Minnesota Timberwolves
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| Minnesota Timberwolves | |
 |
|
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Division | Northwest Division |
| Founded | 1989 |
| History | Minnesota Timberwolves 1989-present |
| Arena | Target Center |
| City | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Team Colors | Black, Blue, White, Green, and Grey |
| Owner | Glen Taylor |
| Head Coach | Dwane Casey |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference Titles | 0 |
| Division Titles | 1 (2004) |
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
They are almost always associated with their superstar franchise player, versatile 8x NBA all-star and 2004 MVP Kevin Garnett. Every successful and failed effort on building a championship title contender has been centered around this veteran superstar.
After a very successful season in 2003-04 in which the Wolves advanced far into the playoffs (due in part to the all-star standout trio of Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Kevin Garnett)and almost earned a championship birth as major one of the league's top title contenders, the franchise suffered two sour seasons in which they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade.
The team has since been struggling to reclaim its status as one of the league's top teams. Team vice president and GM Kevin McHale has been critized lately for his management of the team.
However, recent efforts and roster changes over the last season have proved hopeful for the franchise. Many analysts, commentators, and experts are pointing out the similarities between this current season Wolves roster and that of 2003-04, in which the Wolves won a division title and made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history. Comparisions have been drawn between a new emerging trio of Ricky Davis, Mike James, and Kevin Garnett to that of the 2003-04 title-contending all-star trio.
The Timberwolves franchise also are looking forward to a future all-star due of current standout rookies Craig Smith and Randy Foye, drafted over the summer of 2006, to carry the load of the franchise after KG retires someday.
Contents |
[edit] Home arenas
- Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1989-1990)
- Target Center (1990-present)
[edit] Franchise history
[edit] Early Ineptitude
The Timberwolves made their debut on November 3, 1989 losing to the Seattle SuperSonics on the road 106-94. Five days later they would make their home debut at the Metrodome losing to the Chicago Bulls 96-84. Just two nights later the Wolves would get their first win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home 125-118 on November 10th. The Timberwolves, led by Tony Campbell with 23.2 ppg, went on to a 22-60 record, finishing in 6th place in the Midwest Division. Playing in the cavernous Metrodome, the expansion Timberwolves drew over 1 million fans including the 3rd largest crowd in NBA history at 49,551 on April 17, 1990 that saw the Timberwolves lose to the Denver Nuggets 99-88 in the final home game of the season.
The next season the team moved into the Target Center and won 29 games. They fired their head coach Bill Musselman. Over the next several years, the franchise encountered mediocrity and even a near relocation in 1994 before NBA owners rejected the team's move to New Orleans. Glen Taylor bought the team and named Kevin McHale general manager.
[edit] Building a Contender
In 1995, the Timberwolves selected Kevin Garnett in the draft, and Flip Saunders became coach. Christian Laettner was traded along with Sean Rooks to the Atlanta Hawks for Andrew Lang and Spud Webb. Also, first round pick Donyell Marshall was traded the previous season for Golden State Warriors' forward Tom Gugliotta, who was earlier traded himself from Washington for Chris Webber. These trades paved the way for rookie Kevin Garnett to become the go-to player inside. Garnett went on to average 10.4 ppg in his rookie season as the T-Wolves finished in 5th place in the Midwest Division, with a 26-56 record.
In 1996, the T-Wolves added another star player in the draft, swapping Ray Allen to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to Stephon Marbury, the 4th overall pick. The addition of Marbury had a positive effect on the entire team, as Kevin Garnett and Tom Gugliotta became the first Wolves to be selected to the All-Star team. Gugliotta and Garnett led the Timberwolves in scoring as the team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 40-42. However, in the playoffs the Timberwolves made a quick exit as they were swept by the Houston Rockets in 3 straight games. The T-Wolves also decided to change their image by changing their team logo and colors, adding black to the team colors and replacing the original logo with a logo featuring a snarling wolf looming over a field of trees. While at the time the new logo was roundly criticized in the Twin Cities sports media, [citation needed] its appearance accompanied a much improved product on the court, so criticism was relatively short-lived.
In 1997 Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury established themselves as two of the brightest rising stars in the NBA. Garnett averaged 18.5 ppg and 9.6 rebounds per game, while Marbury averaged 17.7 ppg and dished out 8.6 assists per game. Despite losing leading scorer Tom Gugliotta for half the season the Timberwolves went on to post their first winning season at 45-37 making the playoffs for the 2nd straight season. After dropping Game 1 on the road to the Seattle Supersonics in the playoffs the Timberwolves earned their first postseason win in Game 2 winning in Seattle 98-93. As the series shifted to Minnesota the Timberwolves had an opportunity to pull off the upset as they won Game 3 by a score of 98-90. However, the Wolves dropped Game 4 at home as the Sonics went on to win the series in 5 games.
In 1998, a year after signing Kevin Garnett to an unprecedented 6-year, $126 million contract, the Timberwolves were used as the poster child of irresponsible spending as the NBA endured a 4-month lockout that wiped out the season. With an already cap heavy payroll the Wolves were forced to let Tom Gugliotta walk away and trade Stephon Marbury fearing both would seek deals similar to Garnett's. In the 3-team midseason deal that sent Marbury to the New Jersey Nets the Wolves got Terrell Brandon in return. The Wolves made the playoffs for the 3rd straight season by finishing in 4th place with a 25-25 record. In the playoffs the Timberwolves were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games.
In 1999, the Timberwolves drafted Wally Szczerbiak. He had a solid season finishing 3rd on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg. Led by Kevin Garnett, who averaged 22.9 ppg and 11.8 rebounds per game, the Timberwolves enjoyed their first 50-win season finishing in 3rd place with a solid record of 50-32. However, in the playoffs the Wolves fell in the first round again losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in 4 games.
Guard Malik Sealy was killed in a car accident in the summer of 2000. Also in that season, a free agent deal signed by Joe Smith was voided by the NBA, who ruled that the Timberwolves violated proper procedure in signing the contract. They stripped the T-Wolves of three draft picks, fined them $3.5 million and suspended general manager Kevin McHale for one year. (Smith would eventually sign with the Detroit Pistons before re-signing with the T-wolves in 2001.) Despite the trouble the Wolves made the playoffs for the 5th straight season with a 47-35 record. However, in the playoffs the Wolves were eliminated in the first round again by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games in the spring of 2001.
2002-2003 seemed to look up for the Wolves. Kevin Garnett had a great season, finishing 2nd in MVP voting while averaging a solid 23.0 ppg and 13.4 rebounds per game as the Timberwolves finish in 3rd place with a 51-31 record. With home court advantage for the first time facing the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. After being blown out at home in Game 1 the Timberwolves had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead as they led heading into the 4th quarter of Game 4 in Los Angeles. However, the Lakers came back to win the game on the way to winning the series in six games, as the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round for the 7th straight year.
In 2003, the Timberwolves made two stunning offseason moves, trading away forward Joe Smith and injured guard Terrell Brandon in a multi-player deal for Ervin Johnson, Sam Cassell and embattled guard Latrell Sprewell.
During the 2003-04 NBA season, the Timberwolves became the team everyone wanted to beat. They finished as the season as the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 58-24, and beat the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Kevin Garnett finally earned his first MVP award with 24.2 points per game and 13.9 rebounds per game.
In the 2004-05 season, the Wolves kept the same team from the previous season. The team was plagued with contract disputes and the complaining of key players Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Troy Hudson. Coach Flip Saunders was replaced in midseason by GM Kevin McHale, who took over the team for the rest of the season. The Timberwolves finished 44-38, and missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
During the 2005 Offseason, Kevin McHale and the Wolves started their search for a head coach. McHale interviewed Seattle assistant coach Dwane Casey, San Antonio Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo, former coach John Lucas and Wolves assistants Randy Wittman, Sidney Lowe and Jerry Sichting, among others.
On June 17, 2005, the Timberwolves hired Dwane Casey as the new head coach. This will be Casey's first head coaching job. He will be the Wolves' 7th head coach in their 16-year history.
In the 2005 Draft, the Timberwolves selected Rashad McCants, a shooting guard from North Carolina with the 14th overall pick of the 1st round. The Timberwolves also selected Bracey Wright, a guard from Indiana with the 17th pick of the 2nd round (47th overall).
During the offseason, they traded All-Star Sam Cassell and a protected future first round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers. They also signed free agent Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
On January 26, 2006 the Wolves traded forward Wally Szczerbiak, centers Dwayne Jones and Michael Olowokandi, and a future first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics. In return they received forward/guard Ricky Davis, center Mark Blount, forward Justin Reed, guard Marcus Banks, and two second round draft picks. In a separate trade on the same day, the Timberwolves traded Nikoloz Tskitishvili to the Phoenix Suns for a 2006 second-round draft pick.
The Timberwolves selected Brandon Roy with the 6th pick in the 2006 NBA draft. They then traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers for Randy Foye and cash. They also selected Craig Smith with the 36th pick, Bobby Jones with the 37th pick, and center Loukas Mavrokefalidis with the 57th pick.
[edit] Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||
| 1989-90 | 22 | 60 | .268 | ||
| 1990-91 | 29 | 53 | .354 | ||
| 1991-92 | 15 | 67 | .183 | ||
| 1992-93 | 19 | 63 | .232 | ||
| 1993-94 | 20 | 62 | .244 | ||
| 1994-95 | 21 | 61 | .256 | ||
| 1995-96 | 26 | 56 | .317 | ||
| 1996-97 | 40 | 42 | .488 | Lost First Round | Houston 3, Minnesota 0 |
| 1997-98 | 45 | 37 | .549 | Lost First Round | Seattle 3, Minnesota 2 |
| 1998-99 | 25 | 25 | .500 | Lost First Round | San Antonio 3, Minnesota 1 |
| 1999-2000 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Lost First Round | Portland 3, Minnesota 1 |
| 2000-01 | 47 | 35 | .573 | Lost First Round | San Antonio 3, Minnesota 1 |
| 2001-02 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Lost First Round | Dallas 3, Minnesota 0 |
| 2002-03 | 51 | 31 | .622 | Lost First Round | LA Lakers 4, Minnesota 2 |
| 2003-04 | 58 | 24 | .707 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals |
Minnesota 4, Denver 1 Minnesota 4, Sacramento 3 LA Lakers 4, Minnesota 2 |
| 2004-05 | 44 | 38 | .537 | ||
| 2005-06 | 33 | 49 | .402 | ||
| †2006-07 | 10 | 9 | .526 | ||
| Totals | 605 | 776 | .438 | ||
| Playoffs | 17 | 30 | .362 | ||
Stats updated December 12, 2006
†-season in progress
[edit] Team Accomplishments
8 Playoff Appearances (1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003)
Division Titles 1- 2004
[edit] Players of note
- Chauncey Billups
- Terrell Brandon
- Randy Breuer
- Tony Campbell
- Tyrone Corbin
- Kevin Garnett
- Dean Garrett
- Eddie Griffin
- Tom Gugliotta
- Troy Hudson
- Christian Laettner
- Gary Leonard
- Stephon Marbury
- Sam Mitchell
- Rasho Nesterovic
- Anthony Peeler
- Chuck Person
- Terry Porter
- Pooh Richardson
- Isaiah Rider
- Joe Smith
- Felton Spencer
- Latrell Sprewell
- Wally Szczerbiak
- Doug West
- Micheal Williams
[edit] Retired numbers:
- 2 Malik Sealy, F, 1999-2000
[edit] Current Roster:
| Minnesota Timberwolves Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Dwane Casey | Edit | |||
| C | 30 |  |
Mark Blount | (Pittsburgh) |
| SF/SG | 31 | |
Ricky Davis | (Iowa) |
| SG/PG | 4 | |
Randy Foye | (Villanova) |
| PF | 21 | |
Kevin Garnett Captain | (Farragut Academy HS (IL)) |
| PF/C | 41 | |
Eddie Griffin | (Seton Hall) |
| G/F | 23 | |
Trenton Hassell Co-Captain | (Austin Peay) |
| PG | 16 | |
Troy Hudson | (Southern Illinois) |
| PG | 13 | |
Mike James | (Duquesne) |
| PG | 55 |  |
Marko Jarić | (Serbia) |
| C/PF | 35 | |
Mark Madsen | (Stanford) |
| SG | 1 | |
Rashad McCants | (North Carolina) |
| SF | 9 | |
Justin Reed | (Ole Miss) |
| PG/SG | 6 | |
Bracey Wright | (Indiana) |
| PF | 5 | |
Craig Smith | (Boston College) |
| (FA) - Free Agent |
Minnesota Timberwolves | |||
STARTING LINEUP Mike James- PG Trenton Hassell- SG Ricky Davis- SF Kevin Garnett- PF Mark Blount- C
[edit] Head Coaches
| Name | Years | Won | Lost | Win % | Games | Post Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Musselman | 1989-91 | 51 | 113 | .311 | 164 | - |
| Jimmy Rodgers | 1991-93 | 21 | 90 | .189 | 111 | - |
| Sidney Lowe | 1993-94 | 33 | 102 | .244 | 135 | - |
| Bill Blair | 1994-96 | 27 | 75 | .265 | 102 | - |
| Flip Saunders | 1996-2005 | 411 | 326 | .558 | 737 | 1997-2004 |
| Kevin McHale¹ | 2005 | 19 | 12 | .613 | 31 | - |
| Dwane Casey | 2005- | 33 | 49 | .402 | 82 | - |
| 17-year Total | 1989- | 595 | 767 | .437 | 1362 | 1997-2004 |
- ¹Finished 2004-2005 season as interim head coach
[edit] External links
- Minnesota Timberwolves official web site
- Sports Encyclopedia Timberwolves Page
- Timberwolves Central Online Community
- Timberwolves information from 1989-present
