"The Timberwolves Arrive"

No, The Minnesota Timberwolves are not going to make the playoffs this year. Yes, they traded away future Hall of Fame power forward Kevin Garnett about 18 months ago, leaving the city of Minnesota and it's fans with a dismembered excuse for a team. The Wolves season last year was nothing short of a failure; though they did develop some of their younger players while going 22-60 for the season. You may wonder why it seems that I am bashing this team, and the answer is simple: it makes their turn-around that much sweeter.

No longer is Minnesota considered on the same level as the Grizzlies, Kings, or the dreaded Thunder comparisons. The last few years have been a frustrating bunch, I'm sure, for the die-hard Wolves fans. Nothing stays dormant for too long, and the Wolves are finally rewarding the fans. Recently, it seems they have come full circle; they look competitive every night, and teams are actually concocting game-plans and other schemes on both ends when going head-to-head with this young Wolves team.

Maybe this is a result of management firing then head coach Randy Wittman and forcing Kevin McHale to step down as GM and coach. Yes, McHale is the genius who built this teams current roster; the one who traded Garnett for Al Jefferson and fillers; the man who traded the ever-impressive OJ Mayo on draft day for Kevin Love and Mike Miller; and of course, the man who took Randy Foye over Brandon Roy in 2006. To his credit, he still stands by his Foye, and it's starting to pay off. No, he is not better than Brandon Roy(not at all), but he is playing some great basketball this year and the trade is no longer as horrible as it once seemed.

While McHale deserves some credit for coaching this roster to victories(changing some schemes and rotations), I tend to think more credit is due to the development of individual players, as well as the team and their chemistry. While Al Jefferson will once again be overlooked for the All-Star game, he is still an All-Star caliber player and the heart and core of this Wolves team. While they are currently 10th in the West, and still have a deceiving record(15-27), let's take a closer look at what they've been up to:

• 4-23 to star the season
• 8-2 in their last 10 games
• 11-4 in their last 15 games

From 4-23 to 15-27; I would say that's nothing short of a miracle. Further analysis shows it's not just a result of going against the worse in the league: they've beat Chicago(2 times), New York, Milwaukee, Phoenix, and New Orleans, and many of these games on the road. All of those are playoff caliber(or hunting) teams, so it's not like they've been going against the Wizards or Thunder every night.

I think a big part of this team winning goes to the change in line-ups and rotation. I think McHale might be the creative mind behind it, but whoever it was deserves some credit. Their starting line-up that changed the way teams view them:

• PG: Sebastian Telfair
• SG: Randy Foye
• SF: Ryan Gomes
• PF: Craig Smith
• C: Al Jefferson

The most important part: inserting Sebastian Telfair into the lineup, resulting in Randy Foye sliding over to the SG spot(where he belongs). Telfair is a nice, young player who is more of a pure point-guard, looking to create for others and get his teammates involved in the offense. While Foye is a respectable point-guard, most fans/analysts have always noticed his shooting-guard mentality and style. We kept wondering when Foye would finally get consistent minutes at the 2 spot, and he hasn't disappointed. In the 11 games Foye has started at the SG spot along-side Telfair:

• 19.7ppg 4.7apg 2.7rpg 1.5spg 46%FG 46%3PT
  

Impressive numbers to say the least. I should add that he is making nearly three 3point shots a game on that 46%3PT shooting, so it's not like he's only put up a couple shots. His overall game simply looks more natural and smooth. On the defensive end he is less of a liability; while he is still a bit short guarding other traditional SG's, it's not nearly as ineffective as him trying to guard the extremely quick and small PG's of the Western Conference. He is still improving, and the team should only win more with his progression and leadership.

The other plus of the change in lineups: depth. A result of inserting Telfair at PG the Wolves had to push someone to the bench, which is currently Mike Miller(has fought injuries though). Miller is an ideal 6th man type of player(though they could be better off with him starting at SF when healthy), but his ability to come in and hit shots is uncanny, and his overall floor game and basketball IQ is relatively high. Then you have rookie Kevin Love continuing to come off the bench and provide a spark of energy down-low. Love is already one of the most efficient rebounders in the league, and like Miller, has a quality floor game and IQ. Love is averaging nearly 9 points and 8.5 rebounds a game(in just 23 minutes a game); I'm not sure a more efficient player exists. I respect how management/coaching have kept his minutes down and continue to keep his role the same; it helps his conditioning and body adapt to the NBA game, without the risk of him getting hurt. McHale seems to be making up for many of the "questionable" trades we have seen in the past.

Of course, none of the Wolves success could be had without the player they traded Garnett for: Al Jefferson. Big-Al just turned a youthful 24 a couple weeks ago, so it's safe to say his best years are ahead of him. With that said, his future looks scary. His production has increased in each of his 5 seasons so far; this years current averages:

• 22.6ppg 10.7rpg 1.5apg 1.6bpg 0.7spg 50%FG 75%FT
  

One of the few 20/10 guys in the league; but what I like most is I can see room for improvement. His defense is a bit lacking still, yet he has developed into a decent shot blocker. His passing has slowly improved, but that's definitely an area we could see some serious improvement. With all the double teams he draws you would like to see 3 to 5 assists per game, so he can definitely work on that. Maybe his shooting-percentages could be higher, but when you are the go-to guy on a mediocre team taking 20 shots a game, many of which you are double-teamed(sometimes tripled), the percentages are quite respectable. This is purely my habit to nit-pick All-Star caliber players, but because of his age and ability to improve every year these are all very plausible areas that he will likely improve in the following years.

So with a solid young duo of Foye and Jefferson, other nice young players in Telfair and Love, they have a great core for the future. Other players have had breakout years as well, specifically Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, and Rodney Carney as of late. The make-up of this team is looking good, and while they aren't headed anywhere this year(other than the lottery), they could definitely be a playoff caliber team by next season. Mike Miller is also a solid piece they could use in a trade if necessary(friendly contract in relation to his skill); another nice option to have. Add in they might have up to 3(yes, three), first round draft-picks this up-coming year and they might be able to address some other needs.

The future looks bright for the fans and players of Minnesota. This season they have gone from a young, inexperienced team racking up the losses to a competitive team every night. They have developed an actual identity as a team, and the players have developed a chemistry within their system. I applaud you for making it through this blog, as I am sure it was rather bland. I just really wanted to point out that the Minnesota Timberwolves have finally arrived, and they aren't going away any time soon.