Wolves Chalk Up 31st Win
April 17, 2013
With the Minnesota Wild in the midst of a playoff drive and the start of the baseball season, little note was made of the Minnesota Timberwolves winning the final two games of the NBA season with two consecutive wins to finish at 31 wins and 51 losses.
At home on April 14, the Wolves defeated Phoenix, 105-93. The season was then wrapped up with a road win at San Antonio, 108-95, on April 17, the first time Minnesota won there since 2004. Once again, the playoffs were a distant dream for the Timberwolves. They finished 27 games behind Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City. Yet, the Wolves were better than nine other NBA teams and ended the season 22nd among the 30 NBA teams.
Minnesota went 5-5 in April, noteworthy especially since the team had won only one game in April in the previous three seasons. The 31-51 record was the best by a Timberwolves team since the trade of Kevin Garnett on July 31, 2007.
The loss of Kevin Love, one of the league’s top ten players, to injury this season proved to be the barrier that blocked the Wolves from the playoffs this season. Minnesota last participated in post-season games in 2004, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers four games to two in the Western Conference finals.
Before the Phoenix game, Love addressed the media and told reporters that he, like his teammates, had “high hopes” for this season. “For me, this was supposed to be such a big year for us and everybody in this organization. It pisses me off in a lot of ways. I only played 18 games…
“It’s hard to sit back and watch the guys go to war without me, but you’ve got to sit there and really give support. You never want to have a season like this. Who would have thought I would have a broken hand and had surgery for that and then knee surgery. I have a clean bill of health now, and I’ll be ready to go in a month. You can always get better. You can always push forward.”
As for the 2013-2014 season, Love spoke of the rash of injuries the Wolves encountered in the season just concluded: “More than anything, it’s about getting everyone, including myself, healthy. I know this team is hungry, and I’m hungry myself. The only thing we can do now is look forward to the future. The pieces have to fall into place. We have the makings of a very good team here. We can make a big push and have a very special season.”
In order for this to happen, it’s crucial for coach Rick Adelman to return, according to Love. “He’s been tremendous. We need to have him back. He’s a guy that everybody loves to play for, but I know that his family comes first. I hope to see coach back, and I think he’ll come back.”
If the returns, Adelman has the nucleus of a playoff team. The return this season of Ricky Rubio after ACL surgery, proved to be a catalyst. He has emerged as one of the league’s top point guards. The Wolves are no longer Love’s team. They are Rubio’s team now. All he needs to do is refine his shooting, and he’s a cinch double-double man every night. Of course, a healthy Love can be counted on for a double-double most nights.
Timberwolves management must also work hard to sign Nikola Pekovic, one of the last true centers in the NBA. Pekovic came out of nowhere (second-round draft pick) under Adelman and now is a much-sought-after big man. The team also needs to acquire through draft or trade a true shooting guard. Starter Luke Ridnour is playing out of position there and is aging rapidly.
The trio of Rubio-Love-Pekovic, when healthy, is a match for any point guard-power forward-center combo in the league. It’s up to David Kahn to fill in the rest, providing he’s retained by management. Rumors persist regarding Flip Saunders possibly taking over as general manager, replacing the smug and sometimes arrogant King Kahn.