“Something Missing in Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert”: Skip Bayless Blames Wolves’ Twin Towers for 0–3 Hole

After the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the defending champions in the Conference Semifinals, no one thought that they’d get swept in the Western Conference Finals. Yet, the Wolves are on the brink of getting blown out 4-0 by the Dallas Mavericks. A lot of things have gone wrong for the franchise in the last three games of the series. On the recent episode of UNDISPUTED, Skip Bayless mainly focused on one of the biggest problems for the Wolves, the showing of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.

Bayless mostly held KAT and Gobert’s poor showing responsible for the disappointing outcome of the first three games. Reiterating his stance on the Mavs having the two best players on the floor, the FS1 host stated that the two 7-foot giants lack the level of mental toughness that is needed in high-pressure situations like the playoffs.

He said, “I don’t love Karl-Anthony Towns and I never have. There’s always something missing in both of them until Anthony came along.” As per the media veteran, the two Wolves stars have always lacked the clutch gene and their flaws are getting exposed once again at the highest stage.

Bayless believes that the rise of Anthony Edwards took the focus away from this problem in the initial stages of the season. The 72-year-old credited the Wolves’ success so far to Ant-Man. He then added, “Somebody has to do something to counteract the 2 best closers in the backcourt.”

The Wolves were arguably the best defensive team in the league before the WCF kicked off. Despite having the four-time Defensive Player of the Year by their side, they’re slowly spiraling down to oblivion.

Towns’ poor 0-for-8 shooting has received a lot of flak from NBA analysts, with people like Charles Barkley pleading him to take his game to the paint. KAT will have a decided size advantage in the post if he decides to follow Sir Charles’ advice.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s head coach is also on the hot seat.

Draymond Green slams Chris Finch for poor team rotation

Draymond Green has become a regular feature with the Inside the NBA crew in this postseason. In his assessment of the Wolves’ performance after Game 3, the Warriors star said that coach Chris Finch is focused on the wrong things, which has led to their miserable condition. He said, “At some point, Chris Finch has got to make an adjustment.”

The 34-year-old isn’t pleased with Finch’s team rotation in the series. He said that despite consistent duds, he has a place for Gobert and KAT, while talented players like Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson are still waiting for a proper chance. He said, “We can’t worry about KAT or Rudy Gobert’s feelings. They need Naz Reid out there and they need Kyle Anderson out there.”

Charles Barkley also echoed these sentiments on the show. Sir Charles once again torched KAT for averaging 15.6 points in the last five games with an FG% of 35. KAT has also made 32 three-point attempts with a 12.5% efficiency, which Barkley thought was unacceptable.