Rudy Gobert Threatens To Hold Players Accountable For Dirty Plays After Alex Caruso Box Out

Rudy Gobert has threatened to take extreme measures towards opponents who potentially put him in harm's way.

As the first half winded down in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ match-up against the Chicago Bulls, Gobert and Bulls guard Alex Caruso went to box out for a potential rebound. During the play, Caruso went for a low box out, which caught Gobert in the knees. 

Gobert didn’t like his opponent’s box out attempt at all, and thrust him to the side in frustration.

After the game, reporters asked whether or not Gobert believed Caruso had intentionally tried to injure him in the legs. The center believed he did, and followed up his answer by making a threat to the rest of the league.

"I had a knee injury a couple years ago on the same play and missed a month because someone ran into my knee. I hope they look at this, because if they don't hold people accountable, I'm gonna hold them accountable myself," Gobert said. 

Gobert Might Have Made The Wrong Read On Caruso's Play 

Before talking about the threat, it’s fair to wonder whether Gobert had the correct assessment of Caruso’s box out. Does he have the right to be aggravated that he almost re-injured his knee? Absolutely.

However, there’s a fairly convincing counterargument to his assumption.

Caruso stands at 6’5", while Gobert is a towering 7’1". If Caruso crouches down and leads with his hip, he might naturally make contact with Gobert’s knee just because of the height difference. Plus, Caruso doesn’t have a history of making dirty plays.

Rudy Gobert (27) doesn't want players to commit dirty plays against him, but Alex Caruso might not have. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Even if Gobert is right in saying that the play was dirty, his threat certainly crossed a line. Taking matters into your own hands can cause you to do some pretty irrational things, so Gobert would be wise to refrain from becoming a vigilante.

To add to Gobert’s frustration, his Timberwolves ended up losing the game, 109-101.