Originally published January 23, 2012 at 5:29 p.m., updated January 23, 2012 at 5:29 p.m.
It’s a franchise with a dubious, inauspicious history that was considered one of the most insignificant, unworthy franchises in sports, especially after it traded away its greatest player in 2007 to the Boston Celtics. Notable players such as Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Ty Lawson and Brandon Roy were all drafted by this team, but were traded on their draft day. For many years, this sorry, laughable franchise was largely forgotten in the NBA and even in the state of Minnesota because it was a perennial bottom-feeder.
This franchise is the Minnesota Timberwolves, a pack that was once an easy, guaranteed victory for all NBA teams, and is now a team on the rise looking to contend with the NBA’s best.
For all the draft blunders that the Timberwolves committed throughout their history — notably Christian Laettner, Isaiah ‘J.R.’ Rider, Donyell Marshall, William Avery, Ndubi Ebi, Rashad McCants, Corey Brewer and Jonny Flynn — they hit the jackpot drafting Kevin Garnett. Garnett led the Timberwolves to eight straight playoff appearances, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in the 2004-05 season, a team that was also led by Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.
But the Kevin Garnett era is in the past now, and the Timberwolves are finally moving on without him.
Four years after the Garnett trade, the Timberwolves were a species searching for a new beginning, but a new era has brought new life to a pack looking to make an impact on the NBA.
Timberwolves basketball is now led by the Californian cool, Kevin Love, and the Spanish sensation, Ricky Rubio, two of the most exciting, dynamic players in the NBA.
The duo has captivated a fan base longing for optimism, excitement and victories.
It’s easy for a basketball franchise that was futile, like the Timberwolves, to hibernate in minds of Minnesota sports fans during winter because Minnesota is a hockey-first state, but the Timberwolves are the talk of not only the entire state, but of the NBA.
The arrival of Rubio this season has sparked league-wide interest in the Timberwolves. His scintillating passes, crafty plays and remarkable court-vision have people comparing him to Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, two future hall of famers. He has made the team substantially better, and has silenced the doubters who have questioned if he could play in the NBA. His stats may not seem impressive to most people, but his impact is conspicuous.
When the Timberwolves traded O.J. Mayo to the Grizzlies for Kevin Love in the 2008 NBA Draft, many people initially thought that it would be another one of the Timberwolves terrible draft blunders. Little did Glen Taylor, David Khan and NBA followers know that Love would become a walking double-double, a franchise player and one of the NBA’s best players. He is certainly not a highlight reel that will appear on SportsCenter’s Top-10 plays regularly like Blake Griffin, but Love is a reliable, industrious player who plays hard every game. His ability to rebound, shoot and post up in the paint consistently makes Timberwolves fans forget Garnett.
Love is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Because Minnesota is a small market that does not attract elite, high-caliber free agents and has to rely heavily on the NBA Draft, re-signing Love to a maximum deal is an absolute must. The Timberwolves’ future would dissipate if Love left the Twin Cities.
Timberwolves fans are howling exuberantly about its team’s future. The average age of the Timberwolves’ roster is 25, among the youngest in the NBA, and even though their record doesn’t indicate that they’re on the rise, their ability to compete does. In losses against the playoff contenders Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies, the Timberwolves only lost by a combined total of 23 points. If the Timberwolves can acquire a veteran or two to complement Love, Rubio and Derrick Williams, then they are a legitimate playoff contender.
— Edited by Max Lush
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