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Dane Moore: Thought this was an informative answer when Chris Finch was asked about the possessions where Rudy Gobert drops catchable passes and how his players handle those possessions. "They know not to look to me for sympathy if Rudy drops one of their passes, because sometimes he's going to. I tell them to keep throwing em. We have to. It pays off more than not... I'll take some of those turnovers if we're trying to make the right play."
Chris Hine: Kyle Anderson on the Wolves using Rudy Gobert on offense: "We got to be able to find him. Watching a lot of Timberwolves games these last few months, when I wasn't on the team, I'm like, ‘Oh, they missed Rudy. They missed Rudy.’ Like, get downhill and he's open at the rim a lot. So even if he's not getting the ball or scoring, like the gravity he has pulling that low man in, or us being able to find someone on the perimeter is big time."
Jon Krawczynski: MIN 116, PHX 104. Wolves grind out a really good win against a good team to go up by 3 games on the 7-seed. Randle: 32p, 7r Hyland: 22p, 5a Gobert: 19r Dosunmu: 19p, 5r McDaniels: 16p, 7r, 4a SloMo: 7p, 6a, 5r
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How do you see the end of your career? Do you already have an idea?” Rudy Gobert: “I think it’s still far away. Yeah, I think it’s still far away. So of course, I’m building certain things on the side too, in business, with my foundation, and so on. Of course, I’m always thinking about my children. No matter what I do, I know that I’ll make sure my children are always a priority for me, and that the time with them will always be the biggest priority. But for now, I’m really focused on the present moment. Being an NBA champion, that’s an objective—yes, champion. Best defender in history, four times. And then after that, I know that the day I retire, I’ll have plenty of other things on the side to keep me busy. I have a strong connection here in the United States, and of course I also have my connection to France. So those are already two very solid foundations.”
Rudy Gobert: “That was one of the hardest moments of my life, that’s for sure. It was a real ordeal. It’s a period that made me grow a lot. Everyone saw that video—yes, where I touched the press microphones—but it was clearly a mistake to do that. At the time, though, my intentions were good. When I made that video, I didn’t know I had COVID. I just knew that everyone was telling us there was a virus, but at the same time we were still playing in arenas filled with tens of thousands of people. The video was just meant as a message, just support for the media members—like, ‘It’s nothing serious, we’re all in this together.’ That was really the intention at first: to try to reassure people. Then a few days later I tested positive for COVID, and it was crazy to see how all the media lined up to use that video as if I had done it on purpose, when actually I hadn’t. It came from a good intention, and it ended up turning against me.”
Rudy Gobert: So I have a small apartment in Paris. So in the summer, I try to spend a lot of time in France too, because it’s the only time when I can really do it. But I also really like it there. I still have the house in Utah, so I have everything I need there. I have a half basketball court, a weight room, a pool. Before every season, I spend a few weeks in Utah.” Interviewer: “Okay. Because of the altitude too?” Rudy Gobert: “Yeah. So, for the oxygen…” Interviewer: “You’re always chasing performance, even on vacation.” Rudy Gobert: “Well, listen, I’m teasing, but yes, it’s true. That’s it. I really appreciate the place already, but on top of that, the fact that there are benefits that help me with my performance, my career, and my longevity—well, it’s all upside. It’s important.”
Rudy Gobert: “So, it’s a hyperbaric chamber. You have different pressure levels. You can put oxygen in it too, so I can wear the mask to get even more oxygen.” Interviewer: “Well, that lets your cells get a lot more oxygen and recover better.” Rudy Gobert: “So what’s really interesting is that, whether it’s for injuries or even micro-lesions and things like that, it allows you to regenerate faster.” Interviewer: “Okay. And are there a lot of athletes—I mean, NBA players—who have that kind of thing?” Rudy Gobert: “Yeah. Yeah. The first time I heard about a hyperbaric chamber, I was in Utah, and it was Kyle Korver. I know Tom Brady had one, Cristiano Ronaldo had one. Since I’m someone who wants to optimize my potential, I ordered one right away. I even gave one to Mike Conley. You always have to take care of your point guards.”
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Rudy Gobert: “I grew up in Saint-Quentin, my whole childhood, mainly with my mother. My father went back to Guadeloupe when I was a little under 2 years old. He was a basketball player—he played at SQBB, in Paris, and so on. Then I started basketball at the age of 12. My mother did an incredible job. She raised me by herself. She worked several jobs to make sure I had everything I needed. She also made it possible for me to go after my dream of becoming an NBA player. So at the age of 13 and a half, I left for the development center in Amiens, and then two years later, Cholet.”
Interviewer: “I just wanted to come back a little to the French national team. How do you see this new generation and the upcoming milestones? There’s a World Cup, and then there are also the Olympic Games in L.A., which will be very interesting given the potential in this French team. Do you already see yourself there?” Rudy Gobert: “I’ve always dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal. So that’s clearly an objective.” Interviewer: “That’s going to make a lot of people happy, you know.” Rudy Gobert: “We have a lot of talent, and we have what it takes to shock the world.” Interviewer: “And to get a little revenge for what the Americans did to you at home in Paris—is that something you have in mind or not?” Rudy Gobert: “Listen, I think nothing happens by chance, and it was very painful, whether in Tokyo or in Paris. So things should get set right, the tables should turn sooner or later, and I hope it will be in Los Angeles.”
There has been some reason for optimism in this regular season, though, with Minnesota (41-26) winning two of three matchups against the Thunder (52-15; best record in the league) thus far. Still, the Timberwolves’ up-and-down nature has put them in a precarious position in the standings (tied for fifth with Denver, with the Phoenix Suns — who they play on Tuesday — two games behind in seventh). As Rudy Gobert sees it, this Thunder matchup is the sort of challenge that could provide the perfect prescription for what ails them. “It’s a great, great challenge for us, a great opportunity,” Gobert said. “I think OKC is actually a great example of what we want to be in terms of their mindset. I’m not talking about talent. I’m just talking about their mindset of just giving yourself away to the team, and just letting the game take care of itself. They’re a team that plays hard every night, regardless of who is on the floor, and for 48 minutes. And I think this is exactly the test that we need, so I’m excited about that.”
Finch said you have another DPOY campaign. What do you think you’ve shown so far? Gobert: “I do think when it comes to impacting a team on that end of the floor, I do think that I’m up there. I know there are still a lot of games left. Well, not a lot. But there’s plenty of games left. That’s who I want to be every night – being the most impactful defensive player in the world. A lot of the things might not show up in the stats. It’s about communicating with my teammates. It’s about persuasion. It’s about being able to guard everywhere on the floor. I’ve been able to do that at a high level in isolation. It’s about winning plays. I’m trying to bring that to my team every single night.”
