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The NBA's all-time starting five: Minnesota Timberwolves

The NBA's all-time starting five: Minnesota Timberwolves

You’re in your second semester of AP Basketball History, you love really good teams, and you love lists. With precious little drama left in the NBA’s 2015 offseason, why don’t we hit the barroom and/or barbershop, pour ourselves a frosty mug of Barbicide, and get to arguin’ over each franchise’s most formidable starting five-man lineup.

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Because we don’t like making tough decisions, the lineups will reflect the All-NBA line of thinking. There will be no differentiation between separate forward and guard positions, and the squads will be chosen after careful consideration of individual merits only – we don’t really care if your team’s top shooting guard and point guard don’t get along.

These rankings will roll out based on when each franchise began its NBA life. We continue with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who like disappointing their superstars.

C: Al Jefferson. Big Al was the prize in return for the trade that finally sent Kevin Garnett out of Minnesota, and even though he suffered an ACL tear midway through his three-year tenure with the squad he still remains the team’s most productive all-time center. Jefferson averaged over 20 points and 10.4 rebounds with 1.9 blocks with a series of terrible Wolves teams, only turning the ball over 1.9 times a contest despite seeing endless looks in the paint. He was later dealt for a trade exception, Kosta Koufos, and a bunch of picks they didn’t keep because dammit, Minnesota.

F: Kevin Garnett. Not only is Garnett the best player the Timberwolves have ever had, it’s arguable to wonder if he’s the most important player that any franchise in NBA history has ever had. Even your Jordans or Magics or Birds or even LeBrons have had some other legendary Hall of Fame-type (or, at the very least, All-Star-type) to mix things up with, but KG stands alone as the Wolves’ all-time leader in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks – and he’s played just five games with the team since April of 2007.

F: Kevin Love. This power forward’s tenure in Minnesota was plagued by bad coaching, awful general manager work, poor decisions by ownership, delicious shrimp cocktails, terrible drafting, injuries, and an endless series of hack trades. Love averaged 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds in under 33 minutes a game (remember when Kurt Rambis thought Love was a bit player? That was cute) with the Wolves and made three All-Star teams, but as with Garnett the franchise squandered his years there.

G: Stephon Marbury. Selfishly shook by the realization that he would never make more or nearly as much as teammate Kevin Garnett due to the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, Marbury forced his way to a trade to New Jersey (where he would make even less money than what the Timberwolves could offer) in 1999. There have been more admirable point guards in Minnesota lore, but it’s hard to slough off the 17 points and eight assists per game in 167 contests with the team.

G: Terrell Brandon. A consolation prize after Marbury pushed for a deal to his “hometown” Nets, Brandon picked up the typically solid pace that won him plaudits in Cleveland and Milwaukee while turning into the expert playmaker for coach Flip Saunders’ midrange-heavy offense. Brandon averaged 15.6 points, 8.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.1 turnovers a contest for teams that routinely made the postseason.

The Timberwolves have had a dotted history, to say the least, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some close calls when it came to picking starters, especially in the backcourt.

Isaiah Rider was an absolute cancer that the team was more than happy to get rid of in 1996 for pennies on the dollar, but he did average just under 19 points per game with the team for three seasons. Doug West was the opposite and an out and out professional, and while he only averaged 10.3 points per game in his Minnesota career he did average 19.3 in one season and double-figure points four times overall. Expansion draft prize Tony Campbell, and this will blow you away, averaged 20.6 points per game in three seasons with the Timberwolves between 1989 and 1992.

Even Ricky Rubio, despite all his shooting woes, merited consideration. As did teammate Nikola Pekovic, considering Minnesota’s dearth of options in the pivot. Wally Szczerbiak, Tom Gugliotta, and Sam Cassell make up the three All-Star (single) Game invites that shared the court with Garnett during his Minnesota run (SMDH) and they placed well. As did Christian Laettner, despite acting as a miserable presence throughout his turn with the franchise from 1992 until 1995.

That’s our five. Who are you going with?

Previous entries: Golden State. Boston. New York. Detroit. Sacramento. Los Angeles Lakers. Atlanta. Philadelphia. Washington. Chicago. Houston. Seattle/Oklahoma City. Phoenix. Milwaukee. Los Angeles Clippers. Cleveland. Portland. Utah. Brooklyn. Indiana. San Antonio. Denver. Dallas. Charlotte. Miami.

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Kelly Dwyer

is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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