7 players the Minnesota Timberwolves signed past their prime

V: No Kandi before winning it all

When the Minnesota Timberwolves signed 7-foot-0 269-pound center Michael Olowokandi, the hope was that he could give the Wolves that defensive presence with a bit of offense that was sorely lacking for the team behind Kevin Garnett. The Wolves loved what the Kandi Man delivered in five seasons with the LA Clippers.

Unfortunately, that is not what they got.

Michael Olowokandi had strung together five impressive and improving seasons with the Clippers. But when he arrived to compete for the Minnesota Timberwolves, his production took a steep and disastrous plunge off a cliff. He was barely able to generate half of his numbers from the previous season,

That precipitous drop in his performance sealed his fate as one of the Worst Timberwolves starters of the Kevin Garnett Era. Worse yet, the Timberwolves had signed him to a three-year contract worth over $16 million. As a result, not only was he not as productive as advertised, but he was an expensive mistake in many ways for the Timberwolves from 2003 through 2006.

He was finally traded to the Boston Celtics where he would play one more season before retiring.

In theory, the 28-year-old Olowokandi should not have hit the wall so early in his NBA career. But every player signed in the NBA comes with risks. In this case, the Timberwolves gambled and lost.