Michael Malone and Rudy Gobert have never exactly been on each other’s holiday card list - and the tension between the two seems to be simmering once again.
Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ four-time Defensive Player of the Year, recently voiced his frustration with the team's defensive effort, calling out a lack of urgency and accountability. His comments came on the heels of a disappointing loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, and he didn’t mince words.
“There’s just no effort,” Gobert said bluntly. “We’ve seen that many, many times this year, last few years since I’ve been here.
We always know it’s coming, and when it comes there’s no sense of urgency. No accountability.
So I think at some point, if the players don’t have accountability, someone else gotta have accountability for the players. I’m just talking straight effort.”
It didn’t take long for those comments to make the rounds - and apparently, they reached the ears of Malone. On a recent episode of The Hoops Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared that when Gobert’s remarks were brought up on NBA Countdown, Malone quipped, “Well nobody cares about what Rudy Gobert thinks anyways.”
That jab didn’t come out of nowhere. Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets from 2015 until late last season, has seen plenty of Gobert over the years - especially in the playoffs. The Timberwolves and Nuggets have built a competitive rivalry in recent seasons, and Gobert has been in the thick of it.
In 2023, Denver handled Minnesota in five games during the opening round of the playoffs. That Nuggets team went on to win the NBA title, led by Nikola Jokic and a deep, balanced roster.
But the rematch in 2024 was a different story - a slugfest that went the full seven games. Minnesota came out swinging, taking the first two games.
Denver responded by winning three straight, pushing the Timberwolves to the brink. But Minnesota forced a Game 7, and after falling behind by 20 in the second quarter, they mounted a massive comeback to win 98-90 and send the defending champs home.
That series was physical, emotional, and at times, downright chippy - and it may have added another layer to the Malone-Gobert dynamic. One moment in particular stands out: during a 2024 playoff game, Denver’s Christian Braun threw down a poster dunk on Gobert and followed it with a shoulder bump.
Gobert responded by wrapping an arm around Braun’s neck and shoving him away. It was the kind of flashpoint that sticks in the memory - especially for a coach like Malone, who’s never been shy about defending his players.
And let’s not forget the positional battle at the heart of this rivalry: Gobert vs. Jokic.
It’s one of the league’s premier big-man matchups - a contrast in styles between Jokic’s all-world offensive wizardry and Gobert’s rim-protecting dominance. Their head-to-heads have been must-watch basketball, and those playoff showdowns only added fuel to the fire.
As for Gobert’s recent comments, many around the league believe he was indirectly pointing the finger at Minnesota’s offensive leaders - Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle - after the loss to New Orleans. If that’s the case, the message didn’t seem to land right away, as the Wolves followed it up with a flat performance against the Clippers. But they did bounce back with a convincing win over the Hawks, so perhaps the wake-up call is starting to register.
Whether or not Malone’s latest dig was just a throwaway line or something more personal, it’s clear there’s history here - and not the friendly kind. The Timberwolves and Nuggets have been circling each other for years now, and with both teams still in the mix out West, there’s a real chance we haven’t seen the last chapter of this rivalry.
And if Gobert and Malone cross paths again? Don’t expect either one to back down.