Wolves detail plans in newspaper
Thanks to an open letter, fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves learned about their beloved team's plans for the upcoming National Basketball Association season. Team officials put up a full-page ad in the sports section of the Star Tribune on Monday, detailing the franchise's positive and negative points over the past few years. The ad also enumerated the team's plans for improvement. Timberwolves' chief marketing officer Ted Johnson said the move is part of efforts to reach out to fans and show them the team's dedication in rebuilding the franchise.
The Wolves are coming off a franchise-worst 15-67 season to finish last in the Western Conference. They were just better than the bottom-ranked New Jersey Nets in the entire league. It was Minnesota's worst performance since posting the same record during the 1991-92 season. After a series of runs in the play-offs, Minnesota's performance took a downturn when All-Star big man Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in July 2007. Garnett, who was the face of the Wolves for more than a decade, was dealt to the Celtics in exchange for Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, two first-round draft picks, and cash. Garnett teamed up with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to lead the Celtics to the NBA title that season. In contrast, the Wolves finished with a lowly 22-60 mark. They slightly improved to a 24-58 mark the next season.
The Wolves joined the NBA as one of the four expansion teams during the 1989-90 season. It was the first NBA team to be based in Minnesota since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960. Just like any other expansion teams, the Wolves endured growing pains in their first few seasons in the league. Tony Campbell was the team's first star player as they posted a 22-60 slate in their first season in the league. They moved into the Target Centre the next season, wherein they finished with a 29-53 mark. Jimmy Rodgers took over head coach Bill Musselman the following season but the Wolves posted their worst finish in franchise history. The Wolves picked collegiate standouts Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider in the succeeding rookie drafts but this did not change the team's fortunes in the next two seasons. Minnesota fans saw a glimmer of hope in the struggling franchise when Garnett and head coach Flip Saunders arrived in 1995. Though the Wolves finished with a 26-56 mark that season, it was a step in the right direction. Stephon Marbury arrived the following season and joined forces with Garnett and Tom Gugliotta to lead Minnesota to their first-ever play-off appearance after posting a 40-42 record. The Wolves, however, were swept by the Houston Rockets in the first round. Garnett and Marbury continued to play good music during the 1997-98 season, leading the team to their second straight play-off appearance. The Wolves were eliminated by the Seattle Super Sonics in five games. Gugliotta and Marbury left the team during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, wherein the Wolves finished with a 25-25 mark. They reached the play-offs again but were ousted by eventual champions San Antonio Spurs.
Prized rookie Wally Szczerbiak joined the team next season as the Wolves posted their first 50-win season with a 50-32 mark. Despite their outstanding performance, the Wolves were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The Wolves made the play-offs for the fifth straight season with a 47–35 record in 2000-01 but again made a first-round exit after they lost to the Spurs. The following season, the Wolves again finished with a 50-32 mark but were again ousted in the first round, this time by the Dallas Mavericks. The Wolves' frustrations continued in 2002-03 when they posted a 51-31 record only to be eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Wolves finally ended their first-round exit jinx the following year when they became the top seeds in the Western Conference with a 58-24 record. Led by league Most Valuable Player Garnett, the Wolves ousted the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings to reach the conference finals. Minnesota's run ended when they lost to the Lakers in the conference finals. Internal problems such as contract disputes plagued the team next season as they missed the play-offs for the first time in eight years with a 44-38 mark. The Wolves made several trades the following year but the team's struggles continued as they finished with a 33-49 record to miss the post season for the second straight year. The Wolves' woes continued the following season, which also proved to be Garnett's last with the team. They again missed the play-offs with a 32-50 mark and Garnett left at the end of the season.
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