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| Thursday, March 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
The Present 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 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. | ALSO SEE Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Suns Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: 76ers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Bulls Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Raptors Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Wizards Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Jazz Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Clippers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Kings Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Trail Blazers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Pacers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Hawks |