The peak of Timberwolves’ basketball came two seasons ago.

Fifty-six regular season wins, the best defense in the NBA by a longshot, a night-in, night-out standard of excellence that was met far more often than not.

Minnesota’s Game 7 rally past Denver in the Western Conference semifinals is forever seared into the minds of its fan base.

Its Game 2 dominance still resonates with basketball junkies near and far, as the Rudy Gobert-less Wolves held the Nuggets to just 80 points on 35% shooting on a night where defense became cool again.

Nikola Jokic was held in check to the tune of 16 points on 5 for 13 shooting. His primary defender that night? Kyle Anderson, who stripped the League MVP multiple times while also tallying nine rebounds and eight assists.

Minnesota was in imminent danger of being swept by Dallas in the ensuing Western Conference Finals. Trailing 3-0 in the series, the Wolves led Game 4 by two with five minutes to play.

Anderson had been begging Anthony Edwards to make the skip pass to the open corner shooter throughout the game.

This time, he decided to intervene.

Karl-Anthony Towns – who’d just drilled a triple the possession prior – was standing on the wing as the play developed. Anderson waved and clapped his hands to get the big man’s attention and direct him to the corner.

At this point, Edwards had taken a few probing dribbles to get near the paint on the opposite side.

“He’s out there. I was dribbling the ball,” Edwards recalled at the time. “I damn sure was about to shoot it.”

Until he made eye contact with Anderson, who was vehemently waving in Towns’ direction. That was where the ball needed to go.

Edwards obliged, passing it over the top of the defense to Towns in the corner. Anderson used his body to prevent Dallas guard Kyrie Irving from entering Towns’ air space, and Towns buried another triple to put the Wolves up by five en route to victory.

“Kyle made that play happen,” Towns said at the time. “He made a lot of plays happen.”

Perhaps more than anyone could’ve realized at the time.

Minnesota hasn’t been as good of a basketball team as it was during that magical 2023-24 campaign over the past two years. The Wolves frequently rely more on their raw ability to deliver wins over process and execution.

While the ceiling remains the same in the minds of many, the inconsistent outcomes are a byproduct of the approach. Despite being one of the healthiest teams in the NBA this season, Minnesota still finds itself sparring in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture among teams that are not as good or not as healthy and, in some cases, both.

Minnesota currently ranks outside the top eight in the NBA in defensive, offensive and net rating. None of it screams championship contention.

Gone are the nightly displays of suffocating defense – a direct result of talented personnel, commitment to execution and hoops IQ merging at a glorious basketball crossroads to produce a defensive force no foe could replicate on that end, or withstand on the other.

The Wolves will sporadically summon the energy to crank the intensity level up to 10 for special occasions, but no longer evoke joy from making their opponents’ evenings a living hell for 48 minutes on the floor.

Not a lot has changed roster-wise between then and now, at least in the NBA realm. Gone are Karl-Anthony Towns and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, here are Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle and a host of young players.

The core largely remains intact. But the feeling is different. The edge, the professionalism, the unity and the joy have all frayed, just a bit – enough to lower Minnesota from truly elite to maybe just good.

Perhaps an old, familiar face is crafty enough to mend upon his arrival. Minnesota is set to sign Anderson after he clears waivers following the forward’s buyout from Memphis. After the Timberwolves – who didn’t have the available salary cap space to bring Anderson back in the summer of 2024 – aided the forward’s exit to Golden State via a sign-and-trade deal, a multi-year odyssey with numerous stops around the league have led Anderson back to Minnesota.

His lack of playing time and impact at recent stops in Miami and Utah will lead many to assume a reversion to past Wolves’ form isn’t in the cards for Anderson, but don’t be so sure. Opportunity didn’t exist in those situations for one reason or another – fit is a fickle mistress in the NBA – but the production didn’t depart from the forward’s career-long norms.

He’s still a versatile defender who can play make at a high level. Following the 2024 campaign, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was asked how Minnesota could lessen the burden on aging point guard Mike Conley. He pointed to Edwards … and Anderson.

“We’ve got to get a better package around him, whether he’s at the one, whether he’s at the three,” Finch said at the time. “I think we can run more offense through him.”

If that still remains true, it’d be a salve for Minnesota, whose offense too frequently features only two outputs: transition or isolation.

Finch’s offensive system demands unselfishness and improvisation. Often, players prove themselves either unwilling or unable to execute it. During his previous Wolves’ tenure, Anderson was afforded the freedom to direct traffic.

“He’s just so smart. He finds the right spaces, he gets the ball to the right people. Handling, screening, he’s play-calling,” Finch said two years ago. “Yeah, I mean, it’s something.”

It’s necessary, more so now than ever before, with Conley officially aging out of a role and no real answer ever developed to replace him. It’s one void the forward could potentially fill for 15-plus minutes a night on a team that could use an eighth guy to solidify its playoff rotation.

Minnesota is operating under the assumption it’s getting the same guy that departed two years ago, and will adjust accordingly upon Anderson’s arrival.

Certainly, fifteen minutes per game isn’t enough to elevate an entire unit from good to great. But Anderson’s past impact extended far beyond his on-court contributions. The Wolves possess veteran leaders, but none as vocal as Anderson, who was willing to call out anyone, anytime, anywhere within the team setting.

If you didn’t deliver consistently on the effort and execution fronts, he’d tell you about it. And, well, this year’s team isn’t exactly the U.S. Postal Service.

Halftime or postgame butt chewings may no longer fall solely at the feet of Finch.

It’s not easy to enter a locker room mid-season and take leadership reins, but the task is more palatable when the situation is so familiar. Anderson knows these faces, and they know, love and respect his voice.

A year after inducing a Rudy Gobert mid-game punch, Anderson and the big man became as close as any two players on the team.

On many rosters, Anderson’s incoming impact would probably be marginal, at best. Perhaps that will ultimately be the case here, as well. But there’s a reasonable chance it’s more – Minnesota needs it to be.

Because, somewhere along the way, the Wolves lost their soul. Maybe Anderson — and his rare concoction of accountability, acumen and attitude — can help them find it.

For what ails these Timberwolves, that may just be the antidote.

Related Articles

Timberwolves grit out win at Clippers

Timberwolves edge Trail Blazers in Portland

Frederick: Is ‘Good’ the Timberwolves’ ceiling this season? They have two months to prove otherwise

Timberwolves hammered by visiting 76ers

Rudy Gobert doesn’t think he’s being officiated fairly

By JOHN WAWROW, Associated Press

The United States swept the hockey gold medals at the Winter Olympics for the first time, beating Canada 2-1 in overtime in both the men’s and women’s tournaments and finishing the tournaments unbeaten.

It set off a celebration that quickly became political:

The celebrations

— Women’s team: The players largely steered away from politics. Many said they failed to notice Vice President JD Vance, his family and guests — and large security detail — attending two preliminary round games where they sat directly opposite the U.S. bench. They celebrated Team USA’s third Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey win by wrapping themselves in the stars and stripes following Megan Keller’s overtime goal.

“We’re America’s team in the best way and through positivity and trying to inspire through sport,” captain Hilary Knight said. “And whatever political climate is going on, we’re just trying to have a positive impact through our play, and obviously show up and represent our country to the best of our ability, because we are proud Americans and there’s great unity that we can find through sport together.”

United States’ Kendall Coyne, left, and United States’ Hilary Knight celebrate after victory ceremony for women’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

— Men’s team: The celebration following Jack Hughes’ goal was dramatic and engaging, with Hughes displaying a toothless grin, and others paying tribute to late player Johnny Gaudreau, who died in August 2024. The men were joined in the locker room by FBI Director Kash Patel and got a speakerphone call from President Donald Trump.

White House invitations

— Men’s team: During his call, Trump invited the team to attend his State of the Union address two days later before adding he would have to invite the women’s team as well. He later said if he didn’t invite the women, he’d risk being impeached, which led to the players laughing at a comment many saw as sexist. A number of players joined Trump at the White House on Tuesday and were later cheered at the Capitol during his speech.

— Women’s team: The team didn’t receive a congratulatory call from the president, and didn’t learn of the White House invitation until hours after the men’s game ended. The team politely declined the invitation, citing travel logistics put in place days earlier. Trump said he expected the women to visit the White House soon, but there is no timetable, and the earliest the team could schedule a visit is after the PWHL season ends in late May. Most of the team is expected to attend a “She Got Game” celebration being hosted by rapper Flavor Flav in Las Vegas in mid-July.

The flights home

— Women’s team: Traveling commercial and paid for by USA Hockey, the women were scheduled to fly though New York City but were re-routed to Atlanta due to bad weather. The women were given the choice to attend the State of the Union speech, but declined as they were eager to return home. The women spent an extra week in Milan because their tournament opened earlier. The PWHL season resumed Thursday.

— Men’s team: The players flew by charter — paid for by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association — direct to Miami. The NHL season resumed Wednesday.

The fallout

The men have spent much of the week answering questions about why some of them laughed during Trump’s joke. Many said they were caught up in the celebration. Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman said they “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s remarks.

“I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” Knight said Wednesday

Still, by all accounts the two teams became close in the athletes’ village and supported each other’s runs to gold. They have emphasized that this week.

“We watched other events together,” said Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. “We went and supported them. We loved the women’s team. The women’s team loved us and we’re so proud that we had a clean sweep of gold medals and just so much respect for them and the other athletes.”

Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) skates with an American flag before an NHL hockey game honoring the players on the USA team winning the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics,, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The TikTok

Just as the controversy started to fade, a doctored TikTok video surfaced on the White House account with U.S. player Brady Tkachuk appearing to disparage Canadians. Tkachuk, Matthew’s brother who plays in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, took offense to the post that carried a note saying it contained AI-generated media.

“I’m not in control of any of those accounts,” he said. “I know that those words would never come out of my mouth.”

Tkachuk also denied being the voice heard shouting “close the northern border” during Team USA’s call with Trump. It is not clear who did.

Related Articles

Olympics stars Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin and other Team USA skaters coming to St. Paul in May

Jeff Galloway, who inspired people with his run-walk method, dies at 80

Hughes’ OT goal for Team USA vs Canada in Olympic final averages 26M live viewers on NBC, Peacock

US men’s hockey team feted at State of the Union; Trump says women’s team will be honored ‘soon’

Shipley: Immediately swept into politics, U.S. men’s hockey team takes the bait

What’s next

— Men’s team: It’s back to the NHL schedule, playoff races and rejoining many of the teammates they played against in Milan. Though Matthew Tkachuk brought his gold medal to practice, he said he took a low-key approach to not show it off too much so not to offend his Canadian teammates.

— Women’s team: The PWHL schedule resumed after a month-long Olympic break, while the seven U.S. college players prepare for their respective conference playoffs. The PWHL is enjoying a major post-Games boost, the first since the league was established three years ago.

The league reported its two biggest days of in-season home venue ticket sales on Feb. 24 and 25. Merchandise sales in February jumped by 101% compared with the first two months of the season. The league’s 61 Olympians gained 760,000 more followers to their combined social media accounts and the league reported a 200% increase in YouTube video views.

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. is in talks with Havana and raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba” without offering any details on what he meant.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House as he left for a trip to Texas, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in discussions with Cuban leaders “at a very high level.”

“The Cuban government is talking with us,” the president said. “They have no money. They have no anything right now. But they’re talking to us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

He added: “We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

Related Articles

AIPAC faces test of its power in Illinois primary as Democrats debate future of Israel relationship

What to watch as the midterms begin with Tuesday’s primaries

House Democrats say they’re headed back to power. Their agenda is a work in progress

Trump heads to Texas, where 3 supporters are battling it out in the Senate Republican primary

US moves to legally control tanker and 2M barrels of oil seized off Venezuela’s coast in December

Trump didn’t clarify his comments but seemed to indicate that the situation with Cuba, a communist-run island that has been among Washington’s bitterest adversaries for decades, was coming to a critical point. The White House did not respond to requests for more information Friday.

The president also said that Cuba “is, to put it mildly, a failed nation” and “they want our help.”

His remarks came two days after the Cuban government reported that a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed Cubans from the U.S. opened fire on soldiers off the island’s north coast. Four of the armed Cubans were killed, and six were injured in responding gunfire, according to Cuba’s government. One Cuban official also was injured.

Cuba has been on Trump’s mind since at least early January, after U.S. forces ousted one of Havana’s closest allies, Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolás Maduro. Trump suggested in the aftermath of that raid that military action in Cuba might not be necessary because the island’s economy was weak enough — particularly in the absence of oil shipments from Venezuela that stopped after Maduro was taken into custody — to soon collapse on its own.

“We’ve had a lot of years of dealing with Cuba. I’ve been hearing about Cuba since I’m a little boy. But they’re in big trouble,” he said Friday.

Then, noting the exile community from the island living in the U.S., Trump said there could be something coming that “I think (is) very positive for the people that were expelled, or worse, from Cuba and live here.” He did not elaborate.

The U.S. has maintained a strict trade embargo on Cuba since 1962, the year after a failed, CIA-sponsored invasion of the island at the Bay of Pigs. Trump nonetheless indicated earlier this month that talks with Cuban officials were underway.

Cuba’s government confirmed earlier this week that it was communicating with U.S. officials following the shooting of the American boat. Rubio has said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Coast Guard are investigating what happened.

An executive order that Trump signed in late January pledged to impose tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba, threatening to further cripple a country already plagued by a deepening energy crisis, though U.S. authorities have since indicated that oil from Venezuela can be sold to Cuban interests in some cases.

Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, posted on social media Friday that “the US maintains its fuel embargo against Cuba in full force, and its impact as a form of collective punishment is unwavering.”

“Nothing announced in recent days changes this reality,” he wrote on X. “The possibility of conditional sales to the private sector already existed and does not alleviate the impact on the Cuban population.”

Meanwhile, 40-plus U.S. civil society organizations sent a letter to Congress on Friday asking that it “press the Trump administration to reverse its aggressive policy towards Cuba” and saying that efforts to cut oil shipments to the Caribbean island would spark a humanitarian collapse.

Signees included the Alliance of Baptists, ActionAid USA and the Presbyterian Church.

“Policies that deliberately impose hunger and mass hardship on millions of civilians constitute a form of collective punishment, and as such are a grave violation of international humanitarian law,” the letter reads.

Associated Press writer Dánica Coto contributed from San José, Costa Rica.

St. Paul Public Schools’ executive chief of schools Andrew Collins’ last day with the district is March 13, according to district officials.

A part of the district’s senior executive leadership team, Collins oversees the district’s athletics director and its five assistant superintendents. He has worked in the district in various roles, including as a principal.

A new position for a senior executive officer of school leadership and operations will replace Collins’ role is currently accepting applications, with an expected July 1 start date.

“It’s been a distinct pleasure and absolute privilege to serve the students, families and staff of Saint Paul Public Schools,” Collins said in a statement Wednesday. “I wish them all the best as they end this school year. I also want to express my deep appreciation for and gratitude to our community, staff and many community partners who have contributed to our collective successes over the years. As I consider new opportunities, I am committed to continuing to serve, invest in and build a stronger future for our youth and their families.”

In previous roles, Collins served as the district’s director of turnaround schools starting in 2010. In that role, he oversaw St. Paul’s Promise Neighborhood project. The project was designed to help low-income, high-crime neighborhoods through health and well-being efforts for children and families. He also oversaw the district’s Achievement Plus program and was an extended learning coordinator, according to the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.

Collins also previously served as the principal at Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School and as an assistant superintendent.

“The structure of the senior executive leadership team is essential to ensuring that school and district leaders in Saint Paul Public Schools have the support they need to drive student academic success,” district officials said in a statement Wednesday. “The district thanks Andrew Collins for his many years of service and the impact he made during his tenure.”

The district’s senior executive leadership team reports directly to the superintendent and includes the executive chiefs of Administration and Operation, Financial Services, Human Resources and Equity, Strategy and Innovation, as well as the director of communications and the senior executive academic officer.

The senior executive officer of school leadership and operations will develop school leaders, such as principals and assistant superintendents through coaching and professional development. The salary for the position ranges from $175,000 to $210,000.

The role will also oversee school operations and district athletics and activities programming and work in partnership with the senior executive academic officer. The district’s assistant superintendents and athletic director will report to this role.

Related Articles

Minnesota school districts, teachers union sue to block immigration enforcement near schools

St. Paul Public Schools, others cancel classes Friday due to frigid weather

St. Paul schools: 6,000 students to do online learning due to immigration actions

St. Paul Public Schools to offer online learning at all schools

Students protest ICE enforcement, walk out of classes, rally at the Capitol