Looking back at the fight during the Minnesota Timberwolves game against the Philadelphia 76ers between superstars Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid.
Once Jimmy Butler hit the trading block and headed east for Philadelphia, many of us thought the drama was over for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Oh, if only.
On Wednesday, the T-Wolves traveled to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers for what appeared to be just another regular-season matchup, featuring two of the premiere big-men in the NBA in Karl Anthony-Towns and Joel Embiid.
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Given the talent surrounding each of these players, one would figure the 76ers would walk away victorious and that would be the end of that. Onto the next one, as they say.
However, Towns and Embiid had different ideas, with their on- and off-the-court feud finally coming to a head.
With 6:45 remaining in the third quarter, Minnesota point guard Jeff Teague passed the ball to Towns, as he was matched with Ben Simmons on the wing. Beginning to dribble and drawing the double team from Embiid, Towns turned the ball over, throwing an elbow, resulting in Towns and Embiid getting tangled up under the T-Wolves’ basket.
Thus ensued the scuffle that grabbed all the headlines the following day on a plethora of media outlets.
Prior to the brawl, each of the big men put up shots and were going back and forth scoring, with Embiid putting up 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting and Towns scoring 13 points and going 5-of-7 from the floor. Embiid had the advantage in plus/minus with a plus-7 to KAT’s minus-13.
Both players would be suspended for two games.
Now, some fans, coaches and players alike find the willingness to confront other players in this manner respectable. They may see it as having the dog in them or being apt to fight over the ball in late-game situations.
In this case, none of these things apply.
Towns, while possessing notable talent, clearly doesn’t recognize what he is to the Timberwolves. He is the engine that makes Minnesota’s car go, he is the straw that stirs the metaphorical drink.
Since joining the squad in 2015, the Kentucky product has been first or second in scoring, led the team in rebounding every single year and has been the face of the franchise.
Because of the gaudy numbers and vast amount of ability that the young center wields, NBA GMs voted KAT as the player they would most like to start a franchise with in a 2017 survey. Talent-wise, sure. Ability to recognize the position he’s in, a hard no.
The weight of Minneapolis resides on Towns’ shoulders and he apparently has no idea. Due to the lack of playoff success since the departure of Kevin Garnett, KAT has been deemed the guy to reignite the franchise’s passion and drive to reach the pinnacle of the sport once again. He’s done little to none of that.
And during the Butler escapades in Minnesota, it became clear that Towns didn’t take the game of basketball too seriously. According to a report from Chicago Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley, Butler was “all but fed up with the nonchalant attitudes of the young players,” specifically Towns.
As the player that Butler is — one driven by success — any casual fan can imagine that his frustrations with Towns were due to his lack of concern for improving his basketball skills, despite the leadership position Towns immediately took on in Minnesota.
And that lack of self-awareness was never more apparent than when the T-Wolves were down 20 in the third quarter and their best player decided to throw an elbow at Embiid.
Lacking self-awareness and immaturity go hand-in-hand.
Sure, the big-man came into the league at 18. Maturity won’t necessarily be the first thing he gains when taking the gargantuan step that is moving from college basketball to the NBA. However, four years and just over $53 million later, one would have to think a few lessons would have been learned in the maturity front.
In getting into the tussle with the Cameroon native, Towns clearly doesn’t give a damn about the game of basketball and unless a man disrespects another face-to-face and possibly throws a creative “Your mama’s so fat” joke your way, there’s absolutely no need to feed into the selfish desire of throwing a punch.
Need I mind you, what does engaging in a wrestling match in the middle of a basketball game solve? How does this benefit you and your team further?
The ability to recognize the ramifications for your actions and how they affect the people around you is a sign of maturity that KAT clearly does not have in his repertoire of basketball skills.
https://twitter.com/KarlTowns/status/1189780305349160960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1189780305349160960&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2019%2F10%2Fjoel-embiid-karl-anthony-towns-fight-twitter
If anything, Towns’ actions were distracting to the young, lackluster club. How would losing your best player for two games help? How would Towns continuing the battle on social media benefit the team that has been down on their luck the last decade-plus?
Maybe in 2018 when we tabbed Butler as a nut-job and someone who was too self-absorbed to lead a basketball team, we were wrong. Maybe Towns is incapable of putting together a successful season in his current state. Maybe he isn’t the one to lead Minnesota to the promised land.