In the NBA, success is measured with championships. People all over the world will sit around tables and atop bar stools debating who the greatest player or team of all time is. Generally, which ever player or team has more championships will have the edge. I don’t believe the Minnesota Timberwolves come up in these conversations if you go by the general measure of success and nor should they. However from a fan perspective, I don’t believe the Timberwolves need to start winning back to back championships to be deemed successful. I think fans across the state of Minnesota would be satisfied with a post season appearance with a potential deep run into the playoffs. The organization and fans have been saying for years that this is "the year,” but something about this year feels different. I think this year may actually be "the year" that the Timberwolves turn into a real contender for years to come.
The last time the Timberwolves tasted the sweet taste of the post season was the 2003-04 season. After losing in the first round of the playoffs seven straight years, the Timberwolves ended the season with the Western Conference’s best record but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers nearly missing their first NBA finals appearance. Long gone are the days of Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury,Tom Gugliotta, and those seven straight first round playoff loses, but there are a new cast of characters (one of them still named Kevin) in the Target Center that have the talent to bring back the playoff atmosphere.
It was thought that last year would be "the year" that the Timberwolves finally broke the playoff dry spell but the team was plagued with injuries all season and could never get their starters on the floor together. Kevin Love had multiple hand issues. Ricky Rubio was still recovering from his torn ACL and Chase Budinger hasn't played more than 25 games since wearing a Wolves uniform. This year the Wolves are looking to avoid the injury bug and with the additions of Kevin Martin, Ronny Turiaf, and Shabazz Muhammad are predicted to finish no worse than 8th in the conference.
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Another positive for Timberwolves fans is that the David Kahn era is finally over. Between all the preposterous comments and questionable draft picks, David Kahn had more than worn out his welcome. Flip Saunders is back in town and in the short time as President of Basketball Operations has already made big improvements. It is starting to be exciting to be a fan of the Minnesota Timberwolves again. As a season ticket holder and somewhat of a diehard, I can probably be overly optimistic at times, but I'm starting to believe that this year can really be "the year" that the Timberwolves can turn it around.
~ Kyle Lovin
