Lakers News: Timberwolves Have Suspended Rudy Gobert From Their LA Play-In Game
Your Los Angeles Lakers have always been a little luckier than your average NBA team.
For one thing, their free throw disparity with opposing clubs is, well, pretty generous. That's always going to be there, and will always give them a slight edge, especially at home.
But beyond that, LA may have just sown up a play-in victory a day before tipoff.
That's because Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert, a player for whom the Wolves traded five first round draft picks, and a pick swap option, plus probable All-Rookie First Team center Walker Kessler (who's basically already Gobert 2.0), is being suspended by his own team and will not travel with Minnesota for Tuesday's play-in contest against the Lakers, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
We've known this was a possibility ever since Gobert was shown violently punching the shoulder of teammate Kyle Anderson in an escalating argument during a stoppage in play in yesterday's eventual 113-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Gobert allegedly yelled at Anderson to grab a "f---ing rebound." When Anderson retorted, "Shut the f--- up, b----," the 7'1" three-time Defensive Player of the Year started reigning blows at his comrade. They were quickly separated and Gobert was immediately sent home. He later apologized on Twitter for his behavior, but the damage had clearly been done.
Earlier in the game, an aggrieved Jaden McDaniels had knocked himself out of the entire playoffs when he fractured his hand punching a wall in frustration during the game's first half.
The Pelicans had actually been leading the Timberwolves by double digits, 48-36, when Gobert, who had been playing through a tweaked back, was kicked out of the arena. Minnesota rallied without him.
Wojnarowski reported that starting Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley (who was part of the three-time deal that sent Russell Westbrook out of Los Angeles and brought D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Lakers) claimed that any beef had been squashed in a group text thread. Clearly, that was a lie.
Over the summer, the Wolves sent three unprotected first-round picks, in 2023, 2025 and 2027, a top-five protected first in 2029, pick-swap rights in 2026, Kessler, and several veterans (including future Lakers Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley) to Utah for the rights to this goofball.
When available this season, the 30-year-old Gobert is still an impactful player. Across 70 games in 2022-23 (all starts), he averaged 13.4 points on 65.9% field goal shooting, 11.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.2 assists and 0.8 steals a night. But he's always been a chemistry wild card, and that erupted yesterday.
Not having Gobert manning the middle (let alone McDaniels or the also-injured Naz Reid) will represent a massive break for the Lakers on drives and general plays around the basket.
Woj added that the suspension will be for just one game, meaning if the Lakers beat Minnesota (which seemed likely even before the Timberwolves lost their best defender), Gobert will return for the next game against the winner of the play-in bout between the Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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