NBA Rumors: Karl-Anthony Towns Disappointed With Timberwolves’ Performance In Embarrassing Loss To Bucks

The Minnesota Timberwolves may not admit it, but their ongoing dispute with All-Star forward Jimmy Butler has been making a huge impact on their performance on the court. The Timberwolves ended the preseason with a 1-4 record, including an embarrassing 21-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum.

Though it’s just a preseason game, Timberwolves superstar center Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t like what he sees with the Timberwolves. Towns, who only posted eight points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field, believes that they are taking the preseason lightly instead of building good momentum in preparation for the 2018-19 NBA season.

“We don’t got no more time to be here saying, ‘Aw, it’s okay; it’s preseason.’ This momentum we’re riding right now, this wave we’re riding, it’s not good. It’s not good at all,” Towns said, as reported by ESPN.

Karl-Anthony Towns recognized the Bucks as an elite team, especially with the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. In just 25 minutes of action, the 23-year-old power forward posted 32 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and one block on 76.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. Also, the Timberwolves entered the game without two of their key players: Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins.

However, Towns thinks losing by a huge margin is unacceptable for the Timberwolves. Towns believes the Timberwolves let Antetokounmpo “carve us up too much.”

“I really don’t damn know,” Towns said when asked why the Timberwolves struggled against the Bucks. “But if you find out, let me know. You can get beat. Everybody in this league — I don’t care if you’re the Golden State Warriors my rookie year, the 95-96 Bulls — you’re gonna lose some games. But you can’t get embarrassed. That’s just unacceptable.”

Karl-Anthony Towns wanted no part of questions about Jimmy Butler https://t.co/r8CidoynCt

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 13, 2018

Coach Tom Thibodeau and other Timberwolves players don’t want to blame their recent struggle on the ongoing drama between Jimmy Butler and the organization. Derrick Rose said that Butler doesn’t have anything to do with their poor performance on the court. Rose believes it’s their job to show a consistent performance on both ends of the floor and maintain the pressure and intensity throughout the entire game.

When Jimmy Butler demanded a trade, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor urged Coach Tom Thibodeau and General Manager Scott Layden to get rid of the disgruntled superstar as soon as possible. However, with their high asking price, the Timberwolves are having a hard time finding an ideal trade partner. The All-Star forward has recently rejoined the team’s practice, and as of now, it is highly likely that Butler will be entering the 2018-19 NBA season wearing a Timberwolves jersey.