Towns and Butler Make All-Star Roster; Wiggins Left Out but Will Make $25M in ’18-’19…

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2018 Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Stars:

    • Jimmy Butler (SG) – 4x selection
    • Karl-Anthony Towns (C) – 1x selection
    • Andrew Wiggins (SF) – 1x selection

On Tuesday night, it was announced that Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns are 2018 NBA All-Stars. As for Andrew Wiggins, the third member of MN’s talented trio, he was left off of this year’s roster.

Before the start of this season, there was an envisioned scenario where the Wolves would send a hat-trick worth of players to the Los Angeles hosted event. As the old saying goes, basketball fans who were recently beggars, shouldn’t be choosers. Prior to this year, Minnesota hadn’t had an All-Star since Kevin Love, in 2014. On top of that, Butler and KAT will be the first pair of Wolves playing in the game in 14 years (KG & Cassell – ’04).

Jimmy Butler

In gesundheit fashion, Jimmy is a blessing. On Monday, it had been exactly seven months since the blockbuster trade that brought the now 4x All-Star to MN. We’re only in January, and the Timberwolves have already matched their win total from last season (31). Inquiring as to the biggest reason for the vast improvement would be rhetorical.

If charisma was an attribute on 2K, Jimmy Butler, the Wolves’ leading scorer, would be a 99.

Karl-Anthony Towns

Let’s go! Unlike ripping a set at the gym (did I phrase that right, bro?), the first All-Star selection is the hardest. What do you think? Is he about to rattle off more or less than 10 of these honors in a row?

Entering Wednesday’s contest vs. Portland, Towns is shooting 53.7% from the field, while averaging 20.0 PPG and 12.1 RPG this season. As for his career, outside of Shaq, ZERO other 22 year-olds in the HISTORY of the association have had a combination points & rebounds as impressive as KAT. That’s correct. The Timberwolves’ most valuable asset takes a back seat to no one other than  f*cken Shaq. He is even using the big fella’s catch phrases:

Andrew Wiggins
Minnesota’s near $150 million man will have to wait at least another year to get his first ASG under his belt. Don’t get me wrong. Heading into Tuesday’s reserves announcement, Wiggins’ name wasn’t expected to be called. This isn’t a Harrison Smith type snub (even though Smith is now going to the NFL’s joke version of an All-Star game).

Anywho, as mentioned earlier in this article, prior to the season, envisioning the Canuck native making it was more than reasonable. Maple Jordan will break through the ice eventually. Hopefully, his proverbial auger reaches water sooner, rather than later.

The Pro Bowl’s more popular, better organized cousin will take place on February 18th. My personal favorite, All Star Saturday night, which features the skills challenge, 3 point, and slam dunk contests is scheduled for the 17th.

ASG Participants:

Prior to this season, the NBA All-Star Game’s format was a conference battle between the West and the East. This season, with Lebron James and Steph Curry with the shot boi, as Captains, they’re going school-yard rules. The two players with the most fan votes in each conference will draft teams.

Unfortunately, the draft won’t be televised. As much as I’d love to see all of that play out live (Will Lebron take former teammate Kyrie Irving early or pass over him?), I get the NBA’s approach. There is too much at stake. Unlike elementary school recess, the total net-worth of this draft pool is billions of dollars.

The two teams will be announced on Thursday evening.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

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