Warriors gain is proving major loss for "soft as hell" conference rival

Kyle Anderson had one of his better games for the Golden State Warriors against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, recording 10 points, two rebounds and three assists in just over 17 minutes off the bench.

The veteran forward isn't setting the world on fire by any means, but he is bringing much of the versatility and leadership that many had forecast after the Warriors executed a sign-and-trade for him during the offseason.

The Warriors addition of Kyle Anderson is proving a major loss for his old team

Golden State's gain is becoming a big loss for the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Anderson's former team really struggling after making the Western Conference Finals last season. The Timberwolves have lost seven of their last nine games, slumping to an 8-10 record that sees them 12th in the West standings.

Last week Jack Borman of Locked on Sports Minnesota spoke about the leadership void Minnesota is missing without Anderson and Karl-Anthony Towns, having traded the latter to the New York Knicks just prior to the season.

Especially for Kyle Anderson as a guy that you know I think kind of held the team together, ironically being the guy that got in the fight with Gobert, you know, a couple of seasons ago," Borman said. "But I think Kyle Anderson had such good relationships with everybody on that team, and everyone respected him as a leader in that locker room."

It's the vibes and chemistry around the Timberwolves that's arguably more concerning than their actual on-court play. They made headlines last Thursday after a notable moment between Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle late in a surprise loss to the rebuilding Toronto Raptors.

Randle refused to pass Gobert the ball as he sealed his man under the basket, leading the Frenchman into taking an offensive three second violation before committing a foul on the other end in frustration.

Three more losses since has only made matters worse for Minnesota, leading to a chorus of boos from their home fans in a defeat to the visiting Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Superstar guard Anthony Edwards labelled the boos "f---ing disrespectful", but more concerncingly labelled his team "soft as hell" and a "bunch of little kids."

Edwards also claimed his team "can't talk to each other," perhaps signifying a lack of leadership in the wake of Anderson's departure. Maybe the Timberwolves would be having these issues regardless, yet the 31-year-old's absence certainly isn't helping matters.

The Warriors and Timberwolves will play each other three times in December starting with a matchup at Chase Center on December 6.