A big game awaits the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are focused on a push toward the NBA playoffs.
Nori’s Son Plays in Baseball Classic
Minnesota assistant coach Micah Nori’s son is Dante Nori. He’s been a breakout player for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Italy play the U.S. on Tuesday night, a game that starts a couple of hours before the Timberwolves take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I will be watching the Timberwolves,” Micah Nori said. “But at 6 o’clock Pacific time, I will be focused on the Italians and the Americans in the WBC, for sure.”
Distraction From the Grind
The Timberwolves are trying to lock up the best possible playoff seed. But that doesn’t mean head coach Chris Finch, co-owner Alex Rodriguez and others can’t stop and cheer for one of their own. It means paying attention to a different sport.
“My family is obviously locked in on it, but so is our organisation,” Micah Nori said. “It sounds crazy, but so many guys are locked in. Our head coach is a big fan, and I can’t tell you how many people send videos or pictures of them watching Dante’s game. It means a lot. It is a welcome distraction, if you will, one that has you just get away from the grind a little bit.”
Dante’s Baseball Background
Dante Nori is 5 for 7 through his first two games of the tournament. He had a two-homer game in Italy’s win over Brazil on Saturday.
His father says that by the time Dante was 4, he figured his future was in baseball. Dante would try to play on his toy basket and Micah would swat his shot away and put the baseball bat in his hands instead.
Dante says the baseball-over-basketball realisation actually happened around the time he was in middle school. He realised he wasn’t going to get past 5-foot-9.
“It was a very easy choice,” Dante Nori said. “Just keep the cleats on and play baseball.”
Having Dante wear Italia across his chest for this tournament is a big deal to the family. Micah Nori’s father, Fred, played three years of college baseball at Indiana before spending a few seasons in pro ball. Micah Nori also played baseball at Indiana, batting a team-best .365 as a senior. Butch Carter got him into basketball as an advance scout with the Toronto Raptors.
These are fun times for the Timberwolves.