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 Thursday, March 30
Spotlight: Led by KG, Wolves are right there
 
By Dr. Jack Ramsay
Special to ESPN.com

 
Kevin Garnett, Tony Battie
Garnett is the most versatile player in the league, Dr. Jack writes.
Minnesota had an NBA franchise before the Timberwolves arrived in 1989 -- the Minneapolis Lakers. That team, forerunner to the Los Angeles Lakers, entered the Basketball Association of America from the National Basketball League, where it had been league champion.

Those Lakers, led by Hall of Fame greats George Mikan and Jim Pollard, along with several other teams from the NBL, joined the newly organized NBA in 1949. The Lakers won five championships until Mikan retired in 1954 at the age of 30. The franchise struggled for several years, then moved to Los Angeles in 1960 where two young players, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, were ready to lead it back to success.

The Timberwolves had no Mikan, Pollard, Baylor or West to jump start their franchise. This was an expansion team with two principal owners, Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner, made up of cast-off players from the existing teams in the league, and won only 22 games in its first season. The Wolves played hard for Coach Bill Musselman -- actually winning more games than any of the other expansion teams (Miami, Charlotte or Orlando) that entered the NBA in the same time frame.

But after improving the team record to 29-53 in their second season, Musselman was fired because he didn't give the team's young players more minutes -- especially rookie Gerald Glass. (Glass was later waived out of the league after three seasons). The Timberwolves ran through a succession of coaches, but no one improved upon Musselman's 29 wins until the 1996-97 season, when they went 40-42. Records of 45-37 and 25-25 followed until this season, in which the Wolves are 16 games over .500 -- the best in-season mark in franchise history.

Four significant events transpired in 1995 to bring about this change: Glen Taylor became majority owner of the franchise in March; Kevin McHale was named vice president of basketball operations in May; Phil "Flip" Saunders was appointed head coach in December; and 19-year old Kevin Garnett was selected with the fifth pick of the first round of the NBA draft.

Owner Taylor allows McHale to run the basketball operation and Kevin has drafted and traded well. It appeared that the team was on its way to contender status with Garnett, Stephon Marbury and Tom Gugliotta -- both acquired by trades. But Marbury forced a subsequent trade to New Jersey, free agent Googs opted to play in Phoenix and McHale was forced to recreate his team.

He managed to get Terrell Brandon to replace Marbury, drafted small forward Wally Szczerbiak and center Radoslav Nesterovic; signed free agents Joe Smith, Malik Sealy, Tom Hammonds and Sam Mitchell; and traded for Anthony Peeler, Dean Garrett and Bobby Jackson. Now the Wolves are among the league's elite ... not quite knocking at the championship door, but don't tell them that.

Saunders, who coached in the CBA for seven seasons to prepare him for his present challenge, has taken this talent and developed a nice team. Saunders is innovative, has excellent rapport with his players, and maximizes his personnel strengths.

Trades, Free Agents and Draft Picks

  • 1995: Drafted Kevin Garnett (Farragut Academy), 5th pick; Mark Davis (Texas Tech), 48th pick; Jerome Allen (Penn), 49th pick. Signed free agents Terry Porter, Sam Mitchell, Sean Rooks, Eric Riley; waived Howard Eisley; traded Donyell Marshall for Tom Gugliotta.

    THROUGH THE YEARS
    Year Record Playoffs
    1994-95 21-61 --
    1995-96 26-56 --
    1996-97 40-42 0-3
    1997-98 45-37 2-3
    1998-99 25-25 1-3
    Totals 223-155 3-9

  • 1996: Drafted Ray Allen (UConn), 5th pick; then traded him and a future first-round pick to Milwaukee for Stephon Marbury; traded Christian Laettner and Sean Rooks to Atlanta for Andrew Lang and Spud Webb; traded Lang to Milwaukee for the first-round pick given in the Marbury deal; acquired Cherokee Parks from Dallas as part of the Rooks to Atlanta deal; traded Isaiah Rider to Portland for James Robinson, Bill Curley and a future first-round pick; signed free agents Chris Carr, Stojko Vrankovic, Shane Heal and Dean Garrett.

  • 1997: Drafted Paul Grant (Wisconsin), 20th pick; Gordon Malone (West Virginia), 44th pick. Traded Vrankovic to the Clippers for Stanley Roberts; signed free agents Reggie Jordan and DeJuan Wheat.

  • 1998: Drafted Radoslav Nesterovic (Slovenia), 17th pick; Andrae Patterson (Indiana), 46th pick. Traded Doug West to Vancouver for Anthony Peeler.

  • 1999: Drafted Wally Szczerbiak (Miami, Ohio), 6th pick; William Avery (Duke), 14th pick; Louis Bullock (Michigan), 42nd pick. Traded Bullock to Orlando for cash; traded Micheal Williams, the rights to Zeljko Rebraca and a future first to Toronto for Bobby Jackson and Dean Garrett; traded Marbury and Carr to the Nets; and Grant to Milwaukee for Terrell Brandon and Brian Evans. Signed free agents Joe Smith and Malik Sealy.

    The Present
    The Timberwolves are built around the multi-talented Kevin Garnett -- the NBA's most versatile player. At 7-0, KG does it all at both ends of the floor. His current stats -- 23 ppg, 12 rpg, 5 apg and just under 2 blocks -- attest to his varied offensive skills. Add to those his ability to defend any position from point guard to center -- and do an outstanding job -- and the magnitude of his game becomes apparent.

    But that's not all he does. Garnett is the team's spiritual leader as well -- on and off the court. He's the one who rallies his team vocally, and with his considerable game skills, when it's sagging and needs a boost; He's also the calming agent the team needs when emotions are at the brink; and he's the ultimate team player who does what it takes personally for his team to win.

    Brandon is the quiet floor leader who gets 17 ppg, just under 9 assists, shoots 90 percent on free throws, and has one of the league's best assist/turnover ratios. Szczerbiak is growing into a complete player at small forward; Smith is a valuable frontcourt performer; and Sealy and Peeler complement each other as swingmen. Nesterovic is making noticeable progress as an NBA center; Garrett is steady, and Jackson gives effective pressure defense in back of Brandon.

    Saunders makes them play as a unit. The Wolves don't play isolation offense -- where one player has the ball and everybody else moves to the weak side of the floor. They play a team game. They pass and screen very effectively -- a trait that allows them to lead the league in field goal percentage (.471) and in assists (27 apg).

    At the defensive end of the floor, Saunders comes at the opposition in a number of ways. The Wolves may trap at half-court, may double team the wings or post, or they may play straight up. Saunders keeps the opposition guessing ... and that helps the Wolves to be among the top 10 defensive teams in the NBA.

    The principal weaknesses of the team are that it lacks a dominant center and its perimeter shooting is erratic (21st in the league in three-point percentage). Those conditions are not going to be overcome this year. But don't sell the Wolves short. They are aggressive, confident and feisty -- dangerous attributes in the playoffs.

    The Future
    Kevin McHale likes his team, but is fully aware that he must keep the key elements together -- Garnett, Brandon and Szczerbiak -- and then strengthen the weak spots if the Timberwolves are to become true contenders for an NBA championship. He'll tell you that the key players must want to stay in Minnesota -- remembering all too well that Marbury and Gugliotta chose to go elsewhere.

    Garnett appears to be committed to staying with the Wolves. He wants to win a championship there. That's a huge plus. It also seems that Brandon and Szczerbiak will stay on board. That's also very positive.

    Regarding the shortcomings at center and with perimeter shooting? Nesterovic may surprise. He needs to bulk up and become more physical in his defensive game. But he's 7-0, has a nice shooting touch and is a good passer -- qualities that are hard to find in big men. A summer of instruction, conditioning and competition might do wonders for him.

    Szczerbiak is on his way to becoming an excellent perimeter threat. Sealy and Peeler might also improve, and there's always free agency. Shooters are easier to find than centers.

    The Minnesota Timberwolves have made significant progress after a slow beginning. They'd love to match the championship record of that first NBA Minnesota team -- the Minneapolis Lakers.

    That would be some kind of accomplishment.

  •  



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