Minnesota Timberwolves All-Time Starting Five

Point Guard: Sam Cassell

Played for Minnesota from 2003-2005

With Sam Cassell only playing in Minnesota for two short seasons, it wasn’t easy to hand him the keys. Truthfully, I tossed and turned about whether or not to go with Stephon Marbury here, but ultimately went with Sam.

Well, the 2003-04 version of Sam Cassell, to be exact. That year, Sam posted 19.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He also shot 48.8 percent from the field and 39.8 from deep as he helped lead Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals.

That season, Cassell posted seven games of 30 or more points while only having eight in which he didn’t he double digits over the course of the season. Additionally, he had 20 games of double-digit assist totals and only having five games with fewer than four assists. Cassell’s leadership and winning mentality is something that can’t be put into a stat line, either

Sam’s competition for this starting spot was Ricky Rubio and the aforementioned Marbury. Ricky is a great point guard, but Cassell’s ability to shoot gave him the nod over Ricky.

Cassell versus Marbury isn’t as clear-cut, however. Both players bring scoring and playmaking to the team, but playmaking is ultimately the thing that sets them apart as Marbury always looked to be the go-to guy while Sam was fine with differing to someone else.

It is clear that Minnesota would have made the NBA Finals had Sam not been hit with the injury bug heading into the final round in the West.

Runner-up: Stephon Marbury

Alternate: Ricky Rubio