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It’s a crisp Wednesday afternoon on January 4, 2023. Do you know where your Minnesota Timberwolves are?
They’re online.
On a seemingly innocuous game day, Wolves fans were excited/anxious to see them build off a very spirited victory over the Western Conference one-seed. That win snapped an ugly six-game losing skid to end 2022. However, the players were apparently keeping themselves busy prior to tipoff versus the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
Canis Hoopus is here to take you through the timeline of what unfolded on social media so you don’t have to.
~9:30 a.m. - Ant loves his dogs
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Anthony Edwards shares a video on his Instagram story about waking up to dogs licking their owners. About five hours later, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune reports that Edwards will be donating QUEERSPACE Collective on Timberwolves Pride Night. Great start to the day!
With Timberwolves Pride Night happening tonight, Anthony Edwards will be making a donation to QUEERSPACE collective (.@QUEERSPACE_C), a local organization dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ youth.
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 4, 2023
~10:25 a.m. - D’Lo bets on himself
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D’Angelo Russell retweets a tweet by Toronto Raptors guard, Fred VanVleet, of three dice emojis. VanVleet, who’s struggles have embodied Toronto’s rough season, was quote tweeting something he shared on June 23, 2016. Less than a month after that, VanVleet signed a cheap contract with the Raptors after going undrafted, opting to “bet on himself,” which paid dividends later in his career as he cashed out with a huge payday. Russell is currently on the last year of his current contract after not inking an extension last summer and as some would say, is “betting on himself” to cash out on a big new deal as an unrestricted free agent this upcoming summer.
Russell has been rumored to be at the center of ire among his teammates and fan base as the Wolves have thrived without him in the lineup this season. The Wolves had just held a “Players Only” meeting after their embarrassing loss to the league-worst Detroit Pistons on New Year’s Eve.
Canis Hoopus also points out that Russell is no longer following the official Timberwolves Instagram account. Previously on December 30, 2022, Russell unfollowed the official Timberwolves Twitter account.
@Dloading is no longer following @Timberwolves
— NBA Alerts (@theNBAalert) December 30, 2022
~11:30 a.m. - “Don’t share ya resolutions”
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Taurean Prince shares a post on his Instagram story with the post above. Less than three hours later, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski breaks the news that Prince would be returning to the lineup after missing the last 20 games due to a right shoulder injury. He had suffered a right shoulder injury fighting for a loose ball with D’Angelo Russell.
Minnesota Timberwolves F Taurean Prince (shoulder) is planning to make his return vs. the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, sources tell ESPN. Prince, sidelined since Nov. 23, has averaged 7.7 points in 20 minutes per game this season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 4, 2023
~1:00 p.m. - Gobert won’t change
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Rudy Gobert shares a post on his Instagram story which details a comic/story, culminating in the lesson of “Do not change your nature simply because someone harms you. Do not lose your good heart, only learn to take precautions.” Gobert has also been subject to criticism both for his play on the court, but being the literal center of a trade that Tim Connelly made to bring him to Minnesota. It’s also debated if his teammates are unhappy with his play per the “Players Only” meeting.
~2:00 p.m. - KAT feels “Breaking Point”
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Karl-Anthony Towns shares the song “Breaking Point” by artist Leon Thomas on his Instagram story. The screenshot he shares of the song is at the 3:44 mark. Below are the lyrics at that timestamp.
They told me love breakable
I thought that I could handle
But that is still debatable
I thought this was for me
But it’s feeling impossible
Breaking point, breaking point
Towns, who has been out of the lineup for over a month due to a calf injury, is still not close to a return to the court yet.
2:53 p.m. - PatBev keeping tabs on ARod
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Former Wolves guard, Patrick Beverley, quote tweets a post to Canis Hoopus’ John Meyer. Meyer had shared a post of Wolves part-minority owner, Alex Rodriguez, unsuccessfully shoveling his driveway. Beverley, who has been rather unsuccessful in his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, has been rumored to be open to a reunion with Minnesota.
Per @JakeLFischer of Yahoo Sports, Patrick Beverley "has a desire to return to Minnesota, sources said, should he reach free agency via buyout."@jrborman13 has the latest on the report and what a potential Pat Bev reunion would mean for the Wolves. https://t.co/U3lcGR9slh
— Canis Hoopus (@canishoopus) December 15, 2022
So there you have it. Some reckless speculation on Hump Day to get you through the week. What do you think any of this means? What is going on in Minnesota?
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