here is a sweeping turnaround occurring in Minnesota right now, a story perhaps relegated to the back burner amid the dizzying influx of Jeremy Lin-related puns, LeBron James' absurd statistical season and the battle for Hollywood supremacy. Then again, storylines involving .500 teams rarely attract substantial national media attention, lest the focal point be on a from-nowhere story about an underappreciated Harvard graduate filled with underdog love, layups and unintentional racism.
The Timberwolves are 16-16 this season, an unimpressive mark by Western Conference standards, especially in the loaded Northwest Division, where none of the five teams has a losing record. Given Minnesota's recent plight coinciding with the constant abuse of inept GM David Kahn, this record appears to be a miracle. The Wolves won 17 games in 2010-11 and 15 the season before. What in the world is happening in the Twin Cities?
Smart money goes to Ricky Rubio, he of the boyish haircut and equally alluring playground style, the exciting Spanish import who's drawn comparisons to Pete Maravich and Jason Kidd. Had the NBA figured things out and played a full 82-game season, Rubio would be on pace to record the second-most assists ever by a rookie, and his 2.34 steals per game are already hovering around the top three. He's charming, humble and the floor general of an enigmatic Timberwolves offense that somehow manages to start two point guards and still rank third in the league in rebounding.
Much of that can be attributed to Kevin Love, the reigning NBA Most Improved Player, who's abusing the league right now with his array of post-up moves and soft hooks and who became the first player since HakeemOlajuwon in 1992-93 to record 15 straight double-doubles. But Love is a holdover from last season, from the futile Kurt Rambis era when a few egos — and the unselfish Love — were trapped in basketball purgatory, that unhealthily frustrating place sandwiched between unpolished talent and productive results.
I spent the summer in Minneapolis and inherited the cautious optimism that constantly follows the Timberwolves. It didn't help that the Minnesota Lynx won the WNBA title, drawing frequent scoffs about how Maya Moore and company became the city's most successful franchise — by far. One by one, however, the Wolves brought in the pieces, none too overhyped, but each drawing golf claps and enthusiastic head nods from the fan base of the Western Conference's perennial bottom-feeder.
Rubio finally came over. Then the Wolves picked Derrick Williams second overall. They got rid of Jonny Flynn, a solid rookie whose injuries caused a sophomore fade. They hired coach Rick Adelman and signed J.J. Barea to a four-year deal. Combine that with the resurgence of Nikola Pekovic (18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds over the past 11 games), as well as the solid role-playing of Luke Ridnour and Michael Beasley, and the future suddenly looks bright in the dark, snowy Minneapolis winter.
Success, or lack thereof, is occurring in short spurts for the Wolves, who are 6-4 in their past 10 as of Monday but won three in a row, lost four straight and then won another three. They started the season 0-3, then reeled off victories against Dallas and San Antonio on consecutive nights.
Still, they're well within the playoff hunt, a near-miracle given the hole out of which they've only recently climbed. Just one game separates Portland, Denver, Utah and Minnesota at the statistical halfway mark, and the Wolves are only 2.5 games behind the Lakers, currently the West's fifth seed. The postseason is within reach, an unthinkable notion only last season when it took the Wolves 66 games to reach 16 wins.
Adelman's rebuilding track record is proven, the pieces for a full turnaround in place for one of the league's most fun teams to watch. All that's left? A few more wins to get rid of the media's obsession with Linsanity.
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Alex Prewitt is a senior majoring in English and religion. He can be reached on his blog at livefrommudville.blogspot.com or followed on Twitter at @Alex_Prewitt.
