ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill: What Timberwolves G Anthony Edwards Still Must Prove

Anthony Edwards shook hands with eight minutes still on the clock, then chuckled and said no comment when asked why his Minnesota Timberwolves keep coming up short in these series.

ESPN's Vincent Goodwill watched the moment and saw a star running out of patience with the help around him.

Tom asked Goodwill what is going on in Minnesota and whether the window is even still open. Goodwill said it might already be closing, and not because of anything Edwards has done.

"That's a great question," Goodwill said. "Because if Oklahoma City and San Antonio are going to be running things at the top of the Western Conference for the foreseeable future, Anthony Edwards could wind up being the guy that's the casualty."

He listed the names that have already had their championship runs. Nikola Jokic has his ring. Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant. The league has seen the best of all of them.

Edwards was supposed to be the next one in line. Two Western Conference Finals in two years. Wins over Steph, LeBron, Jokic on the way. Then the Spurs showed up out of nowhere and changed the math.

"I'm sure being down 30 with eight minutes left, you find that real sobering," Goodwill said. "You're looking at your future and you're saying, 'Can we get past these guys, cuz they're only going to get better? And I got to sit my ass on the bench for the next eight minutes watching while Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, the guys who can't help me get there, are sitting there.'"

The handshakes, in Goodwill's read, were a statement. Edwards is tired of being framed as the fun-loving guy who does not take winning seriously.

"Let me shake these guys' hands," Goodwill said. "Let me bring attention to the fact that people think that I'm just this fun-loving guy that doesn't take winning seriously, and now we have to have this very serious conversation."

The conversation Goodwill wants to have is about the roster Minnesota has handed its franchise player. Rudy Gobert, who the basketball world does not think much of. Karl-Anthony Towns, who the basketball world did not think much of. Julius Randle, where the answer depends on the day.

"He's had to carry various versions of those teams to the Western Conference Finals," Goodwill said. "And now we're asking him to beat potentially two dynasties."

That, Goodwill said, is why Edwards declined to answer.

"Of course he's going to say, 'No comment,'" Goodwill said. "That's for somebody else to answer. And can y'all really give me some help? Maybe Giannis?"