Wolves' Tim Connelly on Rudy Gobert trade criticism: 'I'm a big boy'

"Time will tell if it's a smart trade or a dumb trade and if it's a dumb trade then I deserve all the criticism and all the things that come with the job," Connelly said.

The Rudy Gobert blockbuster trade has yet to yield the elite results for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and because they haven't cemented themselves as a Western Conference contender the trade has been mocked and ridiculed as one of the worst in sports history.

Sure, Walker Kessler looks like he's going to be a great player for a long time. And sure, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt are playing well and could net the Jazz more valuable draft picks if they're traded in the next nine days. And yes, Utah has Minnesota's first-round picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and the right to swap picks with the Wolves in 2026, but it's still too soon to confirm the trade was awful.

Whatever happens, Timberwolves general manager Tim Connelly is prepared.

"I'm a big boy," said Connelly in an interview with KFAN's Dan Barreiro on Monday. "It doesn't bother me, criticism. I don't really read anything. I don't have any social media, thank gosh. We gave up a tremendous amount for Rudy so there should be scrutiny. If team success doesn't follow, then the scrutiny should intensify. That should fall on my head. Ultimately, it was my suggestion and we made this so. I'm fine with that."

At 27-26 this season, the Wolves are in the muddied Western Conference playoff race, sitting in eighth place entering Wednesday's games, just 1.5 games behind the fourth place Clippers and 2.5 games in front of the 13th place Lakers.

Related: The trade idea that would shock the Western Conference

That's the macro view. But the micro view suggests the Wolves are becoming one of the better teams in the West. Since Jan. 1, Minnesota is 11-5. That's tied with the Bucks for the third best record in the NBA over the past month, with only the Nuggets (12-4) and 76ers (11-3) having a better winning percentage.

"Time will tell if the trade's going to work out. Time will tell if it's a smart trade or a dumb trade and if it's a dumb trade then I deserve all the criticism and all the things that come with the job," Connelly continued. 

"Once you realize how little you control, you just work really hard and hope you make good decisions. I think I do a pretty decent job of just crossing my fingers, work hard and hopefully it works out."