Scoggins: Timberwolves have pinballed between dynamic and disinterested

A full-throated roar filled Target Center as Julius Randle threw down a windmill dunk, giving him 41 points and providing a punctuation mark before the All-Star break.

No gnashing of teeth over effort on this night.

The Timberwolves blasted an inferior opponent for a second consecutive game, 133-109 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The performance was businesslike, the vibe joyful.

Can this version of the Wolves stick around for a while?

The effort put forth by the Wolves has been a constant source of conversation and consternation. Picture it as a knob on a faucet controlled by Randle, Anthony Edwards and Co.

It comes on, it goes off. Back on, back off.

They have pinballed between dynamic and disinterested. One game, they look like a legitimate contender, capable of taking down any opponent, Western Conference heavyweights included. Next game, they move like robots on the court.

Every NBA team experiences blips in the slog of an 82-game season. Sometimes a team just doesn’t have it and lays an egg. Oftentimes, teams sit key players citing load management. Injury reports occasionally read like roll call.

If the NBA continues to mandate an 82-game schedule, a bevy of bland, boring performances will be a byproduct. That’s not an excuse. Just reality. Urgency in the regular season ebbs and flows.

The Wolves are as guilty as anyone.

Don’t take our word for it. Listen to them.

Edwards, Dec. 27: “I’m with the fans. I would have booed us, too. Lack of energy, I don’t know what’s going on. I guess it’s just Timberwolves basketball.”

Donte DiVincenzo, Dec. 31: “It sounds so cliché, but at some point, you just have to go out there and play. Doesn’t matter how many plays Finchy draws up, doesn’t matter how many defensive schemes we do, they can’t control how hard you play.”

Randle, Jan. 22: “A week ago, we could’ve looked like the best team in basketball, and this week we can look like the worst. We’ve just got to find a way to find a consistency. Whatever we’ve got to do to recover, get our mind right, our energy right, our focus right, we got to do it. We do it sometimes, and then we take our foot off the gas.”

Rudy Gobert, Feb. 6: “Just no effort. We’ve seen that many, many times this year, last few years, since I’ve been here. We always know it’s coming. When it comes there’s no sense of urgency, no accountability. So I think at some point, if the players don’t have accountability, someone has to have accountability for the players.”

There were other examples. Again, their own words.

Back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference finals raised the bar on performance expectations. A team that reaches a new standard alters the lens through which it will be judged. Wolves fans expect more now than ever before. Thus, games that fall into the dud category have caused angst to linger.

It’s unreasonable to expect the Wolves — or any team, for that matter — to play at maximize efficiency every single game. However, the Wolves, by their own admission, have had too many duds. Waiting to flip a switch once the playoffs arrive is a risky approach.

The Wolves advanced to the conference finals as the No. 6 seed last season. Maybe seeding doesn’t matter every season, but seeding and perspective matchups shouldn’t be treated as inconsequential. The West is way too formidable to assume any outcome.

The Wolves remain capable of being a true contender when they commit to being that, especially as it relates to defensive focus and intensity. Saying it and showing it are two different things, though. The post-All-Star break runway should be their cue to start showing more consistency.