Anthony Edwards Calls on Wolves to “Lock the F*** In” After Loss to Pelicans

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Photo: ESPN

The Minnesota Timberwolves took their first loss of the season on Monday night at the hands of the previously winless New Orleans Pelicans, a team they’d beaten just two days prior. There was a noticeable lack of energy on both sides of the court and the players, Karl-Anthony Towns in particular, let questionable refereeing get into their heads early.

It was one of those nights where nothing seemed to go right. If last night was this team’s first real test at adversity, they failed. When the game was over, Anthony Edwards came to the podium with some grievances to air.

For the last six seasons we’ve heard insincere lip service from Karl-Anthony Towns and nobody’s taken him seriously in front of a postgame mic for years. But the 20-year old phenom, Anthony Edwards? Now that’s different. The likeable and always smiling Ant has never had an interview like this.

Edwards is new here and he’s hungry. He doesn’t care about keeping things PC like others often do. The kid just speaks his mind and he comes off in an incredibly genuine way because of it. You can’t help but get drawn in by his authenticity. Everyone seems to like this dude. But he’s almost always jovial and positive. Not Monday night.

Anthony Edwards isn’t afraid to call out the stars

It’s rare that a 20-year old like Anthony Edwards is able to call out veteran teammates without backlash. But with Ant, it hits different. The Georgia University alum seems to have a leadership quality nobody really gave him credit for when drafted. After last night’s loss, it’s clear one season of losing in the NBA was enough for Ant.

But if Anthony Edwards truly wants his message to be heard then the Minnesota Timberwolves need to win. As mentioned earlier, we’ve been fed quotes like this before and it’s been empty promises every time. Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and many others before, during and after them have talked the talk. None of them have walked the walk.

None of those guys have had the same talent and “it” factor that Edwards carries though either. Ant’s legendary press conference came after an individual 3rd quarter effort that almost single-handedly dragged the Wolves back into a game they were dominated in. Remember, he blamed himself (along with KAT and DLo) when the game was over.

The Patrick Beverley effect

Many people were concerned when the Wolves traded Ricky Rubio away because he was a mentor for Edwards. Three games into this new season and it’s obvious Edwards didn’t lose any mentorship. In fact, the newly acquired Patrick Beverley is an upgrade. Rubio was teaching kindergarten classes. Pat Bev is teaching college courses.

When asked about Ant’s amazing 3rd quarter, Beverly fired back, reminding everyone that Edwards was nonexistent for 75% of the game. This is what locker room accountability looks like.

This is why, even after an ugly loss where they looked like the Minnesota Timberwolves of old, I have faith in this team being different than those Wolves teams’ past. Losing no longer feels acceptable, which is a nice change of pace.

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan

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