Dear Timberwolves Fans: Let’s enjoy the ride

Timberwolves fans are in the midst of something largely unfamiliar: witnessing a winning team play in Minnesota. With a ton of criticism surrounding a 23-14 Wolves fans must remember to simply enjoy the ride.

Thirteen seasons.

Thirteen long, hard, frustrating seasons. Every Timberwolves fan and most NBA fans know the significance of the number 13. If you somehow missed it, that’s how many seasons it has been since the Wolves last appeared in the playoffs.

With that said, the Wolves are positioning themselves to end the franchise playoff drought that dates back to Game Six of the 2004 Western Conference Finals. Throughout the past 13 seasons, fans have seen countless busts and missed opportunities by the front office.

In 2006, the Wolves dealt Brandon Roy to the Portland Trail Blazers on draft night for Randy Foye. In 2007, the Wolves drafted Corey Brewer, who never panned out as hoped despite two entertaining stints in Minnesota. 2009 was the year in which the Wolves drafted Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn just prior to the selections of Stephen Curry and DeMar DeRozan. In 2010, Wesley Johnson was drafted one spot ahead of DeMarcus Cousins. Derrick Williams was the bust in 2011.

Throw in a lack of key free agent signings and it’s not hard to see why the Wolves haven’t been able to see postseason basketball since 2004.

However, this offseason brought something different. This offseason brought numerous of quality veterans to the twin cities in hopes of ending the postseason drought. This offseason brought hope.

The result? So far, so good.

Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague have been a great help to the Wolves’ young nucleolus. Butler has entered the All-Star conversation over the past month, not to mention the MVP conversation. Crawford has provided much-needed 3-point shooting and instant scoring off the bench. Gibson has been a monster on the boards and leads the team in field goal percentage. Teague, when healthy, has added speed and scoring to the point guard position, which are things that Rubio couldn’t always bring.

Here’s some food for thought: with the Wolves off to one of their best starts in histor,y why are fans and members of the media still criticizing the team so much? Clearly, there are reasons to be concerned about some aspects of the Wolves. But while the concerns are flowing, remember this: this unit has only played 37 games together, yet they are off to one of the best starts in franchise history.

Then, keep in mind how much time the Wolves have to become as close to perfect as one team can be. It takes more than 36 games to accomplish that.

They have put together a pair of five-game winning streaks over the course of the season. Their defense as a whole as been slowly improving — especially their fourth quarter defense.

And truthfully, it doesn’t matter how it’s done, the Wolves are finding ways to win games. Should the Wolves have more wins? Quite possibly. However, don’t look at it like that. Look at it as it is, that the Wolves are grinding out wins.

When was the last time you were truly able to say that? How many times before a game could you say, “this is a win.” Not very often in years past, most likely. When could you look at a young Wolves team and see them improving one way or another each night. Based upon all the recent draft busts, not often.

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This year has been different. For fans, there is excitement and hope every time the Wolves hit the court. Yet between fans and the media there is a lot of nitpicking at what the Wolves do wrong rather than what they do right.

This is where I come in and remind everyone to stop and enjoy the ride.

If you find yourself criticizing the team, think about everything previously mentioned. The countless draft busts, lack of star players, the inability to close out and win games, etc.

Instead, look at what is ahead and appreciate it. Don’t forget about the the two-way star the Wolves traded for on draft night, and notice the lift he has brought to the team in his prime. Look at the young stars the Wolves have in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins and appreciate their level of play for their age. The buzz around the league about this team is for real; the Wolves time is coming. And the start of their time is here.

Think of them like the Oklahoma City Thunder back when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden were young players. It started with an appearance in the playoffs as an eight-seed and blossomed into an appearance in the NBA Finals not long after.

In the eyes of most, this is where the Wolves are at, albeit with a slightly older roster overall. And for that reason, in the eyes others, they are better than the Thunder were when they appeared in the playoffs for the first time.

It is easy to get down on the team for the inconsistencies and mistakes, we’re all guilty of it. It comes with being a fan of any team in any sport. For the media, it comes with analyzing a team and doing your job.

However, it is important to keep in mind everything that was just mentioned. A simple saying is true, you win some and you lose some. If you’re looking for perfection look somewhere else. If you’re looking for a team who gives 100 percent, cares and are noticeably on the rise, look no further than the Wolves.

Not to mention the blessing from rapper Lil B, if that makes you feel better about the rest of the season.

Hopefully after reading this, perspectives will change. Fans and members of the media will remember this group has not been together for seasons on end, rather they are still adjusting to playing with one another. They will remember all the busts and poor decisions from the front office in the past. Then they will hopefully appreciate what is unfolding before their eyes.

Next: Recipe for continued success for the Timberwolves

Most of all, they will sit back and enjoy the ride.