Souhan: Losses to lousy teams dragging Wolves down
There was no shame in the Timberwolves losing at Phoenix on Wednesday against what might turn out to be the best team in the West.
There was no shame in the Wolves losing to the Lakers, with a healthy LeBron James and a dominating Anthony Davis, on Friday night at Target Center.
But if the Wolves can't win their next three games against lesser opponents, they should spend the offseason dining on shame sandwiches and sipping shame spritzers.
The Wolves looked like whiny, soft, underachievers in their past two games, but at least their opponents possessed pedigrees.
If they lose to Portland, Brooklyn or San Antonio with their season on the line and their six most important players healthy, and they will be providing a reminder that they wouldn't be in these desperate straits if they had merely beaten bad teams earlier this season.
Their six most important players, by the way, are Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley. They will miss Naz Reid, but virtually every NBA team is dealing with injuries and fatigue.
They have enough talent to win their next three games and set up what could be a pivotal season finale against the surging New Orleans Pelicans.
Do they have the head, heart and guts?
Too often this season, they haven't played like they deserved a playoff spot.
As of Saturday morning, the Wolves had by far the worst record among the top 10 teams in the Western Conference against .500-or-worse teams, at 19-18.
Against the six teams in the NBA winning fewer than 43% of their games — teams that aren't competitive and might not even be trying to compete — the Wolves are 6-10.
Against the no-hope Spurs, Pistons and Hornets, the Wolves are 1-6.
That's pathetic.
The 2022-2023 Wolves have a slew of legitimate excuses for failing to produce an exceptional season.
Incorporating Rudy Gobert into a remade roster. Changing point guards midseason, from D'Angelo Russell to Conley. Towns' lengthy injury. Now, Reid's wrist injury. An illness that has swept through the locker room in recent weeks.
Those excuses are useful when you lose to a good team.
They are worthless when it comes to the root problems of this season — failing to show up against terrible and tanking opponents.
In their past two games, they have lost to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, and James and Davis. That's understandable, if disappointing.
But they have not passed the eye test in those games.
In Phoenix, they missed far too many makeable shots. They complained about the officiating, but when they were put on the line, they made 67% of their free throws — 8-of-12.
When you don't make shots in the NBA, you will wind up complaining about officiating.
Against the Lakers, they again shot poorly, and a team featuring Gobert and Towns was outrebounded 53-39.
The Wolves at times had this lineup on the floor: the 6-4 Edwards, 6-9 McDaniels, 6-9 Anderson, 7-0 Towns and 7-1 Gobert.
The Wolves traded for Gobert so they would no longer get bullied on the boards.
Friday, they let the Lakers kick sand in their face all night.
Wolves coach Chris Finch lamented his team's lack of ball movement. In late March, a quality basketball team would not be lamenting ball movement.
Tom Thibodeau didn't create much of a legacy as a Wolves coach, but he had at least one endearing trait.
Asked about injuries or scheduling challenges, he would say, "We have enough."
As in: "We have enough healthy players, and enough talent, to win."
The 2022-23 Timberwolves have enough healthy players, and enough talent, to win.
The next three games will test their toughness and desire.
To date, they have lacked both when facing the dregs of the NBA.
Which, for a team this talented, is shameful.