There comes a point in the history of every young franchise when merely making the playoffs isn't enough anymore. When having one of the league's top young players just doesn't get it done. When filling up the arena or appearing on national TV becomes secondary.

	Despite Kevin Garnett's brilliance, Minnesota has never won a playoff series.

This fall will mark year No. 11 for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that now realizes it must move beyond its four consecutive seasons of quick exits from the playoffs. Even coming off the team's best record isn't enough, as VP Kevin McHale and star player Kevin Garnett will tell you.

With that we give you our 16th offseason team spotlight, the Minnesota Timberwolves. As always, we have our opinions, which are below, but we also appreciate yours. Click to the right to see some of the team's user comments.

Why the Wolves were 50-32: Any team that has one of the top 10 players in the league knows it should be able to win half its games, and the Wolves have been able to do that. However, the Wolves have had other talented players over the years. It just hasn't helped them to win. There's been the Terrell Brandon/Stephon Marbury tandem at the point, Tom Gugliotta and Christian Laettner up front and the pleasant Isaiah Rider shooting the ball. What the Wolves have never had is a dominant big man, a player who can command respect in the middle. Garnett blocks shots, but his best position is probably small forward. Look at who has led the franchise in blocks the last decade: Randy Breuer, Felton Spencer, Thurl Bailey, Laettner. Come on.

Minnesota's best season ever didn't start that way. Going to Florida or California is a long road trip for the Wolves, but going to Tokyo is just unfair. The Wolves lost eight straight in December and were 8-13 before suddenly winning 16 of 20 and becoming a factor in the West. By the new year, the playoffs and a winning record were a foregone conclusion, but seeding mattered. Minnesota had a chance to grab the No. 4 seed and the home-court advantage, but ultimately ended up three games behind Phoenix and San Antonio. The Wolves were "rewarded" with a first-round meeting with the second-best team in the NBA, Portland. And size made a big difference as the Wolves lost in four games. In four seasons of playoff basketball, the Wolves have won just four games.

After watching the Blazers push Garnett and less-than-physical big men Joe Smith and Radoslav Nesterovic around, McHale knew what he had to do. But without the money or attractiveness of the Twin Cities to lure legit big men, he had to settle on getting his own big men to put on weight. Nesterovic, for example, is a 7-footer but doesn't weigh 250 pounds. Garnett is only 220.

However, with Garnett and Brandon combining for 40 points and solid seasons from rookie Wally Szczerbiak, veteran Malik Sealy, Smith, Anthony Peeler and longtime Wolf Sam Mitchell, it was enough for 50 wins. It might not be enough for more, though.

	Current projected top 6
	PG	Terrell Brandon
	SG	Anthony Peeler
	SF	Wally Szczerbiak
	PF	Kevin Garnett
	C	R. Nesterovic
	6th	Joe Smith

Team MVP: Garnett now puts up numbers in virtually every category and has one of the most recognizable smiles around. He's great for the NBA. And his outrageous contract no longer looks so obscene. He might even be a bargain. Team LVP: Everyone seemed pretty happy at winning 50 games, but Nesterovic and rookie William Avery were disappointments. Nesterovic played soft and fouled out of nine games, coming close in many more. He needs to get tougher. Avery was given a few chances to be the backup point and couldn't handle it. He shot a brutal .309 from the field. Surprise! Of all the things Szczerbiak was supposed to do, the main one was hit his 3-pointers and be the outside threat the team lacked. Instead, he played a mature game, was able to create his own shots and defended capably. And he still has great range. Up and comer: Garnett and Wally will each get better, but the team must have Nesterovic improve if it's going to go anywhere. The jury is still out on him.

What they need: Multi-talented big men don't exactly grow on trees, and since the Wolves don't figure to get anybody real noteworthy this offseason, that means they have to play with what they've got. The Wolves have a leader, they have enough people to score and they seem to have a winning attitude.

What they desperately need is for Nesterovic to be able to play more than five minutes at a time without hacking someone, and for Joe Smith to start playing like a top pick in the draft, not a journeyman. Nesterovic is a 7-footer with the ability to block a few shots, but he remains raw. Originally from Slovenia, nobody really expects him to dominate, or even give 15 and 10 a night. But inside toughness and presence, that would be nice.

Smith has either underachieved for his five-year career or maybe he was just never that good to start with. His two-plus years in Golden State weren't that bad, though not worthy of a player selected before anybody else in the draft. Is he a 20 and 10 guy? No, he couldn't even do that for a Warriors team that lacked scoring options. But there's really no reason why, at 6-10, he can't man the power forward spot and produce 14 and eight, which is what he did for the Wolves during the lockout season. Last year was mostly a lost year for Smith as he battled knee problems and came off the bench in all but nine contests. But he's only 25.

Past that, things are fine. Garnett is a wonderful talent, capable of carrying the team on his back some nights, but not to the degree that a Karl Malone or Chris Webber can. But give him time. Brandon is a fine point guard, an All-Star, and Szczerbiak is a better all-around player than many thought. He will start draining treys whenever he wants, as soon as opponents stop him from driving to the hoop.

The tragic offseason death of shooting guard Malik Sealy was felt in many ways. Off the court, the Wolves lose a good guy who stayed out of trouble and contributed to the community, which is important in a smaller city like Minneapolis. On the court, Sealy had improved his game a great deal and was a reliable scorer and defender at two positions. Plus, he was clutch, winning a few games late.

Peeler is the likely choice to replace him, though Szczerbiak could play shooting guard instead. Peeler brings more outside shooting and less defense, and by starting him the Wolves weaken their bench. Bobby Jackson could play either guard spot, but the free agent left town for Sacramento. Chauncey Billups, once a top five selection in the draft but now on his fifth team in three years, is a career .375 shooter from the floor. He thinks he's a two, but must shoot better. He could be a great fit given the time.

What the plan is: The Wolves begin the season in Texas -- not Tokyo -- and shouldn't be in dire straits midway through December again. The team is generally the same as it was last season. Billups takes the minutes that Sealy had, Szczerbiak and Nesterovic should play more, Smith should be healthy and Avery likely will be the backup for Brandon. As for Garnett, who knows how much better he can get. Flip Saunders does a nice job as coach and is well respected.

The Wolves don't figure to challenge the Lakers, Blazers or Spurs for West supremacy this season, but if they continue to improve and McHale can put the full-court press on a big man, it would change things a great deal. But that won't change things this year.

Direction heading: Cautiously, we say status quo. Winning fifty games isn't nothing, you know, but with the same personnel and none of the other top West teams on the way down, the Wolves probably will stay right where they are.