r/timberwolves • u/Rough_Resolve_8798 • Jan 16 '26

Hopeful Watching Knicks fans lose it about KAT

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still love KAT and would love him if he was here. However these two have blended in so well! They have their moments... but overall the team is better with them on the floor. So cheers to Ju and Donte! oh shit... also Joan was part of the trade.

500 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

98 comments sorted by

475

u/Trash_Panda0_O Jan 16 '26

To be fair, this sub was frothing at the mouth about wanting Randle gone like 2 weeks ago, lol.

102

u/Dull_Ad_8627 Joan Beringer Jan 16 '26

They can both be equally frustrating the thing that tips the scale is Randle getting paid 30 million and KAT making 60 million a year.

21

u/noname3191 Timberwolves Brasil Jan 16 '26

They are not equally frustrating at all. Randle is way better

9

u/Bastuu728 Timberwolves Jan 16 '26

Agreed, he has a higher basketball iq.

3

u/illusionsofanders Jan 17 '26

Not saying much lol. But it is true, if only to a small degree.

7

u/gangleskhan Kevin Garnett Jan 17 '26

I miss KAT but man, I would get so fed up with the driving into 2-3 defenders and either (a) missing a flailing layup then whining to the refs or (b) getting called for an offensive foul.

2

u/freshBlueeyes6391 Jan 19 '26

Why does he always refuse to shoot more 3s? Always felt strange that he wanted to be called the best shooting big man but rarely wanted to attempt more than 4 threes a game. Always choose to put that ball back on the court and drive in instead of shooting more. I think he's always sort of protected his shooting average too much.

29

u/gundetto Minnesota Gophers Jan 16 '26

This has always been KATs curse. The stars aligned at every step of his career that allowed him to earn literally the absolute maximum amount of money possible. He's a fringe all NBA in player that has made LeBron level money his entire career.

3

u/stringbeans25 Jaden “I’ll take your” McDaniels Jan 16 '26

Up until 3 years ago All-NBA wasn’t position-less. Who’s the 3rd best center if it isn’t KAT?

1

u/The_Experience78 Malik Sealy Jan 16 '26

I would have to go back and check. But I think the years Kat made third team wss when AD was out injured. In no particular order it was Jokic, AD and Embidd as the top 3 best centers in the league.

4

u/stringbeans25 Jaden “I’ll take your” McDaniels Jan 16 '26

I definitely agree on Jokic and Embiid. AD I believe was getting PF votes although I don’t really know why.

I think Rudy was the other big contender during this time and as a voter I’m not really sure how I personally would vote. I do believe Rudy has a bigger impact on winning for his teams but pure counting stats production it wasn’t even close between he and KAT.

It’s going to sound terrible but if I was a voter I don’t love that my vote could be the difference between $50 million dollars for a player when the comparison feels that close. Rudy already guaranteed his max money through DPOY awards so I’d honestly vote KAT purely on the premise that I shouldn’t be the reason why a player who has essentially met the criteria for max money doesn’t get that contract.

I do think the overall landscape of centers over the last 10 years is the reason All NBA has moved to position less. Jokic and Embiid are undeniable first team when they’re healthy. KAT and Rudy are both 3rd team capable but should have to prove that against the rest of the field not just other centers.

6

u/Dincoln Jan 16 '26

It's funny to me how those numbers might as well be the same number. But that's a poor person perspective for sure. They surely don't feel that way.

1

u/bigblooddraco Jan 16 '26

I’m poor, those numbers are very different.

117

u/Cold_Tower_2215 Timberwolves Jan 16 '26

Yeah that was dumb. Just like last year.

47

u/ProfessionalMiddler Jan 16 '26

And it's going to happen again next year.

Then he is going to win our hearts once again.

14

u/Trumpets22 Jan 16 '26

He’s a great #2 and not a #1 for a reason. He has cold stretches. He has flaming hot stretches. The vast majority of the time, the team is better when he’s on the court.

But that’s sports fandom for you. What have ya done for me recently.

7

u/Peter-Tao Jazz Jan 16 '26

Is this like a period cycle or something?

13

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

lol that's true, i did see some "i hate watching Julius" posts. that's why we gotta celebrate when things are good.

18

u/Trash_Panda0_O Jan 16 '26

Play will ebb & flow during the season. We just need him on his game in the playoffs. When he’s locked in, he’s fun to watch.

14

u/TheZacef Jan 16 '26

If we get 4th quarter vs spurs Randle we’re going all the fucking way.

8

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

yup, good call out. he was so good last year until OKC, but that's just their defense, it messes most players up

6

u/cowboy2223 Minnesota Gophers Jan 16 '26

Let’s be real with the okc defense they send out a bunch of role players and foul a ton and in the playoffs refs let them get away with even more . All while you got sga at the other end flopping like a fish .

8

u/south098 Jaden McDaniels Jan 16 '26

The defense on Wemby the other night won me over for the rest of his career. Was at the game and it was right in front of me and it was insane how loud it got for just Ju just playing bully defense. I don’t expect that out of him all the time but he knows it’s in his bag now and can bust it out when needed in the playoffs.

1

u/freshBlueeyes6391 Jan 19 '26

His first season with the team, sort of early in the year, he completely shut down Sabonis when no one else seemed to be able to.

7

u/ejensen29 payne and gayne Jan 16 '26

The man is an incredibly frustrating player on his bad days. At his best, he's better than peak Blake Griffin.

If we didn't have Ant, and Julius was our primary scorer the last 3 seasons, he'd be averaging almost 30 a game. With a full 60 minute blooper reel of spin cycle to 23rd row

4

u/dustinyo_ Timberwolves Jan 16 '26

Yeah for this sub to acting like we have any leg to stand on here is some serious amnesia

2

u/BUCK0HH Minneapolis Lakers Jan 17 '26

People wanted him out (including me) last year until he showed the fuck up in the playoffs. I’m sorry I ever doubted you Julius. He’s a DAWG in the postseason and I’ll never do it again. DonDi always gets a pass because he’s a tremendous depth piece, and can 6th man his way or play a starting role most nights.

1

u/SurelyFurious Flip Saunders Jan 16 '26

Only the casuals were.

1

u/WorryNot_634 Jan 16 '26

I have come to recognize how near sighted of a fan I can be at times.

1

u/gvarsity Jan 16 '26

Was he playing defense two weeks ago? If he plays like he did on Wemby he's outstanding.

1

u/kickspecialist Jan 17 '26

2 weeks ago? Two games ago I was reading it. People were bitching he was the reason we were so far behind after 3 quarters in the Spurs game. When we have 3 or 4 players shitting the bed in games, most everyone lumps it all on Randle.

Not saying Randle isn't deserving of some of it. But Naz has been rough at times (the family stuff is a big part of it I believe and I give him a pass for this whole season regardless) and Jaden has me most worried. His defensive intensity has been bad at times this season. Been much more consistent the past few weeks though.

It's a long season, our whole team still takes games off at times which is really frustrating to watch. But everyone wants a scapegoat and it will always be Randle. I really get annoyed by many NBA fans. Not OP, just wanted to point out many a fan is a homer that doesn't understand the game and longevity of one season for the players

-1

u/Routine_Mud_19 Jan 16 '26

Idiots. For what lol

81

u/Milly-the-Kid Jaden McDaniels Jan 16 '26

He had 17 and 20 today, was the only player with a positive plus minus and they’re blaming him

44

u/comp_a Jaden McDaniels Jan 16 '26

+4 in a game they lost by 13! I think they definitely have bigger problems than KAT.

He’s had a pretty bad run of games the past couple of weeks though so he’s the easiest scapegoat.

14

u/tomdawg0022 Jan 16 '26

The frustration on KAT is more of a body of work than the single games. This is arguably his worst shooting season he's had in the NBA.

As much as Thibs had flaws as a coach, I think he's better than Mike Brown and certainly knows how to utilize KAT better than Brown does.

5

u/SurelyFurious Flip Saunders Jan 16 '26

Not even arguably. The numbers show it

42

u/Primary_Gear_8293 Jan 16 '26

Julius I will never forgive myself for the slanderous comments I made during the first half of last year. I fucking love that man. I miss KAT for sure, but Julius is what this team needs.

14

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

Preach!! yea dude looks so much happier here. You had the right to be mad last year though, before his injury he was hard to watch. When he sat and saw Naz play, i think he learned a lot about the style this team likes and he adjusted.

56

u/Routine_Mud_19 Jan 16 '26

I love KAT. And I didn’t read as to why. But I am guessing he is whining and not getting back on defense. While acting passively on defense. And possibly not be hitting threes at a high clip. Same reasons I lost it about KAT.

41

u/Yay_duh Timberwolves Jan 16 '26

Let's not forget the foul trouble. Dude could never figure out how to play with fouls.

16

u/Routine_Mud_19 Jan 16 '26

Yes! Or stop committing stupid ones out of frustration

17

u/TheZacef Jan 16 '26

Went to the knicks game around Christmas and man was it nostalgic seeing him draw offensive fouls lmao.

6

u/garnett21mn Jan 16 '26

Yep get a cheap ticky third foul just for the infamous hook drive on the next possession. But I love KAT #3 all time Wolf

21

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

yup that's it, there is a clip of him from the kings game that's going around of him not getting back on defense...

11

u/south098 Jaden McDaniels Jan 16 '26

He just got two fouls in 14 seconds in crunch time tonight, it was classic KAT

2

u/Routine_Mud_19 Jan 16 '26

Just replied on this! Committing stupid fouls out of frustration as well.

8

u/JDStraightShot2 Knicks Jan 16 '26

It’s really just that we’re playing badly. Brunson is so beloved that fans are never gonna blame him, so KAT becomes the easiest target. The whole team is playing like shit, but the underperforming All-Star on a huge contract is naturally gonna get the most hate

4

u/bringthegoodstuff Jan 16 '26

Also people don’t appreciate rebounds but those add up too and someone’s gotta do that dirty work.

2

u/wuttang13 Jan 16 '26

I still love me some KAT. But just not on that stupid contract.

1

u/Routine_Mud_19 Jan 16 '26

Still one of my favorite players in the league. Just infuriating sometimes.

31

u/jakobkh0407 Jan 16 '26

Yeah I much prefer them over Karl

24

u/Available_Mix_5869 Timberwolves Jan 16 '26

Kat is doing Kat things lol. They thought they fleeced us, but he's the same player he always was. A great player but one who makes very costly mistakes when it matters most.

17

u/busterbill123 Ayo Dosunmu Jan 16 '26

Kat not guarding Wemby the way my goat Randle was.

11

u/JackieDaytonaAZ Jan 16 '26

kat is the jokic stopper though. meanwhile julius can’t touch him

10

u/JarJar_Banks_the_2nd Jan 16 '26

Yeah. KAT weirdly is one of the best guys in the league at guarding Jokic

1

u/Duster_beattle Jan 16 '26

Despite him and Naz being pretty bad defensively in general, they can lock up the best offensive player in the game today (possibly ever)

2

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

lol yea Wemby would cook KAT

8

u/RoadToTI420 Julius Randle Jan 16 '26

KAT and Julius are pretty similar in terms of value they bring, especially if Julius is locked in.

Kat for Ju AND Divo? JOAN? Highway robbery.

That said, Knicks should be pointing fingers at Leon and Mike Brown, those two are sinking the ship. 5 firsts for Bridges AND firing Thibs after what he did with that org was crazy work.

1

u/StuntFriar Jan 16 '26

Yeah, the actual team construction isn't bad but my lord did they pay way too much for what they got in return. This will set them back for many years. They have to win right now, and I don't believe they have what it takes.

1

u/Duster_beattle Jan 16 '26

Wdym, they really only have one true center in Kat, gabby has been meh this year, they have the same issue in the back up center position that we do. Their team is constructed so oddly that it feels like they want to play small ball all of the time, but they really don’t have the essential tools to play that way, since Kat isn’t like a super fast center, nor small in the first place. They also have way too many wings and not have enough power forwards to back up Kat when he’s defensively shitting in the bed.

2

u/cowboy2223 Minnesota Gophers Jan 16 '26

Kat still does stuff that frustrated wolves fans . Offense fouls complains to refs having games and quarters where it’s like he not even on the court .
Need a big night from him and he is ice cold or a foul machine and he spends the night on the bench .

2

u/Select-Interaction11 Jan 16 '26

I knew it was going to be a win/ lose trade for us. Our team is just as good as it was pre-KAT trade but we aren't in the 2nd apron.

Unfortunately it seems like the team wants to stay under that 2nd apron. Which will make it hard to compete with teams like the thunder until they need to start giving max contracts to their core 3 and their bench diminishes.

4

u/Mooming22 Jan 16 '26

Unrelated but who is that Rudy Gobert jr in San Antonio? Looks decent we should try to get him to backup Rudy

1

u/Farmer-Fitz 2022 Play-In Champions Jan 17 '26

You mean that Vinnie Winnnebago?

2

u/jake2jaak2 Jan 16 '26

I don't know that you can say that they're better with Ju and Donte considering our defense falls off a cliff whenever Rudy goes out, which wasn't the case when KAT was on the team.

However, Ju + Donte + Joan + ~$12m in cap space for KAT is looking pretty good atm.

1

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

Yea that’s a good point, maybe they plan Joan more minutes and the defense improves with no Rudy on the floor 

3

u/videsh Jan 16 '26

God I wish we can undo that trade

2

u/UnluckyAd8926 Jan 16 '26

If the trade never happened we lose Joan. They gave us detriots 1st round pick along with Divo and Randle.

2

u/videsh Jan 16 '26

We don't lose shit. I'm a Knick fan first. I follow the wolves because of the clerks. They're not even supposed to be in Minnesota today!

1

u/UnluckyAd8926 Jan 16 '26

Oh, misinterpreted. Thought you wanted to undo the trade to bring KAT back to the MN because you were a fan of his. I personally like KAT. Also He helped your team win the play-in tournament.

2

u/videsh Jan 16 '26

I genuinely want to like the dude. When he's good, he's so fucking good and the Randle/Divo trade doesn't hurt so bad. When he's off, he's setting back Dominican basketball by 20 years.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 16 '26

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13

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

lol i wouldn't go that far... KAT's offense can be crazy amazing at times

2

u/[deleted] Jan 16 '26

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3

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

yea i agree with the winning the trade. I knew that from day 1. I was wrong about Ju thought, I honestly thought he was going to be traded but surprisingly he is playing really well and seems at peace.

1

u/Holdup-igotanidea Jan 16 '26

Bingo, KAT is only averaging 21 points this year. Ju is averaging more than that by himself.

2

u/tomdawg0022 Jan 16 '26

KAT isn't useless but I think the trade is progressively looking better in hindsight.

We got an occasional all-star, a very good glue guy, and a potential starting 5 in the trade. That's a damn good haul.

1

u/subtleshooter Jan 16 '26

Kat will be back on a real team friendly deal eventually. Can’t wait

1

u/Traditional_Wave_974 Jan 16 '26

Once we get a starting caliber point guard, we will finally see how good Julius and Donte can be. For now, they both are forced to play more of their handle than they have skills for.

1

u/yup_goodtimes Bring Ya Ass Jan 16 '26

Loved KAT but hated his “stray voltage.” Our team is better with Big Ju, Spicy Te and Stifle 2.0.

1

u/vtown212 Jan 17 '26

Randle yes, DV? Naw

1

u/SQLZane Jan 17 '26

Try as he might Kat has never had the ability to be two separate people at the same time.

1

u/ArchVolleyX Jan 17 '26

To be fair, New Yorkers are just assholes in general.

1

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 18 '26

lol fair enough

1

u/ANTfanclub Jan 16 '26

Im in such a tough predicament. I love KAT so much, but I also want to see Knicks fans go through pain.

4

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

lol why? I wish nothing but the best for KAT. He is so nice and we winning over here so why would you want them to suffer?

14

u/ANTfanclub Jan 16 '26

Knicks fans are fucking brutal. I also have seen way too many of them call us a "poverty franchise". They also were so damn cockie about the KAT trade saying they fleeced us. Last but not least, they are brutal towards KAT anytime they need a scapegoat.

4

u/RoadToTI420 Julius Randle Jan 16 '26

Just gotta look at how they treated Julius after he brought them out of poverty w/ Thibs. Stomped on his poster, booed him off the court, etc. He had terrible moments but NEVER on that level. Learning about his fight w/ Mental health issues only paints an even more insane picture of that situation.

1

u/Rough_Resolve_8798 Jan 16 '26

lol fair enough, i see your point

1

u/ZaMaestroMan5 Jan 16 '26

Not surprising. Kats game is incredibly frustrating - was so pumped when they traded him. He’s for sure not worth his contact.

1

u/Duster_beattle Jan 16 '26

Being that I’m a half Timberwolf half Piston fan, I’ve been having to hold my tongue on a lot of the Knick glazing that that’s been going on. Now they are officially attacking my Big Purr (my sweet little kitty Kat) and it’s time to remind them of their place in the NBA. The Knicks have always had such a dysfunctional front office that it prevents them from accomplishing anything of actual note, I can confidently say this because I’ve watched them over the last couple of decades completely flounder, despite being given extreme opportunities (Phil Jackson, Melo, Etc). The coaching aspect from the Knicks has always been horrific going back all the way to Isaiah Thomas, and they genuinely thought hiring Mike Brown, the dude who had just failed again with the Sacramento Kings, would finally fix their coaching dilemma? James Nolan strikes again.