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Time is running out for T-Wolves to dodge NBA disgrace

by Larry Fitzgerald
March 14, 2019
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Can Karl Anthony Towns save the Timberwolves? // Photo by Steve Floyd

I’ve learned over time to never take anything for granted. From the very beginning when the Timberwolves became an organization, the days of owners Marv and Harv playing their home games at the old Metrodome, it’s been one bumpy ride after another.

The 2018-2019 season has been like a carnival. This team was once sold down the river to New Orleans. However, the NBA saved us and stopped it and voided the sale. They’ve been fined millions of dollars by the NBA for fraud involving the Joe Smith contract.

The Timberwolves once had a player threaten bodily harm to a St. Paul beat writer. They have had a player killed in a tragic car accident. And, they have had four head coaches in five years. Owner Glen Taylor fired third-year coach Tom Thibodeau months ago and owes him $25 million.

After beating Oscar-winning Spike Lee’s beloved New York Knicks 103-92 Sunday without All-Star Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Robert Covington, and with Derrick Rose playing just eight minutes, they have won two in a row and six in a row at home and are 32-35 with 15 games left. I’d say going 12-3 in the final games would get them into the playoffs. What do you think?

This week, the Timberwolves’ playoff hopes are on the line big time facing the mother of all road trips. Five of their next six games are on the road where the Timberwolves have been awful, just 9-25 away from Target Center, where they are 23-10.

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Make no mistake about it: The Timberwolves are one of the most talented teams in the league. Towns is a gifted All-Star, and Andrew Wiggins, like Towns, is a max contract player. The Timberwolves have committed $140 million and $125 million to these two guys.

Taylor fired Thibodeau after All-Star Jimmy Butler disrupted the team and demanded a trade, refusing to sign a four-year $100 million deal. This team has been drifting along ever since for Interim Coach Ryan Saunders.

Expectations were for this team to challenge for a title in the West. How tough is the Western Conference? Golden State has won three titles in four years. LeBron James, now with Los Angeles, can’t even get the Lakers into the playoffs, and he’s been in the playoffs nine years in a row, including nine times in the Finals with Cleveland and Miami.

Making the playoffs for the Timberwolves is a tall order considering their inability to win on the road, the inconsistency of the talented Wiggins, and Robert Covington having disappeared with an injury. It’s been a bizarre season of frustration.

Several injuries to Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones and Rose are all like missed free throws, opportunities lost. However, if the Timberwolves miss the playoffs again, that’s 14 times in 15 years in the NBA Lottery, and that is a disgraceful NBA record. It’s certainly not the way you celebrate your 30th NBA season, but that’s part of the strange history of the now-three-logos NBA Timberwolves.

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Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald is a longstanding contributing columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. He can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.

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Comments 3

  1. Hunter Bullivant says:
    5 years ago

    The timberwolves are my favorite team. I know injuries have plagued this team all year but they have the best youngsters the league has to offer, obviously. But, in my opinion, Glen Taylor needs to take time to think during the offseason of what should be done for the team rather than what could or might be done for the franchise. They have a superstar in Karl Anthony-Towns and he loves this team and his teamates. All im trying to say is don’t look back to the past and look in the distance for the future because their is something glowing over there.

    • Hunter Bullivant says:
      5 years ago

      K towns love u man. U my hero and i would love to meet u one day and beat u in a game of 21. Cause i can do it, challenge me and see, i kight be 5 foot 6 but im a small player youve never seen before

  2. Blujolyrancher says:
    5 years ago

    The timber Wolves as an organization have won about 39 percent of there games all time. That suprised me some with how good we where at one time. However we have been so awful most of the time that it does make sence.

    Winning starts at the top I hear over and over again. Maybe we need to look at this rather than just the head coach. We need a different atmosphere than the one we currently have. I am a season ticket holder and things just feel like they very stagnant.

    Other than towns we need to totally rebuild and use the nice pieces we have to gain some assets to gain players who want to win and who expect to win.

    We need to admit honestly what we have in Andrew Wiggins, and move on. We need to look at yourself from the top and reprioritizes our strategies as to building a franchise and culture.

    The window is small to enjoy towns in his prime. We don’t want KG 2.0 and have one of the best and most talent players of his generation not wanting to come home for his number retirement ceremony.

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