Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves
founding	1989
history	Minnesota Timberwolves since 1989
Stadion	Target Center
Location	Minneapolis , Minnesota
Club colors	Blue, green, blue, gray, white     
league	NBA
Conference	Western Conference
division	Northwest Division
Head coach	Ryan Saunders
General manager	Scott Layden
owner	Glen Taylor
Farm teams	Iowa Wolves
Championships	no
Conference title	no
Division title	1 ( 2004 )
Association Icon Statement

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team of the North American professional basketball league NBA . The team has played its home games at the Target Center in Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota since 1990 (they played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in the 1989/90 season ). The team takes its name from the Timberwolf , a subspecies of the wolf native to Minnesota.

Team history

The first years in the NBA (1989–1995)

The Timberwolves played their first game on November 3, 1989 at the Seattle Supersonics . The starting five were Tod Murphy, Brad Lohaus, Tony Campbell, Sidney Lowe and Sam Mitchell , who scored the club's first points in a game that was lost after 45 seconds of play. They lost their home premiere to the Chicago Bulls five days later . Two days later they won their first game in the NBA after overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers . In the first season, in February 1990, Tony Campbell, later the best scorer with the Timberwolves in the first season, set a club record with 44 points that lasted until 2003 when Wally Szczerbiak equalized him. The Timberwolves finished the first season with a record of 22:60, as the best of the four new teams in the NBA. As for the number of points allowed, they were the second best team with 99.4 in their first season. Pooh Richardson was selected for the NBA All-Rookie Team . The home games took place in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with an average of 26,100 spectators per game. On April 17, 1990, it was the third most in the NBA with 49,551.

Target Center

The Timberwolves began the next season in their new home stadium, the Target Center, with a win against the Dallas Mavericks . The balance sheet was still mixed. In April 1991 the Timberwolves managed the first month in the club's history with a positive balance, in this case 7: 5. Also that month, on April 4, 1991, they achieved their highest victory to date with 138 points against the Denver Nuggets . The Timberwolves finished their second season with 29 wins. Coach Bill Musselman left the team after this season. He was succeeded as head coach in June 1991 by Jimmy Rodgers.

The Timberwolves started their third season very poorly with nine losses in their first ten games. Gerald Glass and Doug West replaced Tyrone Corbin and Tony Campbell in the starting five. Luc Longley made his debut as the first Australian in the NBA against the Dallas Mavericks on November 30, 1991. In February and March 1992 they lost 16 games in a row, with March being the most unsuccessful month in the club's history with a 1:15 record. At the end of the season the worst result so far was 15:67.

For the next season, Jack McCloskey was named general manager, replacing Jimmy Rodgers. With Christian Laettner in third place, the Timberwolves drew the highest draft in their club's history. Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell were traded in the Indiana Pacers for Chuck Person and Micheal Williams. On January 11, 1993, after a balance in December of 1:12, Sydney Lowe became the youngest head coach in the NBA at the age of 33 and replaced Jimmy Rodgers. The Timberwolves finished this season at 19:63. An extraordinary series started Micheal Williams, in the course of which he improved a twelve-year-old NBA record of converted free throws in a row, and marked them for his first miss on November 9, 1993 at 97 until the next season. Christian Laettner was selected for the 1992/93 NBA All-Rookie Team .

In the 1993 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves Isaiah Rider drew fifth. In the end, he managed to join the NBA All-Rookie Team and won the NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest. At the end of the season the record was 20:62 and Bill Blair became the new head coach. The NBA vetoed the sale of the well-attended Timberwolves to a group of investors who were moving to New Orleans. Owner Glen Taylor promised that the team would stay in Minneapolis.

With 21:61, the Timberwolves conceded more than 60 defeats in a row in the fourth season, which was a new NBA negative record. The offensive was particularly problematic, 94.2 points per game were the worst value for the Timberwolves until then, and the rebounds, they remained the only team in the NBA that stayed under 3000 rebounds. The best player was Rider with 20.4 points per game, making him 19th in this statistic in the league. At the end of the season, former Boston Celtics star Kevin Edward McHale succeeded Jack McCloskey as general manager.

Kevin Garnett Era (1995-2007)

In the 1995 draft, the Timberwolves selected Kevin Garnett , who came straight from high school, fifth.

Kevin Garnett (1995-2007 and 2015-2016)

At 26:56, at the end of the 1995/96 season, it was the second-best result in history. In December 1995, Flip Saunders became the new head coach and would remain so until 2005, making him by far the longest-serving coach in the franchise . After the departure of Rooks and Laettner in February 1996 Garnett, who ended the season with 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, was a key rookie player for the Timberwolves.

Flip Saunders, Head Coach (1995-2005 and 2014-2015)

With 40 wins, the Timberwolves reached the playoffs for the first time in 1996/97 , where they were eliminated in the first round against the Houston Rockets, and increased the city's interest in the Timberwolves. The best players were Garnett and Tom Gugliotta , who scored 20.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in the league. Both were the first Timberwolves to take part in the 1997 NBA All-Star Game . Rookie Guard Stephon Marbury also showed a good season performance with 15.8 points per game and was tenth in the player statistics for assists.

With 45:37 and seventh place in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves finished 1997/98 even better than last year. On December 30, 1997, the Timberwolves won against the Chicago Bulls for the first time. In January 1998 they won seven games in a row, a new club record. Long injured points maker Gugliotta was successfully represented by Sam Mitchell , Terry Porter and Anthony Peeler. Garnett was the first Timberwolve in the starting five of the NBA All-Star Game. He had 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.83 blocks per game at the end of the season. In the playoffs, the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round after they had been in the lead at halftime in the decisive fifth game against the Seattle Supersonics.

With Gugliotta and Marbury, the Timberwolves lost two important players to other clubs. The 1998/99 season , shortened by a lockout , ended with 25:25. In the first round of the playoffs they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. Garnett was in the top 20 for points, rebounds, blocks and steals at the end of the season and was elected to the All-NBA Third Team . Temporary additions were Terrell Brandon and Joe Smith. In the 1999/00 season , the Timberwolves achieved their best ever record of 50:32. They reached the playoffs, where they lost 3-1 to the Portland Trailblazers in the first round. The best player was Garnett, who with 22.9 points as the tenth best and 11.8 rebounds per game as the fourth best player. He also achieved more than five assists per game. He was elected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team.

At the beginning of the 2000/01 season the Timberwolves lost two players: Malik Sealy died in a car accident and the contract with Forward Joe Smith was annulled by the NBA. Smith played for the Detroit Pistons from November 2000. Newcomers included Chauncey Billups and Director Slater. The Timberwolves finished the season with a balance of 47:35 and reached the play-offs as eighth of the Western Conference. There they lost 1: 3 to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. With eleven wins in a row, they set a new franchise record this season and the best value of all teams in 2000/01. Also this year Garnett took part in the All-Star-Game. That year he reached 54 double doubles and with 11.4 rebounds the sixth best value in the NBA.

The current high point was the 2003/04 season , in which the Timberwolves ended the season as the best team in the Western Conference and their star player Kevin Garnett was voted the most valuable player ( MVP ). In the playoffs they failed in the Conference Final of the West Conference to the Los Angeles Lakers . In the following season 2004/05 the co-stars Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell delivered poor performances. The management decided to keep "Spree" attached to the club, but the club refused to extend the contract on the grounds that "he has a family to support". Sam Cassell was traded to the LA Clippers, including for Marko Jarić . The Timberwolves did not reach the play-offs in the 2004/05 season, in 2005/06 the team could not qualify for the championship round. On July 31, 2007, superstar Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for five players (highest number for a single player in NBA history) .

Unsuccessful years with Kevin Love (2008-2015)

Kevin Love (2008-2014)

In the 2008/09 season , the Minnesota Timberwolves are among the worst teams in the league and occupy one of the lower ranks of the Western Conference . As a result, coach Randy Wittman was sacked on December 8, 2008. Kevin McHale took over the coaching tasks. He got off to a good start with the team and was initially elected Coach of the Month . After Al Jefferson and Corey Brewer were injured, the team no longer played so well and ended the season with a record of 24:58. When David Kahn was appointed the new general manager in June 2009, McHale dismissed him and appointed the Lakers' assistant coach at the time, Kurt Rambis, as the new coach. Under Rambis, the team played even worse than before and only got 15 wins in the entire season, making it the worst team in the NBA after the New Jersey Nets . In the following 2010/11 season , the team was the worst team in the league with a record of 17:65, although the team's star, Kevin Love , played strong. Kurt Rambis was released from his duties as a trainer because the team could not implement his tactical guidelines.

His successor was coach legend Rick Adelman, who in turn was fired from the Houston Rockets. With Rick Adelman and the new players Ricky Rubio , who was drafted fifth in 2009, and the second pick in 2011, Derrick Williams, and second round pick Malcolm Lee, the Timberwolves went into the 2011/12 season . In the course of the season Rubio was injured and could no longer be used. Love had a strong season with double digits on points and rebounds and was elected to the All-Star Team. The play-offs were not reached. The following 2012/13 season also ended sobering. Kevin Love was only able to play 18 games due to injuries and his stats deteriorated. Likewise, the signed guard Brandon Roy was only able to play in eight games due to further injuries. The 2012/13 season ended again without a playoff participation.

In the 2013 NBA draft, the Wolves selected point guard Trey Burke (College Michigan) in 9th place and shortly thereafter traded the rights to him to Utah Jazz. For this they received the rights to Shabazz Muhammad (14th Pick / UCLA) and the 21st drafted center Gorgui Dieng (Louisville). In the 2nd round of the draft they chose point guard Lorenzo Brown (52nd Pick / NC State) and in 59th place the center Bojan Dubljević. The contract with Nikola Peković was extended. Forward Derrick Williams could never meet the expectations and were given to the Sacramento Kings for Luc Mbah a Moute . Despite very good performances by Kevin Love, the Wolves again missed the playoffs. Rick Adelman resigned as coach and Flip Saunders took over as coach again.

During the summer of 2014, star player Kevin Love was transferred to the Cleveland Cavaliers . In return, the Wolves received the first picks of the 2014 NBA Draft , Andrew Wiggins from the Cavaliers. Also changed Anthony Bennett , the Cavs and Thaddeus Young of the Philadelphia 76ers , to Minnesota. In addition, the contract with the Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio was extended for several years.

Arrival of Karl Anthony Towns and engagement of Jimmy Butler (since 2015)

During the season, the Wolves struggled with injury problems from their star players Pekovic and Rubio. Shortly after the All-Star Break, Kevin Garnett was brought back to Minnesota after years. Rookie Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad emerged as the new bright spots of the franchise . Nevertheless, the Timberwolves had the worst record in the league with only 16 wins. In the subsequent draft lottery they won the first right to vote for the 2015 NBA draft , in which they secured the Dominican center Karl-Anthony Towns , who was previously active at the University of Kentucky .

On October 25, 2015, Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders succumbed to cancer. His successor was the previous assistant coach Sam Mitchell . The Wolves improved to 29 wins of the season, but again missed the playoffs. The improvement was not least due to the performance improvement of players LaVine and Wiggins, but also to the very good rookie season of Towns, which, like Wiggins in the previous year, won the Rookie of the Year .

Shortly after the end of the season, the Timberwolves presented Tom Thibodeau, a new head coach for the coming 2016/2017 season. Thibodeau previously worked for several years as head coach for the Chicago Bulls and between 1989 and 1992 already worked as an assistant coach for the Wolves. Kris Dunn was selected fifth in the NBA draft . Furthermore, Kevin Garnett ended after 21 professional years, including 13 with the Timberwolves, his active NBA career. The playoffs were missed again.

All-Star Jimmy Butler was hired by the Chicago Bulls as part of the 2017 NBA draft . In return, Zach LaVine , Kris Dunn and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen moved to the Bulls. He had previously played for the Bulls under Thibodeau. Furthermore, the longtime starting point guard Ricky Rubio was transferred to the Utah Jazz . For this, another former All-Star was signed with Jeff Teague . Further veterans were added with Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford . Led by Starcenter Towns, the Wolves reached the NBA playoffs for the first time in 14 years. In the first round, however, they were eliminated against the Houston Rockets .

Current squad

Minnesota Timberwolves roster as of March 1, 2020

player	Coaches
No. Nat. Surname position birth size info college 0 D'Angelo Russell Guard 02/23/1996 196 cm Ohio State 1 Evan Turner Guard / Forward October 27, 1988 201 cm Ohio State 3 Jarred Vanderbilt Forward 04/03/1999 206 cm Kentucky 4th Jaylen Nowell Guard 07/09/1999 193 cm R. Washington 5 Malik Beasley Guard 11/26/1996 196 cm Florida State 6th Jordan McLaughlin Guard 04/09/1996 185 cm G / R USC 10 Jake Layman Forward 04/27/1994 206 cm Maryland 11 Naz Reid Forward 08/26/1999 208 cm R. Louisiana State 12 Jacob Evans Guard 06/18/1997 198 cm Cincinnati 14th Omari Spellman Forward 07/21/1997 206 cm Villanova 16 James Johnson Forward 02/20/1987 206 cm Wake Forest 20th Josh Okogie Guard 09/01/1998 196 cm Georgia Tech 23 Jarrett Culver Guard 02/20/1999 198 cm R. Texas Tech 30th Kelan Martin Forward 08/03/1995 201 cm G / R butler 32 Karl-Anthony Towns Center / Forward 11/15/1995 213 cm Kentucky 41 Juan Hernangomez Forward 09/28/1995 206 cm Spain	Nat. Surname position Ryan Saunders Head coach David Vanterpool Deputy head coach Pablo Prigioni Assistant coach Kevin Burleson Assistant coach Bryan Gates Assistant coach Kevin Hanson Assistant coach Gregg Farnam Medical trainer
	Legend Abbr. meaning No. Jersey number Nat. nationality C. Team captain R. Rookie G Two-way contract Inactivity due to injury

Honors and achievements worth mentioning

Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned

No.	Nat.	Surname	position	time
2		Malik Sealy	Forward	1999/2000

Well-known former players

Surname	current club
Kevin Garnett	Career ended
Chauncey Billups	Career ended
Al Jefferson	Career ended
Kevin Love	Cleveland Cavaliers
Terrell Brandon	Career ended
Tom Gugliotta	Career ended
Christian Laettner	Career ended
Stephon Marbury	Career ended
Sam Mitchell	Career ended
Chuck person	Career ended
Randy Foye	Career ended
Terry Porter	Career ended
Pooh Richardson	Career ended
Isaiah Rider	Career ended
Joe Smith	Career ended
Latrell Sprewell	Career ended
Wally Szczerbiak	Career ended
Sam Cassell	Career ended
Tyrone Corbin	Career ended
Corey Brewer	Free agent
Michael Beasley	Free agent

statistics

Trainer

Surname	time	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]
Bill Musselman	1989-1991	51: 113 wins	31.1
Jimmy Rodgers	1991-1993	21:90 wins	18.9
Sidney Lowe	1993-1994	33: 102 wins	24.4
Bill Blair	1994-1996	27:75 wins	26.5
Flip Saunders	1996–2005 and 2014–2015	411: 326 wins	55.8
Kevin McHale	Interim trainer 2005	19:12 wins	61.3
Dwane Casey	2005-2007	53:69 victories	43.4
Randy Wittman	2007-2008	12:30 wins	26.6
Kevin McHale	2008-2009	20:43 wins	31.7
Kurt Rambis	2009-2011	32: 132 wins	19.5
Rick Adelman	2011-2014	97: 133 wins	42.2
Sam Mitchell	2015-2016	29:53 victories	35.4

Playing times in the National Basketball Association

year	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]	Play-offs
1989/90	22:60	26.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1990/91	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1991/92	15:67	18.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
1992/93	19:63	23.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
1993/94	20:62	24.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1994/95	21:61	25.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1995/96	26:56	31.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
1996/97	40:42	48.8	0-3 in the first round against the Houston Rockets
1997/98	45:37	54.9	2-3 in the first round against the Seattle SuperSonics
1998/99	25:25	50.0	1: 3 in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs
1999/00	50:32	61.0	1-3 in the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers
2000/01	47:35	57.3	1: 3 in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs
2001/02	50:32	61.0	0-3 in the first round against the Dallas Mavericks
2002/03	51:31	62.2	2: 4 in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers
2003/04	58:24	70.7	2: 4 in the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers
2004/05	44:38	53.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
2005/06	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2006/07	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2007/08	22:60	26.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2008/09	24:58	29.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2009/10	15:67	18.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2010/11	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
2011/12	26:40	39.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2012/13	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2013/14	40:42	48.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2014/15	16:66	19.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
2015/16	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2016/17	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2017/18	47:35	57.3	1: 4 in the first round against the Houston Rockets
2018/19	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
2019/20	19:45	29.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
total	980: 1496	39.6%	18:34 in the play-offs ( 34.6% ) as of March 2020

Web links

• Official website of the Minnesota Timberwolves
• Official squad of the team

Individual evidence

1. ^ Team History 1989–1990. Beginnings. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Team History 1990–1991. Victories hard to come by. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ^ Team History 1991–1992. A rough winter. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Team History 1992-1993. A new attack. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ Team History 1993–1994. Smooth rider, rough ride. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 28, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Team History 1994–1995. Struggles continue. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 28, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ^ Team History 1995–1996. Teen gives Wolves hope. In: NBA website. Retrieved January 28, 2012 . 
8. ^ Team History 1996–1997. End of playoff drought. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 28, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
9. ↑ Team History 1997–1998. Wolves learn new lessons. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 28, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ Team History 1998–1999. Garnett leads the pack. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 28, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
11. ^ Team History 1999–2000. A 50-win season. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on January 28, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
12. ^ Team History 2000–2001. Wolves overcome obstacles. (No longer available online.) In: NBA website. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012 ; accessed on April 5, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
13. ↑ Cleveland Cavaliers Sign Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves and give Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett (sid agency report) On: Sportal website; Unterföhring, August 23, 2014. Accessed July 14, 2017
14. ↑ NN: 55 million deal for Ricky Rubio On: Laola1 website; Vienna, November 1, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2017
15. ↑ Hunter Felt: NBA draft: blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade makes Wolves the big winners . In: The Guardian . June 23, 2017, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed June 23, 2017]).