Are the Timberwolves the NBA's top dog?

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 4/15/2004

Patience has been said to be a virtue. In this, the Timberwolves' fifteenth season, the organization finally has some bite. With one game remaining in the 2003-2004 season, the Timberwolves have moved to the NBA penthouse.
This comes after seven straight years of NBA playoff failures, first-round exits with nothing to show for them. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor watched his team lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's playoffs and blow a 2-1 series lead and the all-important home court advantage. 
With the heat on to potentially cut ties with either Kevin McHale or Flip Saunders, Taylor refused to buckle under to those minions who felt his Gopher connection of Kevin McHale and Flip Saunders should be severed. Instead, the Timberwolves reloaded again, trading for veterans with playoff experience like Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, Ervin Johnson, Mark Madsen, and adding Michael Olowokandi, Trenton Hassell and Fred Hoiberg to the foundation of NBA man-child All-Star Kevin Garnett, former All-Star Wally Szczerbiak, and trigger man Troy Hudson.
Taylor made Garnett the first player in history to sign two $100 million dollar contracts by resigning the big ticket. And, as they say in the business, the rest is history. The Timberwolves have won eight straight games, they are undefeated in April, and they are the NBA's best road team. And, they have the best record in the rugged Western Conference at 57-24, which is the second best overall record in the league. 
They hold a one game lead over the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs, who have kept the heat on by winning 11 straight themselves. 
If Minnesota wins at Memphis Wednesday, they are the Midwest Division Champions and the number-one seed in the West. Last year, the team that won the Midwest (San Antonio) and had the best record in the Western Conference won the NBA title.
"In November, we -- Latrell and myself -- we didn't understand, we were lost at the beginning of the season," said All-Star guard Sam Cassell. "We did not understand how to be successful within the system. 
"So Flip Saunders called me on the phone one day and said, 'Sam, don't adjust to the system. The system will adjust to you.' Once he told me that, I told Spree and we started rolling from there."
Kevin Garnett will soon be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player; he's second in the league in scoring with 24.3 points per game, first in rebounding with 14.0 per game, and his team has the best conference record. The only question is whether he will be a unanimous selection.
Cassell, reflecting more on the first two weeks of November, said, "Kevin Garnett is going to adjust to us, he told us that. He said, 'I need you guys to come on board, and Sam, you do what you did in Milwaukee, and Spree, you do what you did in New York, and we'll be fine.'" 
And the Timberwolves are, in my view, a title contender; the pieces are in place. This team has everything you need to win a title, including two players who have won titles before -- Cassell twice in Houston, and Madsen with the Lakers. 
"If someone had said to me back in November or August that we would be in first place in the Midwest Division with one game left, I would take it," said Cassell. "I would not have said they were crazy, but I'll take it."
There are many hurdles in the West, including San Antonio; Los Angeles, with Phil Jackson and the four future hall-of-famers; Sacramento with Chris Webber; Dallas; and upstart Memphis. But this clearly is the Timberwolves' best shot at a title. 
Take it to the bank: The Timberwolves will finally get out of the first round. This team plays with heart, and they get after you defensively. Their players understand their roles, they play well together, and their second unit has stepped up.
The only question that remains is can they become the league's top dog? Buckle up, folks -- Taylor, Garnett, McHale and Saunders are about to do something special. This team is for real.

Fitzgerald goes video
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that former University of Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will appear on the cover of the newest version of EA SPORTS' best-selling college football franchise, NCAA(r) Football 2005.
Fitzgerald is entering the NFL after two record-breaking seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, and his image will appear on all of the game's packaging and merchandising. NCAA Football 2004 sold 1.6 million copies last year, and is the second best-selling football videogame behind only EA's Madden NFL 2004.
"It's a huge honor to represent NCAA Football 2005, since this is the game we always played in the locker room," said Fitzgerald. "To grace the cover of the most intense and exciting college football videogame is a dream come true for me. I am fired up to be part of the EA SPORTS family."