McDaniels impact the team's defensive performance in the frontcourt. We'd estimate... a ton.
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