The Minnesota Timberwolves have had plenty of good players over their relatively young franchise history. Let’s pick four and put their face on the side of a mountain.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have had many ups and downs as a franchise. Unfortunately for fans, this roller coaster ride has had a lot more downs then ups.
The high points of the team are very high indeed, however. Things like gaining a franchise back after losing the Lakers to Los Angeles earlier in the century. Also, reaching the Western Conference Finals with Kevin Garnett and company was amazing. Plus, Garnett’s MVP season that same year. And don’t forget the series of moves that got the Wolves’ current Big Three.
While we do have some very good memories, the lows are much more frequent. The numerous draft mistakes, such as missing current superstars Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, and Paul George in the draft. Not having a winning record since the 2004-05 season, of course. Missing out on the playoffs ever since the aforementioned Western Conference Finals. Watching Kevin Love drag the franchise through the mud his last season in Minnesota before being traded for Andrew Wiggins. And let’s not forget about the Brandon Roy signing.
Ok. We need to stop all of this negativity. I don’t need to start crying onto my keyboard.
While things might not have been great in the past, we have had some very good players call the Target Center home. Let’s take a look at, in my opinion, the four best players to ever wear a Wolves jersey.
Sam Cassell
A key cog in the 2003-04 roster that brought Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals, Cassell was in a battle for his spot on the mountain. The thing that pushes him over the edge is his playoff experience for a franchise that simply isn’t used to the postseason.
You could compare him to Brett Favre when he came to Minnesota. In his first year, things were going great. It seemed like he could do no wrong. Both Favre and Cassell brought their team’s success with a star already on the roster (Garnett and Adrian Peterson). They even had injuries as part of the reason their trip the final round was spoiled. The year after that, however, the magic wore off.
Their injuries were much different, however. While Favre was battered by a Saints defensive line, Cassell’s was more unconventional. After making a big shot during the Sacramento series, he did his infamous “onions” dance (dance at around the 55-second mark) and injured his hip. After that, he was largely ineffective during the West finals against the Lakers.
But he was a beast while on the court. During his two seasons in Minnesota, Cassell averaged 17.2 points, 6.4 assists, and had an effective field goal percentage of 50.6 percent. In fact, the highest effective field goal percentage of his career came during that magical 2003-04 season at 51.7 percent. To put that into context, KG’s effective field goal percentage the same season was 50.2 percent, and he ended up winning the MVP award that season.
In combining his important leadership at the point guard position with his numbers, it is tough to keep Sam I Am off the Wolves Mount Rushmore.
Wally Szczerbiak
What is not to love about Wally Szczerbiak? He had an infectious smile and engaging personality. Pair that with his ability to nail 3-pointers, and you have a fan favorite.
Averaging a solid 15.5 points per game while shooting 40.1 percent from the 3-point line during his time in Minnesota was a very good stat line for a role player at that time in the NBA. And especially for the Wolves, who didn’t have much except for KG during most of his time playing for the Wolves.
Look at the all-time leaderboards for Minnesota and Szczerbiak ranks near the top in some key categories. Third in both 3-pointers made and attempted. Fourth in minutes played. Third in field goals made and field goals attempted. Also, he is second in 3-point field goal percentage.
While his stats might not be very sexy, he is a very important piece to the history of the Timberwolves. He is also one of the best 3-point shooters this franchise has ever seen, and for those reasons, he deserves a place on the mountain.
Kevin Love
I know it’s hard, but try to forget.
Try to forget the way Kevin Love basically dismissed Minnesota his final season here. Forget how he basically went on a media tour his last year and drug us through the mud. Forget everything after his final season in Minnesota, even though he had great numbers, and Love definitely deserves a place on the mountain.
During his peak years as a Wolf, Love was a legitimate star and teetering on superstar status. Over six seasons in a Wolves uniform, he averaged a double-double of 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He was a human highlight film the likes of which Timberwolves hadn’t seen since the last time a power forward named Kevin roamed the halls of Target Center.
There were the full-court passes that had him regularly compared to the one of the best outlet passers in the history of the NBA, Wes Unseld. There was the incredible 30-point, 30-rebound game against the Knicks, which hadn’t been in the NBA in over two decades. He nailed an ice-in-his-veins long-range game-winner against the Clippers. The list goes on and on.
And if nothing else, it goes to show how good the former UCLA Bruin was that LeBron James wanted him in Cleveland as part of his super team that won a title in their second year together.
While he might have underachieved in Minnesota in that he didn’t bring the franchise to the playoffs, he did not have the necessary help around him, either. It takes a special type of player to take a team to the playoffs on their own and, no knock on Love, it wasn’t him.
He was so exciting to watch and was entertaining off court too. Let’s just forget the off-the-court, business side of him during his last season in Minnesota.
Kevin Garnett
No surprise here. Kevin Garnett is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ all-time everything.
The Big TIcket holds records in 24 (yes, you read that right) categories for Minnesota. Heck, he is still the face of the franchise. In that respect, he is in the same category as Michael Jordan. When people think of the Bulls, they think of MJ. When people think of the Timberwolves, KG comes to mind.
We could spend pages and pages talking about Garnett’s accomplishments. Ten-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA selection, eight-time All-NBA Defensive Team while a member of the Wolves. The cherry on top? The 2004 Most Valuable Player award of course.
And not to mention bringing this snake-bit franchise to the playoffs for eight consecutive years, including the Western Conference Finals during the magical 2003-04 season.
The numbers are truly amazing and should not be glossed over, but another reason people loved him so much was his on-court intensity. He wanted needed to win every night. He would scream out in excitement after a great block or an alley-oop dunk. He would scream at himself after a missed shot or a big couple minutes on the floor. His trash talk is legendary. He was, quite simply, an incredibly fun player to watch minute to minute.
On the defensive side of the ball, he could guard anyone. With his 7-foot frame and freakish athleticism, there was nothing he couldn’t do when trying to stop another team’s best players.
The Kid’s impact can even be felt on today’s squad. He was a major factor in the development of Karl-Anthony Towns during his rookie season in 2015-16, which was the final season of both Garnett’s second stint with the Wolves and his career. He was in KAT’s ear every day during practice and would make sure he was in position during games.
Next: Top-5 Block Leaders In Timberwolves History
While a Mount Rushmore wouldn’t normally have an order to it, KG is definitely the Wolves best player of all-time — and it’s not close.