Do the Timberwolves have the right stuff?
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 3/2/2004

 So far, so good — the bold moves in the off season by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and General Manager Kevin McHale have been great. Trading for veteran stars like Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell has given the Timberwolves their best shot ever of challenging for a title.

 The MV3 — Sprewell, Cassell, and Kevin Garnett — have combined to average 67.1 points per game percentage-wise this season; that is all-time number one for three players on the same team. After 60 games, the team is off to its best start ever at 43-17.

 With 22 games remaining over the next two months, the Timberwolves have a chance to achieve something special. Yes, it’s been well documented that their NBA record of flaming out in the first round seven years in a row has been a hurdle they have not overcome.

 But this group has shown me that they are looking at the big picture, and that includes winning a championship. They are in the toughest division in the NBA; all seven teams top to bottom are playing .500 or better percentage basketball.

 They are in the same division as the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams won 60 games last season while tying for the division crown.

 Last year, the Timberwolves finished 51-31, good enough to earn the fourth seed in the rugged Western Conference. This year, the Timberwolves have a shot at winning 60 and doing what both San Antonio and Dallas did last year —reaching the Western Conference finals.

 “We are playing well right now,” said Garnett. And he has led the way, averaging a career-best 24.6 points per game (fourth in the NBA), 14.1 rebounds (No. 1 in the league), and nearly six assists per game.

 “We are getting our guys back,” Garnett said. “Michael Olowokandi is playing really, really well right now. We are trying to get him acclimated to our offense, and for the most part we are not looking back. We are aggressive for 48 minutes. We’ve had some slides here and there, but we’re confident and we’re playing well.”

 Garnett is the MVP in the league right now. He was the back-to-back NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January, and now has won it again for February — the first ever to win three months in a row. I like this team’s chemistry. They are focused and determined, and it shows every time they take the floor.

 For the first time all year, they have everybody healthy, even Wally Szczerbiak, who missed the first 54 games, and Troy Hudson. This team is deep, and they have players who understand their roles. That is key.

 They have veterans who have done it before in the playoffs, like first-time All-Star Cassell, averaging a career-best 22 points a game and nearly eight assists, and Sprewell flying on the wing, averaging 18 points a night. He can take the big shot when Garnett passes out of the double team.

 Flip Saunders has been the NBA Coach of the Year. He has gotten his MV3 to play well and together without ego problems, and that’s been clear. He and McHale have also done an excellent job of adding the right pieces, like Mark Madsen, Fred Hoiberg, and young Trenton Hassell at guard.

 Garnett recently refused to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated by himself, insisting that Cassell and Sprewell were also featured. “I’ve been that route,” he said. “I’ve been on the cover a couple of times. It’s beautiful and a great accomplishment, not just for myself. But I’m not a greedy person and I’m not stupid.

 “My reality is that I play for a team that has a lot of key components on it. I happen to be one of the components, and if I could have gotten the team on the cover, I would have done that. I’m not going to take all the credit, so to speak. That would not have been fair to the organization or Sam and Spree — so that’s what happened,” Garnett said.

 Sam Cassell said, “I’m not really big into that, but it’s a hell of an honor to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, a magazine that’s been around forever. When you play well and the team does well, things like that happen to you. The good thing I like about it is [that] we’re not content just with a Sports Illustrated cover or whatever it may be. We want to move on. We want to progress every game, make changes when we have to make changes, keep fighting and not be complacent.”

 Fitz Notes & Quotes

 It’s been confirmed by the Vikings that they have received two offers from NFL teams in trade talks for Randy Moss. Miami was one of the teams inquiring about Moss.

  Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ, 89.9 FM, at 8:20 am, and Monday mornings 9-10 am. He welcomes reader comments to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com or www.larry-fitzgerald.com.