The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Their organization is a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Professional basketball returned to the Twin Cities in 1987, when the NBA granted one of its four new expansion teams (the others being the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and the Miami Heat) to original owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner to begin play for the 1989-90 season. Known as the Timberwolves, they made their debut on November 3, 1989 losing to the Seattle SuperSonics on the road 106-94. Five days later they would make their home debut at the Metrodome losing to the Chicago Bulls 96-84. Just two nights later the Wolves would get their first win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home 125-118 on November 10th. The Timberwolves, led by Tony Campbell with 23.2 ppg, went on to a 22-60 record, finishing in 6th place in the Midwest Division. Playing in the cavernous Metrodome, the expansion Timberwolves drew over 1 million fans including the 3rd-largest crowd in NBA history at 49,551 on April 17, 1990 that saw the Timberwolves lose to the Denver Nuggets 99-88 in the final home game of the season.

The next season the team moved into the Target Center and won 29 games, however they fired their head coach Bill Musselman. They didn't fare much better under Musselman's successor, ex-Celtics coach Jimmy Rodgers finishing with an NBA-worst 15-67 record. Looking to turn the corner, the Wolves hired former Detroit Pistons general manager Jack McCloskey to the same position, but even with notable first round selections such as Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider in the 1992 and 1993 NBA Draft respectively, was unable to duplicate his "Detroit Bad Boys" success in the Twin Cities as the Wolves on-court mediocrity continued. One of the few highlights from this era was when the Target Center served as host of the 1994 All-Star Game where Rider won the Slam Dunk Contest with his between-the-leg "East Bay Funk Dunk".

As winning basketball continued to elude the Wolves, Ratner and Wolfenson nearly sold the team to New Orleans interests in 1994 before NBA owners rejected the proposed move. Eventually, Glen Taylor bought the team and named Kevin McHale general manager.

In 1995, the Timberwolves selected Kevin Garnett in the draft, and Flip Saunders became coach. Christian Laettner was traded along with Sean Rooks to the Atlanta Hawks for Andrew Lang and Spud Webb. Also, first-round pick Donyell Marshall was traded the previous season for Golden State Warriors' forward Tom Gugliotta. These trades paved the way for rookie Kevin Garnett to become the go-to player inside. Garnett went on to average 10.4 ppg in his rookie season as the T-Wolves finished in 5th place in the Midwest Division, with a 26-56 record.

In 1996, the T-Wolves added another star player in the draft, swapping Ray Allen to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to Stephon Marbury, the 4th overall pick. The addition of Marbury had a positive effect on the entire team, as Kevin Garnett and Tom Gugliotta became the first Wolves to be selected to the All-Star team. Gugliotta and Garnett led the Timberwolves in scoring as the team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 40-42. However, in the playoffs the Timberwolves made a quick exit as they were swept by the Houston Rockets in 3 straight games. The T-Wolves also decided to change their image by changing their team logo and colors, adding black to the team colors and replacing the original logo with a logo featuring a snarling wolf looming over a field of trees. It was also during the season that Minnesota began to play on the parquet floor also used by the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic in every home game at the Target Center.

In 1997, Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury established themselves as two of the brightest rising stars in the NBA. Garnett averaged 18.5 ppg and 9.6 rebounds per game, while Marbury averaged 17.7 ppg and dished out 8.6 assists per game. Despite losing leading scorer Tom Gugliotta for half the season the Timberwolves went on to post their first winning season at 45-37 making the playoffs for the 2nd straight season. After dropping Game 1 on the road to the Seattle Supersonics in the playoffs the Timberwolves earned their first postseason win in Game 2 winning in Seattle 98-93. As the series shifted to Minnesota the Timberwolves had an opportunity to pull off the upset as they won Game 3 by a score of 98-90. However, the Wolves dropped Game 4 at home as the Sonics went on to win the series in 5 games.

In 1998, a year after signing Kevin Garnett to an unprecedented 6-year, $126 million contract, the Timberwolves were used as the poster child of irresponsible spending as the NBA endured a 4-month lockout that wiped out the season. With an already cap-heavy payroll the Wolves were forced to let Tom Gugliotta walk away in part because they want to save money in order to sign Stephon Marbury to a long-term contract and in part because Tom Gugliotta did not want to play with Stephon Marbury. This moved proved unsuccessful, however, as Stephon Marbury wanted to be the biggest star on a team and subsequently forced an in-season trade by refusing a contract extension. In the 3-team midseason deal that sent Marbury to the New Jersey Nets the Wolves got Terrell Brandon in return and a first round draft pick in the 1999 draft (which turned out to be the sixth pick). The Wolves made the playoffs for the 3rd straight season by finishing in 4th place with a 25-25 record. In the playoffs the Timberwolves were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games.

In 1999, the Timberwolves drafted Wally Szczerbiak with the sixth pick in the draft. He had a solid season finishing 3rd on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg. Led by Kevin Garnett, who averaged 22.9 ppg and 11.8 rebounds per game, the Timberwolves enjoyed their first 50-win season finishing in 3rd place with a solid record of 50-32. However, in the playoffs the Wolves fell in the first round again, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in 4 games.

Guard Malik Sealy was killed in a car accident in the summer of 2000. A drunk driver crossed onto the wrong side of the street Sealy was driving on, causing the fatal crash. Sealy's vehicle did not have airbags, which potentially could have saved the player. Sealy's number has since been retired, with the number 2 jersey memorialized with Sealy's name on a banner hanging from the rafters of Target Center. The drunk driver was convicted, sentenced, and jailed. He has since been arrested twice more for driving while intoxicated.

Also in that season, a free agent deal signed by Joe Smith was voided by the NBA, who ruled that the Timberwolves violated proper procedure in signing the contract. The league stripped the T-Wolves of five draft picks, fined them $3.5 million and suspended general manager Kevin McHale for one year. (Smith would eventually sign with the Detroit Pistons before re-signing with the T-wolves in 2001.) Despite the trouble the Wolves made the playoffs for the 5th straight season with a 47-35 record. In the playoffs the Wolves were eliminated in the first round again by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games in the spring of 2001.

With the arrival of newcomers Gary Trent, Loren Woods, Maurice Evans and the return of Joe Smith; the Wolves started the season on fire by winning their first six games and a franchise-best 30-10 start. One of the wins included a franchise record 53 point over Chicago in November. They would finish with a 50-32 record, their second ever 50 win season that was highlighted by another All-Star appearance by Garnett and a breakout season by Wally Szczerbiak, who earned his first All-Star appearance. Once again, Minnesota lost in the first round of the playoffs, getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks in three straight.

2002-03 seemed to look up for the Wolves. Kevin Garnett had a great season, finishing second in MVP voting while averaging a solid 23.0 ppg and 13.4 rebounds per game as the Timberwolves finish in 3rd place with a 51-31 record. With home court advantage for the first time facing the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. After being blown out at home in Game 1, the Timberwolves had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead as they led heading into the 4th quarter of Game 4 in Los Angeles. However, the Lakers came back to win the game on the way to winning the series in six games, as the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round for the 7th straight year.  In 2003, the Timberwolves made two strong offseason moves, trading away forward Joe Smith and injured guard Terrell Brandon in a multi-player deal for Ervin Johnson, Sam Cassell and embattled guard Latrell Sprewell.

During the 2003-04 NBA season, the Timberwolves became the team to beat in the Western Conference. They finished the season as the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 58-24, and beat the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs. Kevin Garnett leapt upon the scorer's table upon the completion of Game 7 in the Sacramento series, one of the more defining moments in franchise playoff history. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves' run ended in the Western Conference finals as the team lost to the Lakers, the previous Minnesota franchise. Due to an injured hip, Sam Cassell played only sparingly during the series with the Lakers. Kevin Garnett finally earned his first MVP award with 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

In the 2004-05 season, the Wolves kept the same team from the previous season. The team was plagued with contract disputes and the complaining of key players Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Troy Hudson. Coach Flip Saunders was replaced in midseason by GM Kevin McHale, who took over the team for the rest of the season. The Timberwolves finished 44-38, and missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.  During the 2005 offseason, Kevin McHale and the Wolves started their search for a head coach. McHale interviewed Seattle assistant coach Dwane Casey, San Antonio Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo, former coach John Lucas and Wolves assistants Randy Wittman, Sidney Lowe and Jerry Sichting, among others.

On June 17, 2005, the Timberwolves hired Dwane Casey as the new head coach. This was Casey's first head coaching job. He was the Wolves' 7th head coach in their 16-year history.  In the 2005 Draft, the Timberwolves selected Rashad McCants, a shooting guard from North Carolina with the 14th overall pick of the 1st round. The Timberwolves also selected Bracey Wright, a guard from Indiana with the 17th pick of the 2nd round (47th overall).  During the offseason, they traded All-Star Sam Cassell and a protected future first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers. They also signed free agent Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

On January 26, 2006, the Wolves traded forward Wally Szczerbiak, centers Dwayne Jones and Michael Olowokandi, and a future first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics. In return, they received forward/guard Ricky Davis, center Mark Blount, forward Justin Reed, guard Marcus Banks, and two second-round draft picks. In a separate trade on the same day, the Timberwolves traded Nikoloz Tskitishvili to the Phoenix Suns for a 2006 second-round draft pick. The Timberwolves finished 33-49, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

In the 2006 NBA draft, the Timberwolves selected future Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy with the 6th overall pick, Craig Smith with the 36th pick, Bobby Jones with the 37th pick and center Loukas Mavrokefalidis with the 57th pick. The Timberwolves traded Brandon Roy to the Portland Trail Blazers for Randy Foye and cash considerations. The Timberwolves then traded forward Bobby Jones to the Philadelphia 76ers for a 2007 second-round pick and cash.

On January 23, GM Kevin McHale fired head coach Dwane Casey and replaced him with Randy Wittman. McHale explained in a news conference that it was inconsistency by Casey that led to the firing. Casey had compiled an overall record of 53-69. They finished the 2006-07 season with a record of 32-50, allowing them to keep their 2007 first-round pick.

On June 14, 2007, the Timberwolves traded Mike James and Justin Reed to the Houston Rockets for Juwan Howard.  In the 2007 NBA Draft the Timberwolves selected Corey Brewer and Chris Richard from the National Champion Florida Gators.  On July 31, 2007, the Minnesota Timberwolves reached a deal to trade All-Star Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics for Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, two first-round draft picks, and cash considerations. This is the largest combination of players and picks ever traded for a single player in NBA history.

On October 24, 2007, the Timberwolves traded Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to the Miami Heat in exchange for the Heat's Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien, and a 2008 protected first-round draft pick (lottery protected in 2008, top 10 in 2009, top 6 in 2010, beyond: unprotected).  On October 29, 2007, The Timberwolves waived Juwan Howard after reaching a contractual buyout agreement, worth $10 million of roughly $14.25 million which Minnesota would have owed him. The Timberwolves waived Wayne Simien to finalize their roster to 15 players. The Wolves traded a top 56 protected NBA draft pick to the Spurs for cash and Beno Udrih whom was immediately waived.

Minnesota began the NBA preseason with two games in London and Istanbul, as part of NBA Europe Live 2007. On October 10, The Wolves lost to Kevin Garnett and the revamped Boston Celtics 92-81. To start the season, the Wolves began 0-5 before finally ending the drought with a home win over Sacramento. That drought also brought about speculation of the possible dismissal of current coach Randy Wittman. The youngest team in the NBA began adjusting to life after trading franchise star Kevin Garnett to Boston, meanwhile playing without budding talent Randy Foye for the first half of the season. Guards Sebastian Telfair and Marko Jaric were deputized as starting point guards during Foye's injury absence. The Timberwolves finished the season 22-60.[2] On a handful of occasions during the season, the team showed flashes of its potential in wins or very close contests with the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs. They will debut a new logo and uniforms at the beginning of next season.

Getting Inside

A Timberwolves franchise that either provided or accepted big, bloated contracts for such suspect players as Troy Hudson, Mark Blount and Marko Jaric now has steered itself toward the future by signing free agents Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes to reasonable, potentially short-term deals this summer.

In little more than a year, Wolves management has transformed the team, trading away superstar Kevin Garnett and in time ridding itself of the aforementioned contracts while rebuilding with a stable of young players, substantial salary-cap relief and extra first-round draft picks.

Now, they also have Smith, Telfair and Gomes—those final two players part of the six-player that sent Garnett to Boston last summer—re-signed to a team that has added lottery pick Kevin Love and veteran shooter Mike Miller since finishing 22-60 last season.

“The night we left the draft, we said our top priority was to re-sign those three guys,” McHale said. “I’m thrilled that we were able to get that done.”

The Wolves first signed restricted free agent Smith, a former second-round pick and third-year forward, to a two-year, $4.8 million contract that same day he injured a knee in an NBA Summer League game that required arthroscopic surgery.

Telfair, who became a restricted free agent after the Wolves declined to make him a $3.5 million qualifying offer, signed a three-year contract that gives him the option to return for the final season and will pay him $2.3 this season, $2.5 next season and $2.7 million if he accepts the option for the 2010-11 season.

Gomes, a restricted free agent, signed a five-year deal that will approach $22 million if he plays all five seasons. But the Wolves have options after the second and third years of the deal to give them additional flexibility for the summer of 2010 when free agents are expected to be plentiful and the Wolves will have cash to spend. Gomes has the option for the final year. The contract guarantees him $3.5 million this season and $3.8 million in 2009-10.

“We’re really not too young anymore,” said Gomes, a 6-7 forward entering his fourth NBA season. “We’ve been two, three, four, five years in the league. Now it’s time to make that jump and get into the playoffs. With this group, if we are together four, five, six years, this can be something very, very special, something Minnesota has been waiting to see.”

Notes, Quotes

• His health willing this time, Kevin Garnett—and Wolves fans—won’t have to wait long for that delayed first Target Center appearance to arrive this season. Garnett and his NBA champion Celtics are due in town on Friday, Nov. 21, the highlight in an opening month full of them.

• The Wolves open their regular season at home for the eighth consecutive year when Sacramento arrives on Oct. 29. The ensuing month will include visits from Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs, Tim Duncan and the Spurs, awaited rookie Greg Oden and Portland, Elton Brand and his new team the Sixers, Garnett, Steve Nash and the Suns and Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and the Nuggets before November is out.

• LeBron James’ lone visit is Dec. 17. O.J. Mayo, a Timberwolf for about on five hours on draft night, and Memphis come to Target Center on Dec. 29 and March 11.

• On the one-year anniversary of the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston and reshaped the Timberwolves’ future, the team on July 31 named: Houston Rockets personnel guy Dean Cooper to replace assistant coach Bob Ociepka on Randy Wittman’s coaching staff. Ociepka left to join new Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro’s staff.

A former high-school and college coach, Cooper last was on the bench in 2003 for the final of his two seasons as an assistant to Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich. Since then, he has been an NBA personnel scout, scouting director and vice president of player personnel for the Rockets.

He interviewed with Wittman at last month’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas after Wittman and Kevin McHale inquired about his interest in the position and asked the Rockets for permission to speak to him. He is good friends with Texas Tech coach Pat Knight, son of Bob Knight, who coached Wittman in college at Indiana. Cooper credits that relationship and joint pre-draft workouts the Rockets and the Wolves held together in June for the connection that led to the job offer.

“Things in the NBA sometimes happen quickly and they come when you least expect it,” Cooper said from Houston on Thursday. “I wasn’t looking for a job. I coached my entire life (until he moved into the Rockets’ personnel department). Once a coach, always a coach.”

Quote To Note:   “It hasn’t been a long, long process, but to me it was long enough.”—F Ryan Gomes, who re-signed with the Wolves nearly a month after he became a free agent on July 1.

Roster Report

Draft Pick:   Kevin Love, F, 6-9, UCLA. Uniquely-skilled big man was the best center at the NBA Summer League and his play there earned him an invitation to practice against the U.S. Olympic team the next week there. A sore Achilles’ tendon injured near the end of summer league play kept him from participating.

Biggest Needs:   The Wolves have added Kevin Love and shooter Mike Miller, but Kevin McHale still wants to land a combo guard who provides insurance at point guard behind Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair and in his perfect world also be able to play some shooting guard and small forward.

Free Agent Focus:   The Wolves might make a modest move if the right veteran comes along, but the Wolves’ brain trust has structured its salary cap so the team will have money to spend in 2009 and 2010.

Player Notes: 

• F Craig Smith underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 1 to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee in Los Angeles and will be re-evaluated in five to seven weeks.

That will take him right up to near the start of training camp. The team opens camp in Mankato, Minn., on Sept. 30. Smith injured his knee during the one game he played for the Wolves’ NBA Summer League team. That also was the same day he signed a new two-year, $4.8 million contract last month.

• Wolves Summer League combo guard Blake Ahearn told his hometown newspaper he’s waiting in Springfield, Mo., for the Timberwolves or another team to offer him a second NBA chance.

Ahearn, a NBA Development League guard, played 12 NBA games at the end of last season and could become that third Wolves point guard, if the team decides to sign him. Ahearn said he is headed to San Antonio next week for a tryout with the Spurs.

• Rookie Kevin Love won’t have to wait long to go home to Portland, Ore., where he was raised in the suburb of Lake Oswego. The Wolves visit the Trail Blazers on Nov. 8.