What makes T-Wolves intriguing?
Published 9:28 am Monday, December 19, 2011
Column: Aaron Worm, Behind the Mic
I will admit for the first time in a long time I am excited for Timberwolves basketball.
I think a lot of fans are.
Is it because of the exciting amount of young talent in Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams and Kevin Love? Or because of new coach Rick Adelman, who has over 800 career wins? Maybe the fact since they are playing fewer games this year, the T-Wolves could have a shot to make the playoffs? Now the final question might be a stretch, but for the first time since Kevin Garnett left town, there is renewed hope.
The Timbrewolves won 22 games in its inaugural season in 1989-90, went to the Western Conference finals in 2003-04 and then won a meager 17 games last season. This franchise has definitely had its ups and downs and now enters the season with its 11th coach in the team’s history (on average a different coach every two years).
I remember the first year back when the team was at the dome. I think we had tickets in the upper deck behind one of the buckets. At Target Center they would have been OK seats; At the dome, it felt like you were watching the game from across the street. We were able to move down to the lower bowl later in the game and watch 6-foot, 1-inch Pooh Richardson tower over Charlotte’s 5-foot, 3-inch Muggsy Bogues.
The Timberwolves’ first-ever draft pick, whose real name is Jerome (nicknamed by his grandmother who said he looked like Winnie the Pooh) played just three seasons for the T-Wolves. In Minnesota’s inaugural game on Nov. 3, 1989 against Seattle, Pooh wasn’t in the starting lineup. Remember these guys: Sam Mitchell, Tod Murphy, Brad Lohaus, Tony Campbell and Sidney Lowe? They were the original starting five.
I did attend Game 1 of the Western Conference finals back in 2004 with my future wife, Nadine. She had never attended a professional sporting event in the U.S. She didn’t know anything about the NBA, but knew who Shaquille O’Neil was. (Even living in Canada she knew who Shaq was).
During the first half of the game against the Lakers, she stood up and said: “Go, Mr. Shaq” Some Timberwolves fans behind us told her to sit down. (They didn’t say it nicely). She looked at me, her boyfriend, to maybe do something about it. I told her with a smile: “Don’t cheer for the Lakers.” She had her first experience with intense professional sports fans.
Following this franchise has never been boring. We got to experience the “Big Ticket” Kevin Garnett for many years and watch the struggles of some players like Marko Jaric, Michael Olowokandi and I think I could list 50 others.
But hope is in the air.
Some of the other elite teams in the NBA are getting older while the Timberwolves are just puppies with their young talent. So bring on the opener on Dec. 26th. After watching the Vikings cover-no-one defense on Sunday, it couldn’t come at a better time.
KATE Sports Director Aaron Worm’s column appears each Monday ni the Tribune. He can be heard from 6 to 11 a.m. weekdays on The Breeze.