On ESPN, ex-NBA player says Towns 'needs to get out of Minnesota'

Former Detroit Pistons bad boy John Salley joined ESPN's Mike Greenberg on the radio today, and three minutes of their three-hour show was spent bashing Minnesota.

Greenberg simply asked Salley if he thinks NBA Rookie of the Year, Wolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns, is the "future of the NBA?

Salley: "I'm not going to go too far away from that. I'm going to agree with you," Salley started out before adding: "I think he needs to get out of Minnesota. He and (Andrew) Wiggins need to get out of Minnesota. No one's gonna really be a fan of that."

Greenberg: Why even have a team in Minnesota?

Salley: "I said the same thing. When it's freezing cold and we had to go from building to building through a tube, I said, 'why are we in Minnesota? Well it's a great sports town – it's a great football town.' But I don't think the league is gonna go and buy Wolves jerseys."

Greenberg: Can Towns make them buy jerseys?

Salley: "No. He can't."

What does Salley think Towns needs?

"I think he needs to be in a place that literally gets more TV time, and the NBA is more focused on – and those are the teams on the coast," Salley said.

Note to John Salley, the following players were among the top 15 jersey sales as of Jan. 20, via NBA.com.

LeBron James - Cleveland

Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma City

Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City

Paul George - Indiana

Anthony Davis - New Orleans

Listen back to the interview here. The bashing begins right around the 37-minute mark.

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