ЛаМело Болл Миннесота Тимбервулвзэд нэгдлээ

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves’ world was still buzzing from the reverberations of another seismic, polarizing trade when coach Chris Finch’s phone rang.

It was Steve Clifford, the old-school, defensive-minded former coach of the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic. Finch was preparing to coach LaMelo Ball, the ultra-talented point guard known for threading a pass through three defenders to a cutter who had no business scoring in one moment, and taking one-legged, fall-away 3-pointers with 19 seconds on the shot clock in the next.

Finch and Clifford are something of kindred spirits. They both scratched and clawed their way to the NBA without the benefit of playing careers to expedite the climb. They both can get a little salty at times when the game plan is not being followed. But Finch had long admired Ball’s skill set and ingenuity, and Clifford called unsolicited to vouch for a player who has been criticized throughout his career as unserious, all style over substance.

“He just raved about what a great person he was and how coachable he was, and how good he was,” Finch said. “He couldn’t stop saying how you’re going to just be impressed with so many things.”

Just like the trade for Rudy Gobert and the trade of Karl-Anthony Towns before it, the Timberwolves again find themselves at the center of a great debate with the acquisition of Ball, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft who put up terrific numbers and piled up the highlights in six years in Charlotte but has dealt with several injuries and has yet to appear in a playoff series.

Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly paid a hefty price to land Ball. First, he salary-dumped Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets to make sure the Timberwolves would be under the second apron. Then he sent the ultra-popular Naz Reid and every draft asset he had left to trade to the Hornets to get the point guard he has coveted for years. Connelly had circled Ball at several points over the last two seasons in hopes that Charlotte would move off him, including when the Hornets got off to a 11-23 start last season. When the opportunity finally presented itself around the draft, Connelly made sure he closed the deal.

“He’s a lead guard, he’s a real point guard, which is hard to find,” Connelly said. “I think you see the impact that he has on his teammates, and I think it’s probably well-timed. He’s been through a lot. But he’s still only 24 years old. He’s a guy that we think is going to help elevate us, and hopefully we can help elevate him as well.”

Ball had been the face of the Hornets franchise from the day he was drafted. He beat out Anthony Edwards for Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and was an All-Star in his second season in the league. And he was coming off one of his best seasons, playing a central role in the Hornets’ stunning run over the second half of last season, a 33-15 finish that pushed them into the Play-In Tournament. Then, just when things finally appeared to be turning for the Hornets, Ball was sent away.

“I feel like it’s God’s plan,” a soft-spoken Ball said on Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “I just leave it up to Him, and I just feel extremely blessed.”

At first glance, it might seem like the Timberwolves’ new point guard and the coach with the highest winning percentage in franchise history would be an odd match. Finch loves the Mike Conleys of the world, valuing dependability and consistency as much as anything. By the time he arrived in Minnesota, Conley was the classic game manager, using his intellect and feel to tie an excitable team together.

While Conley keeps everything grounded, Ball prefers to take his team up onto the high wire. He’s a daredevil. You can’t take your eyes off him.

Finch says he doesn’t see it that way. Yes, he treasured Conley, who signed with the Boston Celtics earlier this month. But Finch is also enamored by Ball’s impossible-to-find combination of size, vision and confidence and believes he can be a responsible floor general as well. He is the kind of player Finch thinks can unlock more from everyone with whom he shares the floor, including Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Gobert.

“The way he plays is so much innate feel and connectivity and just … kind of fun to watch in a lot of ways,” Finch said. “And a lot of things he does, you can’t really teach or coach.”

Ball’s arrival means that Edwards will move back to his natural shooting guard position. Given Conley’s age and Rob Dillingham’s ineffectiveness at the start of last season, the Wolves slid Edwards into the point guard spot by default. It was a worthwhile experiment, geared at trying to get Edwards immersed in all the responsibilities that come with being a heliocentric guard like Luka Dončić or James Harden.

Edwards averaged career highs in points (28.8), field-goal percentage (48.9) and 3-point percentage (39.9), but his assists fell to just 3.7 per game, a number too low for how much he had the ball in his hands. The Wolves were eliminated in the second round by San Antonio because the Spurs could relentlessly double Edwards without fearing the playmaking around him. The Wolves responded by addressing that glaring need with Ball.

“There were some really good moments. But it was an unfair pressure for him to have to run the team and be a scorer and all that kind of stuff,” Finch said. “We looked at some other things out there, but this just felt like the right thing.”

The Wolves had talks with the Celtics about Jaylen Brown, the Milwaukee Bucks about Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Chicago Bulls about Josh Giddey, according to team sources who granted anonymity so they could talk about sensitive negotiations.Brown was intriguing, but the Celtics were asking for a king’s ransom that included Gobert and heavy draft capital. There were also debates about how Edwards and Brown would fit together as two ISO-heavy scorers on offense. Connelly had given chase to Antetokounmpo before last season and at the trade deadline, but the Wolves never got close on a deal there either, sources said. Giddey was another big guard to potentially pair with Edwards, but there was little traction on talks there.

When it became clear the Ball was available, every other option was set aside. In a conference dominated at the top by big backcourts in San Antonio and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ball’s 6-foot-7 frame was a huge selling point. His shooting and passing give him an explosiveness at point guard that Edwards has not experienced in six years in Minnesota. And the Wolves believe Ball can empower McDaniels, who is coming off the best offensive season of his career, and reinvigorate Gobert, who has been waiting for a lob thrower forever.

“He just fulfills so many needs,” Finch said. “We needed a point guard of the future. We needed a connector, not just a point guard. But we don’t get just a point guard. We get an All-Star-level point guard. We get a guy who naturally is a pass-first guy who wants to get the ball moving, who can accentuate our best player’s talents.”

One tangible example: The Wolves were 21st in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers attempted last season, even though Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo are two of the best catch-and-shoot players in the league. The Hornets were third, per NBA.com.

If Ball was going to leave the only NBA team he’s ever known and a city in which he was beloved, going to a team that covets him as much as the Wolves is a good way to do it.

“Definitely means a lot,” Ball said. “When anybody values you and sees what you can do, for sure grateful. Like I always say, it’s a blessing.”

Connelly did plenty of background on Ball as well, knowing full well his reputation as an unreliable decision-maker. He spoke with Mason Plumlee, who was in Denver for five years when Connelly led the Nuggets’ front office. Plumlee played with Ball twice, first during Ball’s second season in the league and then again last season, and spoke glowingly of the maturation and work ethic he saw the second time around.

On a team that often struggled with moodiness last season, Connelly and Finch believe Ball’s euphoric style of play and sunny disposition will be a welcome addition.

“We think the sky is the limit with his game. When he’s healthy, there’s not more than a handful of more impactful guys on winning in the NBA,” Connelly said. “Just his love for the game, this is supposed to be fun. I think he enjoys life, he enjoys playing. You don’t want to make this anything but where it’s a joyous atmosphere.”

Ultimately, the Timberwolves are banking on the winning culture they have forged with Edwards to help bring even more out of Ball. They’ve been to the playoffs in five straight seasons, including Western Conference finals runs in 2024 and 2025. With Edwards, McDaniels and Gobert all still entrenched, Ball will have the most leadership around him in his career

“While he probably hasn’t had the success he’s wanted to from a team perspective, I think it’s a little overstated how little winning basketball he’s seen,” Connelly said. “I think he’ll elevate us, and our environment will be conducive to his continued growth as well.”

This season will carry the biggest expectations that Ball has ever seen. There is enough firepower on the roster to warrant the Timberwolves’ inclusion in the LeBron James sweepstakes. Pairing Ball with Edwards has the potential to make them a marquee attraction among the young fans on social media that this league is so interested in cultivating.

“One thing that’s missing from our team that LaMelo will bring, and I know it’s something that will further invigorate Anthony, is that he plays with a joy,” Finch said. “It hasn’t been in our game, and that’s ultimately on me and and our guys. We’ve got to find that, but he brings that naturally to the game.”

For a young man who has been in the public spotlight since he was 15, played overseas in Lithuania and Australia and likes to drive cars that are only slightly less colorful than the Pumas on his feet, Ball is generally quiet and reserved with the media. He was a man of few words on Tuesday, but in a family with a boisterous father and two older brothers with plenty of swag, it is conceivable that he had a hard time getting a word in edgewise at the dinner table.

He doesn’t want to talk; he wants to hoop. After six fun, exciting and injury-plagued seasons in Charlotte, Ball is ready to play for a consistent winner in Minnesota and see how far his game can go.

“I feel like it can do a lot,” Ball said. “Just coming in here ready to play, here to learn, just give it my all.”