The aftermath of the players only meeting that may or may not have happened
The Timberwolves visit Milwaukee in the middle of a fiasco that would make even the Sacramento Kings blush.
As Jimmy Butler continues to push for a trade, his return to practice, which essentially doubled as a performance art piece, has triggered a flurry of media reports surrounding the team. Most recently, Thursday night saw Butler share details of a player’s meeting that Jeff Teague later denied even took place.
In short, preparations for the start of the regular season can’t really get any worse than how they’ve been for Minnesota in recent days.
Speaking at practice on Thursday, Khris Middleton even commented on the “circus” surrounding the Timberwolves, as was relayed on social media by Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Here's Khris Middleton in response to @eric_nehm's question about the Timberwolves and their drama coming to town tomorrow to close out the preseason: pic.twitter.com/I1MfNxuTls
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) October 11, 2018
Heading into Friday’s game, it’s impossible to imagine Minnesota’s focus being quite as sharp as they’d need it to be, while the confidence of some of their players may also be a little fragile considering the battles staged in practice this week.
Although Butler isn’t expected to play, with the official line still being that he’s recovering from offseason surgery, his most prominent teammates will suit up in Milwaukee, and how they react will be closely monitored by many around the NBA.