The Minnesota Timberwolves could soon get some significant help as they attempt to make a push for the playoff spot in the final stretch of the 2022-23 NBA season. On Wednesday, the team issued an update about the status of their star big man Karl-Anthony Towns and said that they expect the player to return to court  “in the coming weeks.”

According to the Timberwolves, Towns is making progress in his rehabilitation from a calf injury and “has been participating in basketball activities.” The team added that “further updates to his playing status will be provided when available.”

Towns has been out since November after suffering a calf injury in a 142-127 loss against the Washington Wizards. He averaged 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 21 games before getting hurt.

With less than four weeks left in the season, the Timberwolves are hoping they will get Towns on the court sooner than later. The team managed to stay afloat despite his injury, currently sitting at No. 7 in the Western Conference. However, only two games separate them from the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 12, which means that Minnesota still has a long way to go if they want to make the postseason.

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Things are not looking good for Minnesota Timberwolves in the next month or so. According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves just found out that their All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns will be sidelined for four to six weeks.

Reportedly, Towns is dealing with a right calf strain that he suffered in the third quarter of a 142-127 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday. The 27-year-old player “underwent imaging on Tuesday” to learn the full extent of his injury and is expecting to be out until some point in January.

This is terrible news for the Timberwolves, who have had enough troubles as it is. They are currently on a three-game losing streak, having fallen to a 10-11 record and 10th place in Western Conference. This is far from what Minnesota believed it would be after taking a swing in the offseason with a blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert.

One reason for the Timberwolves’ underwhelming start in 2022-23 is that Karl-Anthony Towns has been playing below his usual level. The 2015’s first-round pick has been averaging some of the lowest numbers in his pro career.

For example, Towns’ 20.8 points per game is the lowest since his rookie year, while his 8.2 rebounds and 32.5 percent for three are career worst. He did, however, improve his playmaking skills and is averaging career-high 5.3 assists per game.

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The start of 2022 NBA free agency on Thursday wasn’t all about bringing in new players into the building. Instead, some teams like the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns, and the Minnesota Timberwolves also used the opportunity to lock their star players to long-term extensions.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets made good on their word and gave back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension. The deal, which includes a 2027-28 player option for $60 million, is the richest in the history of the NBA.

The Suns also entered the supermax territory, giving their All-Star Devin Booker a four-year, $224 million extension. Booker’s new deal will start in the 2024-25 season and puts him on track to earn $295 million in the next six years. 

Booker’s college teammate Karl-Anthony Towns received an identical supermax extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also adds four-year, $224 million to his deal and is now under contract through the 2027-28 NBA campaign.

It was a great day for several young stars as well. Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant, who won the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2021-22, received a five-year, $193 million designated rookie extension. His deal could reportedly end up being worth around $231 million with incentives.

Zion Williamson, who was the New Orleans Pelicans’ first overall pick in 2019, is reportedly getting the same deal as Morant.

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Karl-Anthony Towns can’t be too happy about the way his season has started. Not one week in the season he finds himself sidelined with a dislocated wrist, with no true timetable for his return.

The injury happened during a game against the Utah Jazz, in which he was fighting for a rebound with star center Rudy Gobert, and then landing hard on his wrist.

He left the game to be evaluated but actually returned briefly to help his team win 116-111. However, his impact was less than he would’ve liked it to be, as he explained to the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

“I couldn’t catch anything. I was really there more just to be a distraction on the court. I just was there in case my team needed me.”

Clearly, Towns knew that something was seriously wrong, but not terrible enough that he’d sit out for the rest of the game. But after getting evaluated after the game, team doctors ruled that he shouldn’t be on the court for the foreseeable future.

Towns will not need surgery, which is certainly an encouraging thought for all involved.

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Minnesota Timberwolves’ fans will have to wait for a little longer in order to see their new star duo Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in action again. The team recently gave an update on Towns’ wrist injury and ruled out the 24-year-old center indefinitely.

According to Timberwolves’ head coach Ryan Saunders, the extent of Towns’ injury is “still being evaluated,” but the player will certainly “miss upcoming games.” Saunders declined to give an estimation of how long Towns might be out.

Towns’ injury was discovered shortly before the All-Star break, forcing him to miss Minnesota’s previous two games. If he continues to sit out more games, it will be his second major break in 2019/20. Earlier in the season, he didn’t play 15 games due to knee sprain.

Despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ struggles to remain healthy, he managed to put together a career season. Towns is averaging 26.5 points and 4.4 assists per game, both career highs, while also grabbing 10.8 boards.

Towns’ good form didn’t help Timberwolves to be competitive in the West, as the team is sitting on 14th spot with one of league’s worst record in 16-37. Things might change for the better with the addition of Russell, who joined before the trade deadline, but he will need Towns to be healthy enough. If that doesn’t happen, Minnesota will be in for another miserable end of the season.

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Hours after Jimmy Butler was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, newly former teammates Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins hailed praise at the 29-year-old, with Towns calling him “one hell of a player.”

“He’s one hell of a player,” Towns said on Sunday. “I don’t know how many Jimmy Butlers there are in the world, so I think he’ll be missed.”

In spite of the praise, Towns hasn’t had much success playing alongside Butler. In the nine games they played together this season, he averaged just 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds, down from 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds without Butler last season.

Towns admittedly didn’t want to see Butler leave and had been shutting down any rumors about his teammate for months. Although not very surprising, the team didn’t know whether Butler would be traded until last week. Everyone was in the place as they headed to California when the news was broken.

Former teammate Taj Gibson said the news came as a shock to everyone despite the fact they knew Butler wanted a trade out.

“No matter what, even if you want to ask for a trade, when you finally get traded it’s kind of a weird feeling,” Gibson said. “That is the moment I felt for him.”

Wiggins praised his former teammate in a different way, saying he had learned a lot of things from him.

“I learned a lot of things from him,” Wiggins said. “We made the playoffs, something we haven’t done in a long, long time. So, I think it was a positive either way you put it.”

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward LeBron James and Houston Rockets guard James Harden have been unanimously voted All-NBA First Team, receiving 100 first team votes, the league has announced on Thursday.

This All-NBA First Team selection for James is his 12th in 15 seasons he spent in NBA, meaning that he has passed Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone for most All-NBA first team selections. The 2017-18 regular season was the first career one in which LeBron James played in all 82 games. The 33-year-old averaged 27.5 points and career-highs of 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game.

James Harden, on the other hand, was unanimously voted All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive season. He averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game and will likely be selected NBA MVP for the 2017-18 season.

James and Harden are joined on the All-NBA First Team by Golden State Warriors’ forward Kevin Durant, New Orleans Pelicans’ forward/center Anthony Davis and Portland Trail Blazers’ guard Damian Lillard. With this selection, Davis is eligible for supermax five-year, $230 million extension according to ESPN, which would be the largest contract in the NBA. He was previously selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

The 2017-18 All-NBA First Team! @JHarden13 @KingJames @AntDavis23 @Dame_Lillard @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/WjlXkXtHnO

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2018

The All-NBA Second Team has Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Russell Westbrook, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Toronto Raptors’ guard DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge and Philadelphia 76ers’ center Joel Embiid.

The 2017-18 All-NBA Second Team! @Giannis_An34 @russwest44 @JoelEmbiid @aldridge_12 @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/3XLGZq4XPk

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2018

Warriors’ guard Steph Curry, Indiana Pacers’ guard Victor Oladipo, Thunder’s forward Paul George and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler and center Karl-Anthony Towns were selected to the All-NBA Third Team.

The 2017-18 All-NBA Third Team! @StephenCurry30 @VicOladipo @KarlTowns @JimmyButler @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/ADQmNvJGrT

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2018

You can look at the votes for each team below.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been unanimously selected to the 2017-18 All-NBA First Team, giving him an NBA-record 12 First Team honors in his 15-year career.

James has passed Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, who both finished with 11 First Team selections. pic.twitter.com/NKOgowUenw

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 24, 2018

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For 16 years now, NBA.com is performing its annual GM survey, where general managers of NBA teams give their take on the favorites for the title and award winners in the upcoming season. This year’s results are in, and they are more than interesting. Not because GMs picked the Golden State Warriors to repeat the title in 2017-18, but because 93 percent of them think that way. This is the first survey where one team was such an overwhelming favorite. In last year’s survey, 69 percent of GMs picked Warriors to win the title.

When it comes to the MVP award, 50 percent of GMs think the winner will be LeBron James. Kevin Durant got 29 percent of the votes, while Kawhi Leonard was 3rd with 11 percent. James Harden and Stephen Curry also made it in the top 5.

When asked about the player they would build their franchise around, Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns got 29 percent of the votes, trailed by Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks with 21 percent. 18 percent of GMs would build their franchise around LeBron James. Interesting thing is that 2 times MVP Stephen Curry didn’t make it in the top 5, but he is viewed as the best point guard in the NBA. The top 5 list of best point guards in the league also includes Russel Westbrook and Chris Paul.

Among other things, GMs were asked about the favorites for the rookie of the year award. According to 62 percent of general managers, Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Lonzo Ball will be the rookie of the year. Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers received 24 percent of the votes, while Dennis Smith Jr. from the Dallas Mavericks received 7 percent of the votes.
Finally, the GMs think the best head coach is Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich was selected as the GMs preferred choice for the head coach last three years.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves could soon get some significant help as they attempt to make a push for the playoff spot in the final stretch of the 2022-23 NBA season. On Wednesday, the team issued an update about the status of their star big man Karl-Anthony Towns and said that they expect the player to return to court  “in the coming weeks.”

According to the Timberwolves, Towns is making progress in his rehabilitation from a calf injury and “has been participating in basketball activities.” The team added that “further updates to his playing status will be provided when available.”

Towns has been out since November after suffering a calf injury in a 142-127 loss against the Washington Wizards. He averaged 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 21 games before getting hurt.

With less than four weeks left in the season, the Timberwolves are hoping they will get Towns on the court sooner than later. The team managed to stay afloat despite his injury, currently sitting at No. 7 in the Western Conference. However, only two games separate them from the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 12, which means that Minnesota still has a long way to go if they want to make the postseason.

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Things are not looking good for Minnesota Timberwolves in the next month or so. According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves just found out that their All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns will be sidelined for four to six weeks.

Reportedly, Towns is dealing with a right calf strain that he suffered in the third quarter of a 142-127 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday. The 27-year-old player “underwent imaging on Tuesday” to learn the full extent of his injury and is expecting to be out until some point in January.

This is terrible news for the Timberwolves, who have had enough troubles as it is. They are currently on a three-game losing streak, having fallen to a 10-11 record and 10th place in Western Conference. This is far from what Minnesota believed it would be after taking a swing in the offseason with a blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert.

One reason for the Timberwolves’ underwhelming start in 2022-23 is that Karl-Anthony Towns has been playing below his usual level. The 2015’s first-round pick has been averaging some of the lowest numbers in his pro career.

For example, Towns’ 20.8 points per game is the lowest since his rookie year, while his 8.2 rebounds and 32.5 percent for three are career worst. He did, however, improve his playmaking skills and is averaging career-high 5.3 assists per game.

The post Timberwolves’ Star Karl-Anthony Towns Out for 4-6 Weeks With Calf Strain appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The start of 2022 NBA free agency on Thursday wasn’t all about bringing in new players into the building. Instead, some teams like the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns, and the Minnesota Timberwolves also used the opportunity to lock their star players to long-term extensions.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets made good on their word and gave back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension. The deal, which includes a 2027-28 player option for $60 million, is the richest in the history of the NBA.

The Suns also entered the supermax territory, giving their All-Star Devin Booker a four-year, $224 million extension. Booker’s new deal will start in the 2024-25 season and puts him on track to earn $295 million in the next six years. 

Booker’s college teammate Karl-Anthony Towns received an identical supermax extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also adds four-year, $224 million to his deal and is now under contract through the 2027-28 NBA campaign.

It was a great day for several young stars as well. Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant, who won the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2021-22, received a five-year, $193 million designated rookie extension. His deal could reportedly end up being worth around $231 million with incentives.

Zion Williamson, who was the New Orleans Pelicans’ first overall pick in 2019, is reportedly getting the same deal as Morant.

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Karl-Anthony Towns can’t be too happy about the way his season has started. Not one week in the season he finds himself sidelined with a dislocated wrist, with no true timetable for his return.

The injury happened during a game against the Utah Jazz, in which he was fighting for a rebound with star center Rudy Gobert, and then landing hard on his wrist.

He left the game to be evaluated but actually returned briefly to help his team win 116-111. However, his impact was less than he would’ve liked it to be, as he explained to the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

“I couldn’t catch anything. I was really there more just to be a distraction on the court. I just was there in case my team needed me.”

Clearly, Towns knew that something was seriously wrong, but not terrible enough that he’d sit out for the rest of the game. But after getting evaluated after the game, team doctors ruled that he shouldn’t be on the court for the foreseeable future.

Towns will not need surgery, which is certainly an encouraging thought for all involved.

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Minnesota Timberwolves’ fans will have to wait for a little longer in order to see their new star duo Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in action again. The team recently gave an update on Towns’ wrist injury and ruled out the 24-year-old center indefinitely.

According to Timberwolves’ head coach Ryan Saunders, the extent of Towns’ injury is “still being evaluated,” but the player will certainly “miss upcoming games.” Saunders declined to give an estimation of how long Towns might be out.

Towns’ injury was discovered shortly before the All-Star break, forcing him to miss Minnesota’s previous two games. If he continues to sit out more games, it will be his second major break in 2019/20. Earlier in the season, he didn’t play 15 games due to knee sprain.

Despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ struggles to remain healthy, he managed to put together a career season. Towns is averaging 26.5 points and 4.4 assists per game, both career highs, while also grabbing 10.8 boards.

Towns’ good form didn’t help Timberwolves to be competitive in the West, as the team is sitting on 14th spot with one of league’s worst record in 16-37. Things might change for the better with the addition of Russell, who joined before the trade deadline, but he will need Towns to be healthy enough. If that doesn’t happen, Minnesota will be in for another miserable end of the season.

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Hours after Jimmy Butler was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, newly former teammates Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins hailed praise at the 29-year-old, with Towns calling him “one hell of a player.”

“He’s one hell of a player,” Towns said on Sunday. “I don’t know how many Jimmy Butlers there are in the world, so I think he’ll be missed.”

In spite of the praise, Towns hasn’t had much success playing alongside Butler. In the nine games they played together this season, he averaged just 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds, down from 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds without Butler last season.

Towns admittedly didn’t want to see Butler leave and had been shutting down any rumors about his teammate for months. Although not very surprising, the team didn’t know whether Butler would be traded until last week. Everyone was in the place as they headed to California when the news was broken.

Former teammate Taj Gibson said the news came as a shock to everyone despite the fact they knew Butler wanted a trade out.

“No matter what, even if you want to ask for a trade, when you finally get traded it’s kind of a weird feeling,” Gibson said. “That is the moment I felt for him.”

Wiggins praised his former teammate in a different way, saying he had learned a lot of things from him.

“I learned a lot of things from him,” Wiggins said. “We made the playoffs, something we haven’t done in a long, long time. So, I think it was a positive either way you put it.”

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward LeBron James and Houston Rockets guard James Harden have been unanimously voted All-NBA First Team, receiving 100 first team votes, the league has announced on Thursday.

This All-NBA First Team selection for James is his 12th in 15 seasons he spent in NBA, meaning that he has passed Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone for most All-NBA first team selections. The 2017-18 regular season was the first career one in which LeBron James played in all 82 games. The 33-year-old averaged 27.5 points and career-highs of 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game.

James Harden, on the other hand, was unanimously voted All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive season. He averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game and will likely be selected NBA MVP for the 2017-18 season.

James and Harden are joined on the All-NBA First Team by Golden State Warriors’ forward Kevin Durant, New Orleans Pelicans’ forward/center Anthony Davis and Portland Trail Blazers’ guard Damian Lillard. With this selection, Davis is eligible for supermax five-year, $230 million extension according to ESPN, which would be the largest contract in the NBA. He was previously selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

The 2017-18 All-NBA First Team! @JHarden13 @KingJames @AntDavis23 @Dame_Lillard @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/WjlXkXtHnO

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2018

The All-NBA Second Team has Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Russell Westbrook, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Toronto Raptors’ guard DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge and Philadelphia 76ers’ center Joel Embiid.

The 2017-18 All-NBA Second Team! @Giannis_An34 @russwest44 @JoelEmbiid @aldridge_12 @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/3XLGZq4XPk

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2018

Warriors’ guard Steph Curry, Indiana Pacers’ guard Victor Oladipo, Thunder’s forward Paul George and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler and center Karl-Anthony Towns were selected to the All-NBA Third Team.

The 2017-18 All-NBA Third Team! @StephenCurry30 @VicOladipo @KarlTowns @JimmyButler @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/ADQmNvJGrT

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2018

You can look at the votes for each team below.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been unanimously selected to the 2017-18 All-NBA First Team, giving him an NBA-record 12 First Team honors in his 15-year career.

James has passed Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, who both finished with 11 First Team selections. pic.twitter.com/NKOgowUenw

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 24, 2018

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For 16 years now, NBA.com is performing its annual GM survey, where general managers of NBA teams give their take on the favorites for the title and award winners in the upcoming season. This year’s results are in, and they are more than interesting. Not because GMs picked the Golden State Warriors to repeat the title in 2017-18, but because 93 percent of them think that way. This is the first survey where one team was such an overwhelming favorite. In last year’s survey, 69 percent of GMs picked Warriors to win the title.

When it comes to the MVP award, 50 percent of GMs think the winner will be LeBron James. Kevin Durant got 29 percent of the votes, while Kawhi Leonard was 3rd with 11 percent. James Harden and Stephen Curry also made it in the top 5.

When asked about the player they would build their franchise around, Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns got 29 percent of the votes, trailed by Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks with 21 percent. 18 percent of GMs would build their franchise around LeBron James. Interesting thing is that 2 times MVP Stephen Curry didn’t make it in the top 5, but he is viewed as the best point guard in the NBA. The top 5 list of best point guards in the league also includes Russel Westbrook and Chris Paul.

Among other things, GMs were asked about the favorites for the rookie of the year award. According to 62 percent of general managers, Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Lonzo Ball will be the rookie of the year. Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers received 24 percent of the votes, while Dennis Smith Jr. from the Dallas Mavericks received 7 percent of the votes.
Finally, the GMs think the best head coach is Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich was selected as the GMs preferred choice for the head coach last three years.

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