Most Timberwolves postgame press conferences these days follow a similar tenor for coach Chris Finch as he discusses the team’s latest victory.

The team found a way to win. The defense was awesome. The group is maturing with each passing game. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

It’s repetitive. Frankly, how could it not be? Trying to analyze more of the same in a unique way after each performance is impossible.

For instance, Finch was asked about veteran point guard Mike Conley’s value to the team for probably the hundredth time after the Wolves’ win Wednesday over San Antonio.

“There’s no new way to say how important he is,” Finch said.

Which is fair. These points can only be delivered in so many various forms. Conley’s game control is invaluable. Anthony Edwards loves the big moment. Rudy Gobert dominates opponents from the interior. These are pillars upon which Minnesota has built its league-leading 16-4 record.

But Finch did spice up Wednesday’s presser when discussing Gobert.

“This is the best I’ve ever seen him play,” the coach said.

Which is quite a statement for a three-time, NBA Defensive Player of the Year. But Gobert himself agreed with the assertion.

“Personally, I think I’m the best Rudy I’ve ever been,” Gobert said. “And I think there’s still a lot of other ways to grow. I’m pushing myself every day to keep learning, keep getting better and stronger. I’m hungry. I want to win.”

Certainly, Gobert is significantly better than the player he was a year ago. Gobert never looked fresh or healthy throughout last year as he battled back injuries and seemed to lack speed and explosion.

The first 20 games of this season is a prime representation of peak Gobert. Or, maybe regular Gobert? Edwards noted this year’s version is the best Gobert he’s played with — and that’s not a close contest. But Edwards also said Gobert is “actually getting back to the Rudy he was in Utah.”

And the numbers bear that out.

As great as Gobert has been this season — he has the best defensive player in the NBA to date — statistically, he essentially is just on par with the Gobert of old. His Win Shares per 48 minutes is currently still lower than it was in any season from 2016-17 through his final season in Utah.

He’s had higher rebounding percentages and block percentages. Finch noted Gobert’s offensive excellence this season. That has been especially true of late. Over Minnesota’s past nine games, Gobert has posted a scorching true shooting percentage of 73.8 percent. That would be the highest number of his career, but only fractionally better than the 73.2 percent he recorded over the course of the 2021-22 season in Utah.

Which is all to do nothing to diminish what Gobert has brought to Minnesota this season. The Timberwolves currently have the best defense in the NBA. And the way in which the defense struggled with Gobert in foul trouble Wednesday was a reminder of how important the center has been to the team’s total defensive success.

But in the 2020-21 season, Utah held opponents to 100.9 points per 100 possessions, compared to 104 this season, as the Jazz outscored opponents by 15.9 points per 100 possessions.

So no, this may not be the best Rudy Gobert of all time, as difficult as that is to believe. Because he has been one of the NBA’s most dominant forces for years.

Perhaps the numerous ways in which he drives winning are simply easier for many to appreciate when the performances are in front of your face on a nightly basis.

But kudos to the All-NBA center for constantly trying to usurp the insanely high standard he’s set for himself.

“Until you win, you never stop. And even when you win, you want to win again. Right now, I’m trying to win a championship, and I’ll do whatever it takes, anything that’s in my power,” Gobert said. “And make it fun. It’s about having fun, too.”

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The foundation of the Gophers football team is in place for the 2024 season.

Of Minnesota’s 22 starters from this season, six are departing seniors and only one (quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis) has exited via the NCAA transfer portal.

That leaves 15 returning starters (seven on offense, eight on defense). Most of the players in that group have announced they are coming back with help from the U’s name, image and likeness (NIL) collective, Dinkytown Athletes.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said Thursday that level of success with the rampant amount of players nationwide entering the portal comes down to a few reasons.

“At the end of the day, you have to have full transparency, where they fit in the program, where they are, what you are looking for, who you are bringing in (via the portal), how many are you bringing in,” Fleck said on the Quick Lane Bowl media call. “Some guys are going to be able to accept that challenge and some aren’t.”

During the season, Fleck had challenged Gophers fans and Dinkytown Athletes to help create funds for players.

“Dinkytown (Athletes) has done a really good job of providing our student-athletes with a lot of support and should be congratulated on that,” Fleck said. “I love where we are at. We can always be better. We are way bigger than we were last year, making huge strides in that department, and we will continue to do that.”

The Gophers have had seven total transfers exit since the end of the season. Other than Kaliakmanis, only one other player was a contributor: running back Zach Evans. Two were freshmen and three were little-used reserves unlikely to play at any time.

Their departures create spaces for the U to add via the portal.

Kramer to start

With Kaliakmanis and true freshman third-string QB Drew Viotto in the portal, backup Cole Kramer is in line to start the bowl game.

“There is really no other option,” Fleck said. “I will say this, in a good way, Cole Kramer, has played a lot of football for us. … He’s been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and really excited about his leadership and what he’s been able to do since he’s been here.”

The senior from Eden Prairie has played in 21 total games, primarily as a wildcat QB, since 2019. Kramer has played in two games this season (Louisiana and North Carolina), with two rushes for three yards and his only pass intercepted

Walk-on true freshman Max Shikenjanski will back up Kramer, and Fleck said there will be options for an emergency QB, if need be.

Bad memories

The scar left by the Gophers’ 14-10 upset home loss to Bowling Green in 2021 was bound to be pointed out given their matchup in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 26.

That spot was poked Thursday.

“I do remember the game very vividly — unfortunately,” Fleck said. “Got to give (Bowling Green) a lot of credit. We were a good football team. That was a good football team they came in here and beat. … That wasn’t a fluke. It was nothing like that. They came in and whooped us.”

Same message

Fleck spent Wednesday night visiting with top recruit Koi Perich in Esko; he’s a four-star safety who committed to Minnesota in June but is expected to visit Ohio State and Florida State before signing day on Dec. 20.

What’s the message in moments when pledges have wandering eyes?

“There is nothing new,” Fleck said. “I was with a guy yesterday. I got done talking to him. You know I can talk, and after 45 minutes I took a breath, then I was like, ‘That sounded like the first time I ever talked to you, didn’t it? This is like the 50th time I said the same thing.’ ”

Fleck wants to reiterate why a player picked them. “Some people come in late, a new flashy shiny object — that happens,” Fleck said. “We’ve had that benefit us on our end. Just a reverse cycle. … You hope they value the things they say they value. You hope they rekindle that spirit of why they picked you. And I hope they stay true to that.”

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When St. Paul’s police chief is off duty, he feels like everyone else does when they notice a police squad behind them.

“I start to question, ‘Was I speeding? Did one of my taillights just go out? Did I go through a red light and not notice it?” said Axel Henry.

With the aim of decreasing nervousness around traffic stops and helping to educate people about such stops, the St. Paul police department is holding its first Project Self Stop on Saturday. Drivers can go to a parking lot south of the Minnesota Fairgrounds to ask officers questions about traffic stops and get advice. They also can get coupons for free taillight replacement.

Saturday’s event is an opportunity for new drivers to go through a no-stress traffic stop, Henry said.

People who pull into the parking lot will be directed to talk to an officer. Instead of an officer’s typical line during a traffic stop — “Do you know why I’m stopping you today?” — a driver can tell an officer why they’re there, such as their taillight not working.

It’s a way for “our community to experience a traffic stop without any of the other fears or traumas or concerns that might go along with those,” Henry said. “We can make all of that better if we work together and we actually practice some things, and we can educate each other and fix some cars that need some repair right now.”

St. Paul police no longer pull over a driver if the only offense is one taillight out, but it still happens around the metro. People will be able to get a voucher Saturday for a free taillight fix. They’re provided by the nonprofit Lights On!

Police will also have free steering wheel locks for Kia and Hyundai vehicles because some models have been stolen at high rates in recent years.

Roseville, St. Paul, Maplewood and St. Anthony police said in 2020 they would move away from traffic stops for vehicle equipment violations, allowing officers to focus on criminal activity and moving violations that endanger public safety.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi — who has said he began viewing the world differently since Philando Castile was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights — announced in 2020 he would no longer prosecute most felonies found during traffic stops that happened for a non-public-safety equipment violation.

An analysis of the first year of data showed the changes led to a significant decrease in stops for equipment violations and dramatically decreased the racial disparity in subsequent vehicle searches, though Black drivers continued to be much more likely to be stopped for a moving violation and have their vehicle searched compared to drivers of other races and ethnicities, according to the Justice Innovation Lab.

Project Self Stop

What: Opportunity to talk to police officers about traffic stops and get coupons for free taillight replacement
When: Saturday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 1680 Como Ave., St. Paul

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