Tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance to take immediate control of a Western Conference semi-final series against the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets… if they can steal game one on the road.
If they do it, it’ll likely be on the shoulders of rising superstar Anthony Edwards, who averaged 31 points, 8 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game vs the Suns. While it’s the Wolves depth that is their real super power this postseason, it’s Ant who puts on the cape and becomes the super hero, when called upon.
Kendrick Perkins is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ No. 1 fan
And it’s Ant who has much of the media now looking to Minnesota for the next perennial Western Conference contender. But no media member has been more vocal about his love for Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves more than former NBA Champion turned elite NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins (ESPN).
For months over a year, Perkins has been the driver of the Wolves’ bandwagon. And he’ll tell anybody who asks him, in loud/proud fashion, that his extreme confidence stems from the blossoming greatness of “the Ant Man”, as Perk calls him.
Is Anthony Edwards the next Michael Jordan? Some are saying…
But one drum that Big Perk has been beating even harder, of late, is his belief that Anthony Edwards is the next Michael Jordan. I know… he’s not shy about it either.
Perkins tripled down on his Ant + MJ comp when he posted a 2 minute, 30 second mixed highlight reel of the two, which he fully narrated. The video has since been running on SportsCenter this morning.
“There’s a certain feeling you get when you watch Michael Jordan highlights. You feel it when you see the dunks, the game winners, the layups and the hangtime. Lord have mercy! That special Air Jordan feeling I didn’t think I’d ever feel again… but then something happened. Anthony Edwards entered the league.”
“I’m talking Ant Man. I’m talking a 6’4″ dunking machine. Footwork like Olajuwon. This man doesn’t jump, he soars. He roars. He snatches the screws out the rim every chance he gets. Ya’ll see it, right? We finally have the next Michael. An ascent of the OG GOAT. Don’t take my word for it, peak the tape.”
Kendrick Perkins (video above)
As a Minnesota sports fan, the Ant + MJ comparisons make me borderline uncomfortable. If that’s how you feel too, the the video above may not be safe for viewing. I probably should have put that warning label above the video, huh?
But let’s be real. You see it, I see it, we all see what Perkins sees. He’s just one of the only dudes willing to say the quiet part out loud. Everything about Anthony Edwards is different, from his killer mentality to the way he moves on the court. He’s just special, even on a basketball court with nine other special basketball talents.
If he stays healthy and hungry, the sky is the limit. That includes NBA Championship runs, MVP awards and the type of dynastic runs that only the greatest basketball players in history have touched.
The Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James type runs, where every season they touch turns into an NBA Finals opportunity. There, I said the quiet part out loud too. And I’m immediately feeling uncomfortable publishing this post…
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