Getty Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Joel Embiid.
The Minnesota Timberwolves invested their life’s savings into a matchup nightmare in the paint. The Western Conference contenders pulled off a blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert, pairing him alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, in what they hope could be the best frontcourt in NBA history.
Towns, a three-time All-Star, has enjoyed a heated rivalry with Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid. The two have come to blows on the court while exchanging “pleasantries” in the media over the years. Towns and Embiid have since squashed their beef, but they can’t escape each other in the court of public opinion.
They lead the list of top offensive centers in the NBA, with Nikola Jokic vying for that crown as well. Which begs the question, which one is the best?
Nikola Jokic- $421 million
Chris Paul- $419 million
Karl-Anthony Towns- $406 million
Devin Booker- $390 million
Joel Embiid- $376 million
(h/t @spotrac)
Towns attempted to answer the debate during an interview with Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports, calling himself “one of the best offensive players and talents the NBA has ever seen.” The combination of Towns and Gobert is going to be scary good.
“I think that Rudy’s one of the best defensive players we’ve ever had in the NBA. He has the hardware to prove it,” Towns said. “I think I’m one of the best offensive players and talents the NBA has ever seen. So putting us together gives us really a whole spectrum of talent to use.”
Save the Date: Sixers Tickets Going on Sale
The Sixers will put single-game tickets for the 2022-23 basketball season on sale (via Ticketmaster) on Friday, September 16 beginning at 10 a.m. Games are expected to be in high demand and the team is tweaking the way fans can get access to good seats.
According to Crossing Broad, there will be more “individual, partial plan, and group tickets” available this year, including $26 tickets. Philadelphia opens the season on the road against the Boston Celtics on October 18 at 7:30 p.m. The first home game is slated for October 20 versus the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m.
Speaking of Towns, the Sixers get a home-and-away with the Minnesota Timberwolves: November 19 at Wells Fargo Center, 7:30 p.m.; March 7 at Target Center, 7:30 p.m.
Adam Silver Still Investigating the Tampering Charges
The investigation over tampering in regard to the timing of the Sixers signing P.J. Tucker is ongoing, according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman reported that the investigation is “ongoing and was not opened because of a complaint from a team.”
That debunks the belief that another team (see: Miami Heat) blew the whistle. Silver explained what was going on during a press conference with the Board of Governors earlier this week, saying that he hopes to have it “wrapped up in the next few weeks.”
“The statuses of those investigations are ongoing. Hopefully, they’ll be wrapped up in the next few weeks,” Silver said, via The Athletic. “I think what prompted them was sort of just the tick-tock chronology around sort of when signings are permissible and the announcements of those signings and the information that came out about them, which was cause for the league office to investigate.”
NBA’s expected to pursue circumstances surrounding Harden declining $47M option to sign a 1+1 deal that cut salary to $33M and gave team more flexibility to sign Tucker and House. Some have wondered if another deal was already in place for future — which is against CBA rules.