#128: Top-10 Timberwolves Players of all time

Minnesota Tim shares his list of the top-10 Minnesota Timberwolves players of all time!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Topics are difficult to find these days. It's the NBA
and NFL offseason for the Timberwolves and for the Vikings,
and those are the two teams that I talk about
the most. Ninety nine percent of the time, a podcast

(00:30):
that I do is going to be about the Timberwolves
or the Vikings. They are my two favorite teams. They
are the two teams that I followed the closest. And
if the Twins make the playoffs, maybe I'll do a
podcast on them. I did not do one on the
Minnesota Wild because I do not know enough about the

(00:52):
Minnesota Wild and I didn't watch any of their playoff games.
So because it's the offseason, I'm trying to think of
different unique topic ideas. So because it is the offseason,
I'm going to run through the top ten players in
Minnesota Timberwolves history according to me. Now, this list has

(01:19):
names that everyone knows. You could argue where players should
be on this list, because I mean, you look at
the Timberwolves organization, you look at the players in the
history of the organization, and there's one player, arguably two

(01:41):
that are guaranteed a slot, and that's Kevin Garnett number
one and it's Anthony Edwards number two. All other spots
three through ten are up for debate because, let's face it,
the ROLLS organization doesn't have a history of producing great players,

(02:06):
So I'm going to start at number ten. Number ten,
I put Terrell Brandon. He played for the Minnesota Timberwls
from nineteen ninety nine to two thousand and two. He
averaged fifteen point six points per game eight point three
assists per game. He came into Stefan Marlbury trade and
the Minnesota Timberwolves had four playoff appearances, with Terrell Brandon

(02:31):
being the leader at the point guard position. So he
earned my number ten spot because of the four playoff appearances.
A good assist total filled the role of Stefan Marlbury
very well. Number nine Kevin Love two thousand and nine
to twenty fourteen averaged nineteen point two points per game

(02:52):
twelve point two rebounds per game. Now, the reason why
he's so low on my list is because he had
zero playoff appearances. Kevin Love was not good enough to
get the Timberwolves over the hump. So Kevin Love, I'm sorry,
but if you had at least one or two playoff appearances,

(03:15):
he would have skyrocketed up my list. His numbers were phenomenal.
We had a couple of okay runs at an eight seed,
but it never happened. So Kevin Love as great as
he was, a rebounding machine, a three point making machine
in this prime in Minnesota, he cannot be higher than

(03:36):
nine because the Timberwolves never made the playoffs. Number eight
Stefan Marberry. He played for the Timberwolves from nineteen ninety
seven to nineteen ninety nine, and he got traded. During
that nineteen ninety nine season. He averaged sixteen point nine
points per game, eight point three at sis per game,
and he had two playoff appearances, which were the first

(03:58):
two playoff appearances in Minnesota Timberwolves history. I think that
means something. That's why Stefan Marberry is number eight on
my list. Number seven Tom Googliada nineteen ninety five to
nineteen ninety eight. He is on the roster eighteen and
a half points per game, eight and a half rebounds
per game, two playoff appearances for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Again,

(04:22):
he was a part of the playoff runs for the
Minnesota Timberwolves, the first ever playoff runs for the Timberwolves,
helped get the squad over the top and finally into playoffs.
That's why he's number seven on my list. Number six.
Andrew Wiggins twenty fifteen to twenty twenty got traded during

(04:42):
that twenty twenty season for D'Angelo Russell. Nineteen and a
half points per game, four point three rebounds per game,
one playoff appearance. Andrew Wiggins was a stud in Minnesota
for a long time until his last few years when
he got overshadowed by Jimmy Butler and then Karl Anthony
Towns came in. But during Andrew Wiggins' first few seasons

(05:05):
in Minnesota, he was a phenomenal player. He won Rookie
of the Year and he looked like he was going
to be a superstar in the NBA. But he just
didn't quite excel past that nineteen and a half point
per game mark. Andrew Wiggins has basically been the same

(05:27):
player in the NBA since he entered the league. He's
been consistent, he's been good, but he has not yet
been a superstar. I think that's a fair way to
analyze Andrew Wiggins. He didn't excel to that number one
superstar level that we would hope for, but he got

(05:48):
us to one playoff appearance. He had good points per
game averages, and he was a valuable player for the
Timberwls for the short time that he was here. Jimmy
Butler is number five on my list twenty eighteen, and
then he got traded during that twenty nineteen season to
the seventy six ers. Twenty two points per game, five

(06:10):
and a half rebounds per game, four point eight assists
per game, one playoff appearance. Now he's only with the
Timberlves for a year and a half but one playoff appearance.
And I might be a little biased here because I
love Jimmy Butler. I love how he poked holes in
the organization. I love how he showed just how soft
Carl Anthony Towns was for the Timberwolves. That story that

(06:32):
Jeff Teaks shared about how he took the G League
players and went right after Carl Anthony Towns and just
dominated practice, left practice to go to a Rachel Nichols interview,
and then he came back to work out that night
at the Timberlves facility. Jimmy Butler poked holes in Carl
Anthony Towns's toughness and he took the team to a

(06:57):
playoff run lost in I did the Houston Rockets, but
you're not trying to overcome a lot to make the
Timberwls Top ten. Jimmy Butler was a great player for
the Timberwls when he was on our team. Twenty two
points per game, great rebounder, great assist man. Jimmy Butler

(07:20):
was really really good in his short stint. Number four
Latrell spree Well two thousand and four to two thousand
and five. Fourteen point eight points per game, three point
five rebounds per game, two point nine assists per game.
These next two players on my list, it's not too
difficult to see why they are in the top five

(07:42):
or top four because they made the Western Conference Finals.
So Sam Cassell's my number three on the Timberwles list
two thousand and four to two thousand and five Western
Conference Finals. Hit massive shots down the stretch helped get
the Timberwolves over the top pass the first round for
the first time I'm in franchise history and for the

(08:04):
only time in franchise history. How sad is that the
Timbrels have existed for several several several years since the
nineteen eighties and they've only gotten out of the first
round one time, and that was in two thousand and four.

(08:24):
You've got to give credit to Sam Cassell and La
Treal's will forgetting the squad over the top and into
the Western Conference finals. Flip Saunders once said that the
Timberwls would have been the Lakers if Sam Cassell didn't
hurt himself doing the Big Balls dance. That's what Flip
Saunders believe. Now you can say that about so many

(08:46):
different things and situations. Like you see players all the time.
You know, if I stayed in the league, we would
have won three more championships. Or if I did this,
or if I did that, if I didn't get hurt,
we would have won a championship. How can you say
such things when you have absolutely no proof. Empty statements.
I love flips Honders, but that's an empty statement. You
have no idea if you were to beat the Lakers,

(09:08):
if Sam Gossell didn't get hurt. But that's what flips
Honders said. Number two Anthony Edwards. He's only been in
the league three years. But again you'll look at the
franchise history in the Minnesota Timberls organization, and there's not
much to overcome. He was drafted, played his first season

(09:29):
in twenty twenty one, averages almost twenty two points per game,
five point one rebounds per game, two playoff appearances. He's
already got two PLAFF appearances in his first three years.
He's on a Kevin Garnett trajectory is Anthony Edwards, So
hopefully the Timberwolves can put some pieces around him or

(09:49):
move some pieces to best utilize the great talent that
is Anthony Edwards. Already number two on my list of
best Timbrels players of all time, and then number one
Kevin Garnett nineteen ninety six to two thousand and seven,
and then came back in twenty fifteen in a trade
from the Brooklyn Nets and retired at the end of

(10:09):
the twenty sixteen season. These numbers don't really do it
justice because his last two seasons and the NBA weren't great.
Neither was his first season. Nineteen pointy eight points per game,
eleven rebounds per game, four assists per game, eight playoff appearances,
one Western Conference Finals, one MVP. Kevin Garnet has been

(10:33):
the face of the Minnesota Timbrels franchise. Until Anthony Edwards
came along, the Timbrels franchise hasn't had many faces. They're
still known for Kevin Garnett's years. But now Anthony Edwards
has come and now he's going to become the face
of the franchise. I mean, Kevin Love was a face
of a franchise, but was he really zero playoff appearances,

(10:57):
never did anything huge for the organization, So Kevin Love
didn't really do a whole lot for me. Honorable mention.
Al Jefferson traded for Kevin Garnett, got him in that
Garnet trade, but zero playff appearance, has only played on
the team for three seasons. Had a little jump hook,

(11:20):
but he really didn't do a whole lot else. Not
a great passer, terrible defender. While Zerbiak, I mean, he
could maybe throw him on this list a little bit.
But that's my top ten Timberwolves in the history of
the organization. Thank you for listening to this episode of

(11:40):
the Minso Timp podcast. Thank you for making the podcast
a part of your day.