In the immediate aftermath of the Wolves' 104-101 victory over the Clippers on Thursday, TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith took pretty aggressive stands on what they think of the Wolves and their point guards.

First, Barkley: "Tom Thibodeau has to step back and say, 'I've got to play [Kris] Dunn and [Tyus] Jones.' He never plays those guys a lot of minutes. I wonder if he would have played those guys minutes if Rubio hadn't gotten hurt. He's got to turn them young guys loose. … Ricky Rubio is a good little player but he's never going to be able to do what Jones does and Dunn does."

Added Smith: "[Jones and Dunn] play faster and they're threats on the court." He said the Wolves are easy to guard when Rubio is in the game, particularly in pick-and-roll situations.

These guys are paid to talk and give inflammatory opinions. But even given that, their words were pretty strong.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.