All of a sudden, the Timberwolves hold the weight of Minnesota sporting hopes
Five years ago if you'd said the Timberwolves would carry the weight of Minnesota sporting expectations and you'd have been laughed out of the state.
Fast-forward to today and the Timberwolves are the hottest team in the NBA while the Vikings are fresh off an abysmal home loss to the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Wild have replaced their head coach after an awful start to the season, the Golden Gophers ended theirs a disappointing 5-7, while Gophers men's and women's basketball are currently amidst their own fledgling revamps.
In fairness, the Twins did finally gave fans joy by breaking their playoff drought in September, but hopes of pushing on next season have taken somewhat of a blow by the news that the team intends to cut its payroll amid declining TV revenues for the upcoming season.
So that leaves the Timberwolves, who a year after supposedly mortgaging their future by trading for Rudy Gobert in exchange for multiple 1st round draft picks and a handful of squad players have finally started clicking into gear.
Nov 26, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts with forward-guard Kyle Anderson (1) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time since the Kevin Garnett era, the Wolves are showing signs of being legitimate contenders for an NBA title.
They went into Tuesday evening's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder top of the Western Conference with a 12-4 record, dishing out defeats to the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets, Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics, and two on the road to the Golden State Warriors.
One might forgive Wolves fans for checking themselves after two decades in basketball obscurity, but the team is filled with reasons to hope.
In Anthony Edwards they have the heir apparent to Michael Jordan, a true superstar that is backed up by a stellar supporting cast.
Previously the leading man in Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns has shown he still has the calibre to take a game by the scruff of its neck and drag the Wolves to victory, proving himself a revelation in the past two weeks after a slow start.
Gobert is suddenly the player that won multiple defensive players of the year at the Utah Jazz, and he's joined in the lineup by another future DPOY candidate in Jaden McDaniels. Add in wily veterans Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, one of the best 6s in the league in Naz Reid, and the highly promising young guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the Wolves have a lineup to scare anyone.
Can they keep up the momentum? The season is a marathon, not a sprint and it will ultimately come down to whether the team can stand up in the playoffs.
But that's a question for spring. For now, these Timberwolves are the No. 1 attraction for a sporting market starved of success, and fans should revel in every win given how hard they are to come by in every other major league sport in town.
