Dunking With Wolves
Fansided

An urgent letter to Timberwolves fans

By Christian Anton

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: The Minnesota Timberwolves reveal their new logo during halftime against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 11, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: The Minnesota Timberwolves reveal their new logo during halftime against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 11, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves ranked second to last in fan attendance per game last season. 

It’s been a long time since us Minnesota Timberwolves’ fans have felt confident about our team.  However, this offseason the front office has made fans around the Twin Cities excited once again with their aggressive roster moves.

There is no doubt that Tom Thibodeau has assembled a team that many expect to contend for the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.  Through trades and free agent signings, the updated Timberwolves look to finally make their mark on the NBA.

With a young core and a revamp of everything from the Target Center to new basketball jerseys, the Timberwolves are trying to establish a new era… a new culture. The front office is trying to build a playoff culture and hopefully a championship one.

However, no matter what changes the front office make, the best way to change the culture comes from the fanbase itself.

This is something that every Timberwolves’ fan needs to realize.

I know that as a fanbase we have suffered.  Many lost their faith after Kevin Garnett departed over a decade ago.  Those who kept faith in the team suffered even harder through the Kahn era.  Even now many feel betrayed by Ricky Rubio being moved earlier this month.

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As a wise man once said it is always darkest just before the dawn.  The Timberwolves are right on the edge of being a force in the NBA but it is up to us, the fans, to help make that next step.

After watching the Golden State Warriors in the finals for a third straight year it dawned on me. The culture in Oakland is what makes the Warriors so powerful because their players respond to it. They feed off of it.

The Warriors fan attendance has been ranked in the top ten of the NBA ever since 2008.  Despite not making the playoffs until the 2012-2013 season, the Oakland fan base helped build a culture. The Warriors wouldn’t be where they are today without the support of their fans.

In fact, every NBA champion since 2008 has been ranked in the top third of the league in fan attendance the year they won the title.

The Timberwolves have routinely been in the bottom third of attendance, with the exception of the 2012 season.

The past is the past, and tomorrow is a new day.

It has never been more important in the history of our beloved franchise to show your support for the team. Now is the time to build a culture in Minnesota.

Fans of Minnesota sports have built winning cultures before.  Just look at the Minnesota Wild for example.

Over the past three seasons, the Wild have been in the top third of the NHL in fan attendance and the team has responded in the regular season.

The Minnesota Vikings opened their new stadium this past year. Vikings fans immediately made U.S Bank Stadium one of the loudest football venues in the NFL.

I remember a story that the legendary basketball coach Steve Fisher once told an organization I belonged to in college at San Diego State University.

When Fisher first became head coach of SDSU in 1999, he used to walk around campus handing out free tickets begging anyone to come watch a game.  That season the men’s basketball program only won five games.

Ten years later Fisher had turned a non-existing fan base into a perennial top 25 AP ranked basketball program.  From 2010-2016 the Aztecs led all California college programs in fan attendance and consistently reached the NCAA tournament going as far as the Sweet Sixteen.

The moral of the story from Coach Fisher was that in order to be a successful program a culture had to be built among the fan base.

This is something that translates to the situation that Minnesota Timberwolves fans find ourselves in now.

The front office has done everything in their power to build a team worthy of our faith once again.  It is our turn to reward a new era of Minnesota Timberwolves basketball.

Let’s fill Target Center in droves this year, win or lose.

Let’s be louder than those fans from Oracle arena when the defending champions come to town.

Let’s be the Wolfpack that Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler and the Timberwolves deserve.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 goals for Andrew Wiggins

Next season WE the fans will be the difference between winning and losing.  Let’s build a championship culture for OUR Minnesota Timberwolves.

It starts with you.