Quick facts:Founded: 1988 Arena: Target CenterDivision Championships: 1(2004)Midwest division 1(2004)Northwest Division NoneNBA Titles: NonePlayoffs: 9Owner: Glen TaylorA long awaited return: From 1947 until 1960 Minneapolis enjoyed NBA basketball behind the George Mikan lead Lakers, but when the team picked up and moved to sunny Southern California the city was left without NBA basketball for the next 30 years. In 1985 it looked like the city might finally get another team when the ownership of the Utah Jazz were looking to sell the team to a group from Minnesota, but that was quickly spurred when an owner from Salt Lake City bought the franchise. Instead the NBA awarded them one of four new NBA franchises that entered the NBA in the late 1980s. The Wolves entered the NBA along with the Orlando Magic in 1989. Miami and Charlotte had entered a year earlier. Playoff Struggles: Why the Timberwolves? The Drought During that time the Wolves had more 60 loss seasons (4), than they did winning seasons (1). Bottom of the league Until just recently the Wolves had more 60-loss seasons than they had winning seasons. Malik Sealey: Sealy played two season with the Wolves and averaged 10.4 points per game in 113. He had one of his best seasons of his carrer in 2000, appearing in all 82 games for the Wolves and averaging 11.3 ppg on nearly 50% shooting. Sealy and teammate Kevin Garentt were close and Sealy's death had a profound impact on Garnett. The Joe Smith Scandal:In the 1999 offseason the Wolves signed free agent Joe Smith to a one year deal worth 1.7 million dollars, which was considerably below his market value. The following season Smith re-signed for just 2.1 million for one year, again considerably lower than his market value. In 2000 the Wolves, now with Smiths "bird rights" signed him to a long term deal worth around $86 million dollars, which was considerably higher than his market value. This caused some people in the NBA's front officer to begin to investigate the contract. Upon investigation it was found out that Smith and Wolves owner Glen Taylor and GM Kevin McHale had engaged in negotiations which violated the salary cap. Smith would sign with the Wolves for less for 3 seasons until the Wolves had his bird rights and then they would overpay him. The NBA would give the Timberwolves one of the most severe punishments in NBA history. The league voided out all of Smith's contracts, fined the Wolves 3.5 million dollars, suspended GM Kevin McHale for several months, suspended owner Glen Taylor for a year, and stripped the Wolves of all first round picks between 2001 and 2005. The league did ultimately return the 2003 and 2005 picks. Smith would go on to sign with the Detroit Pistons for a season, before oddly enough returning to the Timberwolves. The loss of the Draft picks and other roster mismanagement would eventually catchup to the Wolves and this scandal can be directly seen as the cause of the Wolves playoff drought which lasted from 2004-218.
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History of the Minnesota Timberwolves (2024)
References
- https://nbahoopsonline.com/teams/MinnesotaTimberwolves/Index.html
- https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/luka-doncic-historic-game-winning-shot-lift-dallas-mavericks-over-minnesota-timberwolves
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minnesota-Timberwolves
- https://www.retroseasons.com/teams/minnesota-timberwolves/
- https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/2024/05/26/who-should-the-thunder-root-for-to-win-2023-24-nba-championship/
- https://www.sportingpost.com/team-history/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/
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