Conference: Western
Division: Northwest
Founded: 1989
History: Minnesota Timberwolves (1989 – Present)
Arena: Target Center
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Team Colors: Midnight Blue, Lake Blue, Aurora Green,
Moonlight, Grey, Frost White.
Head Coach: Chris Finch
Championships: (0)
Conference Titles: (0)
Division Titles: (1) 2004
Retired Numbers: (1) 2
1989 – 1995: Team creation and early years
NBA basketball returned to the Twin Cities in 1989 for the first time since the Minneapolis Lakers (1947 – 1960) departed for Los Angeles in 1960. The NBA had granted one of its four new expansion teams on April 22nd, 1987 (the others being the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and the Miami Heat). To original owners Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson to begin play in the 1989 – 1990 season. There were two previous American Basketball Association (ABA) franchises that played between the Lakers’ departure and the Timberwolves' arrival: the Minnesota Muskies (1967 – 68), and the Minnesota Pipers (1968 – 69). The Timberwolves have worn throwback uniforms for the previous franchises(1)(2).
The franchise conducted a “name the team” contest(3) and eventually selected two finalists, “Timberwolves” and “Polars”, in December 1986. The team then asked the 842 city councils in Minnesota to select the winner and “Timberwolves” prevailed by nearly 2 – 1(4)(5). The team was officially named the “Minnesota Timberwolves” on January 23rd, 1987. Minnesota is home to the largest population of Timberwolves in the contiguous 48 states(6)/
The Timberwolves debuted on November 3rd, 1989, losing to the Seattle SuperSonics on the road 106 – 94. Five days later, they debuted at the Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome, losing to the Chicago Bulls 96 – 84. Two nights later on November 10th, the Wolves got their first win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home 125 – 118. The Timberwolves, led by Tony Campbell with 23.2 ppg, went on to a 22 – 60 record, finishing sixth in the Midwest Division. Playing in the Hubert H. Humphery Metrodome, the expansion Timberwolves set an NBA record by drawing over 1 million fans to their home games(7). This included a crowd of 49,551 on April 17th, 1990, which saw the Timberwolves lose to the Denver Nuggets 99 – 88 in the final game of the season(8).
The next season, the team moved into their permanent home, the Target Center, and improved somewhat, finishing 29 – 53. However, they fired their head coach, Bill Musselman. They fared worse in the 1991 – 1992 NBA season under Musselman’s successor, ex-Celtics coach Jimmy Rodgers, finishing with an NBA-worst 15 – 67 record. Looking to turn the corner, the Wolves hired former Detroit Pistons general Jack McCloskey to the same position, but even with notable first-round selections such as Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider, the Timberwolves were unable to duplicate McCloskey’s “Detroit Bad Boys” success in the Twin Cities, finishing 19 – 63 and 20 – 62 the next two seasons. One of the few highlights from that era was when the Target Center served as host of the 1994 All-Star Game where Rider won the Slam Dunk Contest with his between-the-leg “East Bay Funk Dunk”(10).
As winning basketball continued to elude the Wolves, Ratner and Wolfenson nearly sold the team to New Orleans interests in 1994 before NBA owners rejected the proposed move. Eventually, Glen Taylor bought the team and named Kevin McHale general manager. The Wolves finished 21 – 61 in 1994 – 95, and the future looked bleak(10).
1995 – 2007: The Kevin Garnett era
In the 1995 NBA draft, the Timberwolves selected high school standout Kevin Garnett in the first round (5th overall),(11) and Flip Saunders was named head 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. 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 Wolves finished in 5th place in the Midwest Division, with a 26 – 56 record(10).
In 1996, the Wolves added another star player in the draft, trading 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 Garnett and 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 three straight games(12). The T-Wolves also decided to change their image by changing their team logo and color scheme, adding black to the team colors, and replacing the original logo with one featuring a snarling wolf looming over a field of trees. It was also during this season that Minnesota began to play on a parquet floor.
In 1997. Garnett and 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 second straight season. After dropping Game 1 of the playoffs on the road to the Seattle SuperSonics, the Timberwolves won their postseason game 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 five games(13).
In 1998, a year after signing Kevin Garnett to a six-year, 126 million-dollar contract, the Timberwolves were then used as the poster child of irresponsible spending as the NBA endured a four-month lockout that wiped out much of the season. With an already cap-heavy payroll, the Wolves let Tom Gugliotta walk, partially because the team wanted to save money to sign Stephon Marbury to a long-term contract, an in part because Gugliotta did not want to play with the young player. This move proved unsuccessful, however, as Stephon Marbury wanted to be the biggest star on the team and subsequently forced an in-season trade by refusing a contract extension. In the three-team mid-season deal that sent Marbury to the New Jersey Nets, the Wolves got Terrell Brandon in return and a first-round draft pick in the 1999 draft (which turned out to be the sixth pick). The Wolves made the playoffs for the third straight season by finishing in fourth place with a 25 – 25 record. In the playoffs, the Timberwolves were beaten by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in four games(14).
In 1999, the Timberwolves drafted Wally Szczerbiak with the sixth pick in the draft(15). He had a solid season, finishing third on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Led by Kevin Garnett, who averaged 22.9 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game, the Timberwolves had their first 50-win season and finished in 3rd place with a record of 50 – 32. However, in the playoffs the Wolves again fell in the first round, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in four games(16). The Wolves opened the 1999 – 2000 regular season with two home games against the Sacramento Kings at the Tokyo Dome on November 6th and 7th.
In the summer of 2000, guard Malik Sealy was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Sealy’s number has since been retired: the number 2 jersey memorialized with Sealy’s name on a banner hanging from the rafters of the Target Center. It remains the only number retired by the team(29).
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. The league stripped the Timberwolves of five draft picks (first round 2001 – 2005), but it eventually was reduced to three first-round picks (2001, 2002, and 2004). The league also fined the Timberwolves $3.5 million and suspended general manager Kevin McHale for one year. Smith eventually signed with the Detroit Pistons before re-signing with the Timberwolves in 2001. Despite those setbacks, the Timberwolves made the playoffs for the fifth straight season with a 47 – 35 record(18). In the playoffs, the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round again by the San Antonio Spurs in four games in the spring of 2001(19).
Several newcomers arrived before the start of the next season, including Gary Trent, Loren Woods, and Maurice Evans, and the return of Joe Smith. The Timberwolves started the season by winning their first six games and went on to achieve a franchise-best start of 30 – 10. The Timberwolves had a franchise-record 53-point win over Chicago in November. They finished with a 50 – 32 record: their second-ever 50-win season that was highlighted by another All-Star appearance by Garnett and a breakout season by Wally Szczerbiak, who earned his first All-Star appearance. Once again, Minnesota lost in the playoffs, where they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in three straight games(20).
The 2002 – 2003 season seemed to look up for the Timberwolves. Garnett had a great season where he finished second in MVP voting with 23.0 points per game and 13.4 rebounds per game and the Timberwolves finished in third place with a 51 – 31 record. As a result, they were awarded home-court advantage for the first time when facing the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. After losing Game 1, the Timberwolves had a chance to take a 3 – 1 series lead heading into the 4th quarter of Game 4 in Los Angeles, but the Lakers came back to win the game and eventually won the series in six games. In the end, the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the seventh straight year(21).
References
1. https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/
Head Coach: Chris Finch
Championships: (0)
Conference Titles: (0)
Division Titles: (1) 2004
Retired Numbers: (1) 2
1989 – 1995: Team creation and early years
NBA basketball returned to the Twin Cities in 1989 for the first time since the Minneapolis Lakers (1947 – 1960) departed for Los Angeles in 1960. The NBA had granted one of its four new expansion teams on April 22nd, 1987 (the others being the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and the Miami Heat). To original owners Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson to begin play in the 1989 – 1990 season. There were two previous American Basketball Association (ABA) franchises that played between the Lakers’ departure and the Timberwolves' arrival: the Minnesota Muskies (1967 – 68), and the Minnesota Pipers (1968 – 69). The Timberwolves have worn throwback uniforms for the previous franchises(1)(2).
The franchise conducted a “name the team” contest(3) and eventually selected two finalists, “Timberwolves” and “Polars”, in December 1986. The team then asked the 842 city councils in Minnesota to select the winner and “Timberwolves” prevailed by nearly 2 – 1(4)(5). The team was officially named the “Minnesota Timberwolves” on January 23rd, 1987. Minnesota is home to the largest population of Timberwolves in the contiguous 48 states(6)/
The Timberwolves debuted on November 3rd, 1989, losing to the Seattle SuperSonics on the road 106 – 94. Five days later, they debuted at the Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome, losing to the Chicago Bulls 96 – 84. Two nights later on November 10th, the Wolves got their first win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home 125 – 118. The Timberwolves, led by Tony Campbell with 23.2 ppg, went on to a 22 – 60 record, finishing sixth in the Midwest Division. Playing in the Hubert H. Humphery Metrodome, the expansion Timberwolves set an NBA record by drawing over 1 million fans to their home games(7). This included a crowd of 49,551 on April 17th, 1990, which saw the Timberwolves lose to the Denver Nuggets 99 – 88 in the final game of the season(8).
The next season, the team moved into their permanent home, the Target Center, and improved somewhat, finishing 29 – 53. However, they fired their head coach, Bill Musselman. They fared worse in the 1991 – 1992 NBA season under Musselman’s successor, ex-Celtics coach Jimmy Rodgers, finishing with an NBA-worst 15 – 67 record. Looking to turn the corner, the Wolves hired former Detroit Pistons general Jack McCloskey to the same position, but even with notable first-round selections such as Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider, the Timberwolves were unable to duplicate McCloskey’s “Detroit Bad Boys” success in the Twin Cities, finishing 19 – 63 and 20 – 62 the next two seasons. One of the few highlights from that era was when the Target Center served as host of the 1994 All-Star Game where Rider won the Slam Dunk Contest with his between-the-leg “East Bay Funk Dunk”(10).
As winning basketball continued to elude the Wolves, Ratner and Wolfenson nearly sold the team to New Orleans interests in 1994 before NBA owners rejected the proposed move. Eventually, Glen Taylor bought the team and named Kevin McHale general manager. The Wolves finished 21 – 61 in 1994 – 95, and the future looked bleak(10).
1995 – 2007: The Kevin Garnett era
In the 1995 NBA draft, the Timberwolves selected high school standout Kevin Garnett in the first round (5th overall),(11) and Flip Saunders was named head 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. 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 Wolves finished in 5th place in the Midwest Division, with a 26 – 56 record(10).
In 1996, the Wolves added another star player in the draft, trading 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 Garnett and 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 three straight games(12). The T-Wolves also decided to change their image by changing their team logo and color scheme, adding black to the team colors, and replacing the original logo with one featuring a snarling wolf looming over a field of trees. It was also during this season that Minnesota began to play on a parquet floor.
In 1997. Garnett and 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 second straight season. After dropping Game 1 of the playoffs on the road to the Seattle SuperSonics, the Timberwolves won their postseason game 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 five games(13).
In 1998, a year after signing Kevin Garnett to a six-year, 126 million-dollar contract, the Timberwolves were then used as the poster child of irresponsible spending as the NBA endured a four-month lockout that wiped out much of the season. With an already cap-heavy payroll, the Wolves let Tom Gugliotta walk, partially because the team wanted to save money to sign Stephon Marbury to a long-term contract, an in part because Gugliotta did not want to play with the young player. This move proved unsuccessful, however, as Stephon Marbury wanted to be the biggest star on the team and subsequently forced an in-season trade by refusing a contract extension. In the three-team mid-season deal that sent Marbury to the New Jersey Nets, the Wolves got Terrell Brandon in return and a first-round draft pick in the 1999 draft (which turned out to be the sixth pick). The Wolves made the playoffs for the third straight season by finishing in fourth place with a 25 – 25 record. In the playoffs, the Timberwolves were beaten by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in four games(14).
In 1999, the Timberwolves drafted Wally Szczerbiak with the sixth pick in the draft(15). He had a solid season, finishing third on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Led by Kevin Garnett, who averaged 22.9 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game, the Timberwolves had their first 50-win season and finished in 3rd place with a record of 50 – 32. However, in the playoffs the Wolves again fell in the first round, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in four games(16). The Wolves opened the 1999 – 2000 regular season with two home games against the Sacramento Kings at the Tokyo Dome on November 6th and 7th.
In the summer of 2000, guard Malik Sealy was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Sealy’s number has since been retired: the number 2 jersey memorialized with Sealy’s name on a banner hanging from the rafters of the Target Center. It remains the only number retired by the team(29).
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. The league stripped the Timberwolves of five draft picks (first round 2001 – 2005), but it eventually was reduced to three first-round picks (2001, 2002, and 2004). The league also fined the Timberwolves $3.5 million and suspended general manager Kevin McHale for one year. Smith eventually signed with the Detroit Pistons before re-signing with the Timberwolves in 2001. Despite those setbacks, the Timberwolves made the playoffs for the fifth straight season with a 47 – 35 record(18). In the playoffs, the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round again by the San Antonio Spurs in four games in the spring of 2001(19).
Several newcomers arrived before the start of the next season, including Gary Trent, Loren Woods, and Maurice Evans, and the return of Joe Smith. The Timberwolves started the season by winning their first six games and went on to achieve a franchise-best start of 30 – 10. The Timberwolves had a franchise-record 53-point win over Chicago in November. They finished with a 50 – 32 record: their second-ever 50-win season that was highlighted by another All-Star appearance by Garnett and a breakout season by Wally Szczerbiak, who earned his first All-Star appearance. Once again, Minnesota lost in the playoffs, where they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in three straight games(20).
The 2002 – 2003 season seemed to look up for the Timberwolves. Garnett had a great season where he finished second in MVP voting with 23.0 points per game and 13.4 rebounds per game and the Timberwolves finished in third place with a 51 – 31 record. As a result, they were awarded home-court advantage for the first time when facing the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. After losing Game 1, the Timberwolves had a chance to take a 3 – 1 series lead heading into the 4th quarter of Game 4 in Los Angeles, but the Lakers came back to win the game and eventually won the series in six games. In the end, the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the seventh straight year(21).
References
1. https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/
