Karl-Anthony Towns heads to NBA Finals with the Knicks, two seasons after Timberwolves trade
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns acknowledges the crowd before an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Abbie Parr | AP 2024
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: The match-up in the NBA Finals is set. The San Antonio Spurs knocked out the Timberwolves earlier in the playoffs, and now the Spurs will face a notable former Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns, KAT, along with the rest of the New York Knicks. It's the Knicks first time in the finals since 1999, when they actually lost the title to the Spurs. Their rematch starts Wednesday in San Antonio.
Joining me, as they do each Monday, are sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Hey, guys. Happy Monday.
SEAN NELSON: Yeah, happy June.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy Monday.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday, happy June. I know I set that up for you. I kind of went through a lot of it.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You more than set it up. I've got nothing. Let's go to the next subject.
NINA MOINI: I know, sorry. We got to set it up for people like me who really need a lot of that sports groundwork. So, Wally, what else do people need to ahead of these NBA Finals.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: OK, let me see what else I can pick out of my notes here. So the NBA Finals start on Wednesday. Karl-Anthony Towns, as you mentioned, who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Wolves, let's not forget he went to New York in the fall of 2024 in the trade that brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo here to Minnesota. I think it's fair to say that the Knicks have won that trade, having now reached the finals for the first time since 1999, as you mentioned, where they lost to the Spurs.
The Spurs are considered the favorites, and they do have home court advantage. They'll host game one on Wednesday on NBC. The Knicks are on an 11-game postseason winning streak, and they're on a historic run as well, because they have outscored their opponents by 262 points. It's the most in an 11-game span in NBA postseason history, so they are on a roll. But the Spurs are the favorite.
Now back to the trade, Kendrick Perkins, who played in the NBA, played for the Celtics, won a title. He said last week if the Knicks win it all, the trade with the Timberwolves will go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history. I'd say that it rates as one of the worst, even if the Knicks don't win the title. The Wolves didn't even make it out of the second round of the playoffs this year. And as I mentioned, the Knicks have now won 11 straight games. So KAT and the Knicks taking on the Spurs, who of course knocked the Wolves out of the playoffs, begins Wednesday.
I think all the games are on over-the-air NBC television, so you can watch them for free if you want.
NINA MOINI: Well, there you go. You had plenty to add. Thank you. Eric, all right. So the Vikings have announced their new general manager. What do you about him?
SEAN NELSON: Yeah, Nina. His name is Nolan Teasley. And he's got quite the background for a young guy. He's just 41 years old. He was the assistant general manager for the Seattle Seahawks. He's been with Seattle since 2013 in many capacities. And I know you follow the NFL closely. Seattle, of course, is the defending Super Bowl champion. So getting somebody like Teasley from a solid organization like the Seahawks could potentially be a good move for Minnesota.
Now, the bad news is he can't bring Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold with him back to the Twin Cities. I don't think that's going to happen. But here's some more background on Teasley. He worked with two successful coaching regimes out there in the Emerald City, Pete Carroll would be one, and now Mike Macdonald, the young head coach for Seattle. He's been a part of both Super Bowl wins in Seattle Seahawks history. So he clearly has been able to sponge up a lot of knowledge. He started as an intern and learned a lot from Seattle's current general manager, John Schneider, who, oh, by the way, is a former St. Thomas Tommy.
Teasley replaces Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and is going to need to work in harmony and sync up with head coach Kevin O'Connell. They don't have a lot of ties, so they're going to have to make this work. He's from the Seattle suburbs and played running back at Central Washington. And one other quick NFL note Nina, this just broke, Myles Garrett of Cleveland, one of the best defensive players in the league, has been traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal. So I know Viking fans will want to get more info on that later in the day.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Well, good for them. All right. Well wishing, I guess, Nolan Teasley well. Let's talk about the Twins, Wally. What's going on with the Twins?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Oh, boy, do we have to?
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Like a cloud.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, it really has been a dark cloud floating over them. Another key injury, Bailey Ober, one of their starting pitchers goes on the injury list. He joins Kendry Rojas, and of course Pablo Lopez from the start of the season. So they are really running thin on starting pitching. As a matter of fact, they only have four starting pitchers now on their roster currently. And I don't know that they really have any options in St. Paul. I think that everybody who is tagged as a starting pitcher is already up in with the Twins, or on the injured list at this point, so they're going to have to piece something together, maybe pick somebody up off of waivers, maybe make a trade, who knows.
But they got swept this past weekend in Pittsburgh, including a 9-3 loss to the Pirates yesterday. Twins pitchers gave up 25 runs in the three games to Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Zebby Mathews got bombed yesterday, seven runs in a little over four innings' work. The Twins released Simeon Woods Richardson last week because he wasn't effective and they needed somebody immediately to fill some bullpen innings. So he's gone. They've lost five in a row. They've given up 46 runs in those five losses. And the news doesn't get any better because the White Sox are coming into town and they have won five in a row.
The only good news I have for you is that one of those four pitchers that they have is Joe Ryan. He's healthy. He pitches tonight for the Twins against the White Sox. And the Sox have won five in a row, including a sweep of the Tigers this past weekend, will be hungry to knock off the Twins again. So hopefully, they can straighten things out and Joe Ryan can get them back on the winning track tonight at Target Field.
NINA MOINI: All right. We'll see. And the Lynx, well, they're ranked first in the WNBA right now. But they did lose some of their last season's stars. So we got some people recovering from injuries it looks like. How are they pulling this off?
SEAN NELSON: It's very impressive, Nina. The Lynx are 6 and 2, top record WNBA. They're going to play in the desert tonight against the Phoenix Mercury who are 2 and 7. Tip off 9:00 PM Central time. It'll be on NBC Sports Network and Peacock if you want to tune in. So the Lynx are 4 and 0 on the road. And making this all the more impressive is that their superstar, Napheesa Collier, has not played yet because she's had surgery on both ankles.
NINA MOINI: Right
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Now she should be back sometime this season. But let's not forget Napheesa is playing on a one-year contract, so the Lynx need to try and find a way to keep her in the Twin Cities big picture. But others have stepped up to fill the void for Minnesota. How about this rookie Olivia Miles out of LSU? She was the second pick in round one of this year's draft. She's made an instant impact for the Lynx averaging over 15 points a game, more than five rebounds a game, almost six assists per game, 1 and 1/2 steals per night. So she's been outstanding.
Other players like Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and Natasha Howard have chipped in. And on Friday, Hopkins High School star Nia Coffey scored 20 as the Lynx beat Chicago, 79 to 58.
NINA MOINI: Wow. All right, guys. Thanks so much. Have a great rest of your week.
WALLY LANGFELLOW AND SEAN NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. That is going to do it for us today. We'll be back tomorrow for another round of Minnesota news, conversation, and local music for you. Plus, we'll make the second stop on our road trip to Moorhead, where we meet the trolls of Detroit Lakes. You won't want to miss it tomorrow back here at noon. Have a good rest of your day.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Joining me, as they do each Monday, are sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Hey, guys. Happy Monday.
SEAN NELSON: Yeah, happy June.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy Monday.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday, happy June. I know I set that up for you. I kind of went through a lot of it.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You more than set it up. I've got nothing. Let's go to the next subject.
NINA MOINI: I know, sorry. We got to set it up for people like me who really need a lot of that sports groundwork. So, Wally, what else do people need to ahead of these NBA Finals.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: OK, let me see what else I can pick out of my notes here. So the NBA Finals start on Wednesday. Karl-Anthony Towns, as you mentioned, who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Wolves, let's not forget he went to New York in the fall of 2024 in the trade that brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo here to Minnesota. I think it's fair to say that the Knicks have won that trade, having now reached the finals for the first time since 1999, as you mentioned, where they lost to the Spurs.
The Spurs are considered the favorites, and they do have home court advantage. They'll host game one on Wednesday on NBC. The Knicks are on an 11-game postseason winning streak, and they're on a historic run as well, because they have outscored their opponents by 262 points. It's the most in an 11-game span in NBA postseason history, so they are on a roll. But the Spurs are the favorite.
Now back to the trade, Kendrick Perkins, who played in the NBA, played for the Celtics, won a title. He said last week if the Knicks win it all, the trade with the Timberwolves will go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history. I'd say that it rates as one of the worst, even if the Knicks don't win the title. The Wolves didn't even make it out of the second round of the playoffs this year. And as I mentioned, the Knicks have now won 11 straight games. So KAT and the Knicks taking on the Spurs, who of course knocked the Wolves out of the playoffs, begins Wednesday.
I think all the games are on over-the-air NBC television, so you can watch them for free if you want.
NINA MOINI: Well, there you go. You had plenty to add. Thank you. Eric, all right. So the Vikings have announced their new general manager. What do you about him?
SEAN NELSON: Yeah, Nina. His name is Nolan Teasley. And he's got quite the background for a young guy. He's just 41 years old. He was the assistant general manager for the Seattle Seahawks. He's been with Seattle since 2013 in many capacities. And I know you follow the NFL closely. Seattle, of course, is the defending Super Bowl champion. So getting somebody like Teasley from a solid organization like the Seahawks could potentially be a good move for Minnesota.
Now, the bad news is he can't bring Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold with him back to the Twin Cities. I don't think that's going to happen. But here's some more background on Teasley. He worked with two successful coaching regimes out there in the Emerald City, Pete Carroll would be one, and now Mike Macdonald, the young head coach for Seattle. He's been a part of both Super Bowl wins in Seattle Seahawks history. So he clearly has been able to sponge up a lot of knowledge. He started as an intern and learned a lot from Seattle's current general manager, John Schneider, who, oh, by the way, is a former St. Thomas Tommy.
Teasley replaces Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and is going to need to work in harmony and sync up with head coach Kevin O'Connell. They don't have a lot of ties, so they're going to have to make this work. He's from the Seattle suburbs and played running back at Central Washington. And one other quick NFL note Nina, this just broke, Myles Garrett of Cleveland, one of the best defensive players in the league, has been traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal. So I know Viking fans will want to get more info on that later in the day.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Well, good for them. All right. Well wishing, I guess, Nolan Teasley well. Let's talk about the Twins, Wally. What's going on with the Twins?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Oh, boy, do we have to?
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Like a cloud.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, it really has been a dark cloud floating over them. Another key injury, Bailey Ober, one of their starting pitchers goes on the injury list. He joins Kendry Rojas, and of course Pablo Lopez from the start of the season. So they are really running thin on starting pitching. As a matter of fact, they only have four starting pitchers now on their roster currently. And I don't know that they really have any options in St. Paul. I think that everybody who is tagged as a starting pitcher is already up in with the Twins, or on the injured list at this point, so they're going to have to piece something together, maybe pick somebody up off of waivers, maybe make a trade, who knows.
But they got swept this past weekend in Pittsburgh, including a 9-3 loss to the Pirates yesterday. Twins pitchers gave up 25 runs in the three games to Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Zebby Mathews got bombed yesterday, seven runs in a little over four innings' work. The Twins released Simeon Woods Richardson last week because he wasn't effective and they needed somebody immediately to fill some bullpen innings. So he's gone. They've lost five in a row. They've given up 46 runs in those five losses. And the news doesn't get any better because the White Sox are coming into town and they have won five in a row.
The only good news I have for you is that one of those four pitchers that they have is Joe Ryan. He's healthy. He pitches tonight for the Twins against the White Sox. And the Sox have won five in a row, including a sweep of the Tigers this past weekend, will be hungry to knock off the Twins again. So hopefully, they can straighten things out and Joe Ryan can get them back on the winning track tonight at Target Field.
NINA MOINI: All right. We'll see. And the Lynx, well, they're ranked first in the WNBA right now. But they did lose some of their last season's stars. So we got some people recovering from injuries it looks like. How are they pulling this off?
SEAN NELSON: It's very impressive, Nina. The Lynx are 6 and 2, top record WNBA. They're going to play in the desert tonight against the Phoenix Mercury who are 2 and 7. Tip off 9:00 PM Central time. It'll be on NBC Sports Network and Peacock if you want to tune in. So the Lynx are 4 and 0 on the road. And making this all the more impressive is that their superstar, Napheesa Collier, has not played yet because she's had surgery on both ankles.
NINA MOINI: Right
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Now she should be back sometime this season. But let's not forget Napheesa is playing on a one-year contract, so the Lynx need to try and find a way to keep her in the Twin Cities big picture. But others have stepped up to fill the void for Minnesota. How about this rookie Olivia Miles out of LSU? She was the second pick in round one of this year's draft. She's made an instant impact for the Lynx averaging over 15 points a game, more than five rebounds a game, almost six assists per game, 1 and 1/2 steals per night. So she's been outstanding.
Other players like Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and Natasha Howard have chipped in. And on Friday, Hopkins High School star Nia Coffey scored 20 as the Lynx beat Chicago, 79 to 58.
NINA MOINI: Wow. All right, guys. Thanks so much. Have a great rest of your week.
WALLY LANGFELLOW AND SEAN NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. That is going to do it for us today. We'll be back tomorrow for another round of Minnesota news, conversation, and local music for you. Plus, we'll make the second stop on our road trip to Moorhead, where we meet the trolls of Detroit Lakes. You won't want to miss it tomorrow back here at noon. Have a good rest of your day.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Download transcript (PDF)
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.
