The Sneakiest Wolves in the West

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The Minnesota Timberwolves have done a quick job of changing the culture and makeup of their locker room. With the additions of veterans Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko the Timberwolves look like a team that has transitioned away from a group of immature underachievers, to a well rounded team that seems poised to make the playoffs for the first time since Kevin Garnett’s MVP season, which coincides with the last time I balled up on my little tykes basketball hoop. The real question is, will this Wolves season mirror Ned Stark or Rob Stark. How long can this team stay in the NBA’s Game of Thrones?

Just two seasons ago, they had a roster filled with an assortment of young players who hadn’t – and still haven’t- lived up to their draft pick (Johnny Flynn, Sebastian Telfair and Wesley Johnson), players who did not have a definitive position who also never lived up to their draft pick (Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph) and the immortal Darko Milicic, a center who plays with as much emotion as Jesse Pinkman after his third rock of the day. All six of those players are no longer in Minnesota, and for the most part have been replaced with much more professional players with higher basketball I.Q.’s that have a track record of success. The Timberwolves biggest addition was also the sneakiest move of the off-season, bringing in Brandon Roy.

Two-years ago Brandon Roy was seen as the clear cut third best shooting guard in the league behind Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade. The reason for his downfall has nothing to do with play on the court, it was whether or not he could play on the court. A season ago, the NBA watched in sadness as a player with such talent and drive was forced to retire extremely prematurely due to knee issues. If you take away the knee problems, what do you have? You have a player who can put up 20 points on any given night and explode for 30 every once in awhile. The last wing player the Timberwolves had with that scoring ability was Latrell Spreewell, who was also a me first cancer in both the locker room and when the ball wasn’t in his hand. Roy is cut from a different cloth. He has the ability to score off the dribble, his driving and pull-up abilities are what made him a special player, but he can also work without the ball coming off of screens and setting other up to score. He is an above average passer from the off-guard position and is a very capable defender and rebounder. Not only that, but from all accounts he was a good leader in the locker room and good with the community of Portland. The final key to Brandon Roy’s success with the T-Wolves is that he has shown the capability to take over games late, and hit the big shot when it matters. He even showed the capacity for the clutch gene when his knees had abandoned him, just ask the Mavericks. With Roy and Kevin Love, the Wolves might have found a combination of players that can help cure them of the chronic late game woes that have plagued Minnesota for far too long.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “that’s fine and dandy, but how did he magically regain the ability to feel his knees?” The answer is reginokine knee treatment from Dr. Chris Renna in Germany. You know, the same doctor who helped rejuvenate Kobe’s knees to the same extent as Sylvester Stallone’s mother has been rejuvenated by plastic surgery.

Do I honestly believe this team has a shot at the title? No. But I do think they have the ability to make the playoffs, and once they get there make themselves a very difficult team to push out. With Rick Adelman at the helm, who is BY FAR the greatest coach the Timberwolves have ever employed, this team has shades of the Oklahoma City team that pushed the Lakers in the opening round just a few years back. The whitest team since 1987 have all the pieces in place to finally get themselves out of the lottery, which is good because God knows they wouldn’t have ended up with the number one pick.


Joshua Jackson
@JoshJackson_TID