Minnesota Timberwolves

Come watch Kevin Garnett this year with his back-up group the Minnesota Timberwolves. It truly will be the case of “Kevin and the Garnettes” this year, as KG has lost his running mates from the past few years, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. Marko Janic and two rookies are trying to replace them. Need we say more? It’s a good thing that Garnett is still around. The seven-foot Swiss Army knife of a forward has an unparalleled ability to enhance the team around him. He has never needed that ability more than he has needed it this year.

Last year, the Timberwolves muddled through a disaster of a season, leaving an ailing Garnett to wonder what sort of the moves the front office might make to turn the Wolves back into contenders. The answer came quickly, when Cassell was shipped to Los Angels for Janic, and Sprewell was not asked back. The team then grabbed two talented college shooters in Rashad McCants and Bracie Wright. The hope is that these two dead-eye scorers can help spread the floor for Garnett, so a healthy KG can get to work giving the Minnesota Timberwolves ticket holders something to cheer about again.

There was plenty of cheering when the Timberwolves had their inaugural season at the Metrodome in 1989. That team was led by Tony Campbell, who went on to score 23 points a game for Minnesota, pacing them to a 22-60 record.

Things only improved in the years to come. The team moved to the beautiful Target Center the following year and amassed an impressive array of young talented players led by Garnett, who was drafted out of high school by the Timberwolves. Joining him were two college standouts, Stephon Marbury and Tom Gugliotta. The trio brought respectability of the franchise, but was dismantled in 1998 due to payroll issues.

Garnett returned the Minnesota Timberwolves to prominence in 2003-2004, when he was joined by Cassell and Sprewell. The combination quickly gelled, giving Timberwolves ticket holders the opportunity to watch their team march to the top of the West. Minnesota was able to advance to the Western Conference Finals before being bounced out by the Lakers.

The team seems to have been in a free-fall since the 2004 playoffs, as Garnett and company have struggled and the team was dismantled yet again. However, the Timberwolves still have the greatest all-around player in the world. Garnett is worth the ticket price for Minnesota Timberwolves fans every night he steps on the floor. He can only hope that his surrounding cast can play at a level that allows Minnesota to return to the NBA Playoffs.