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MINNEAPOLIS – There is little more than a year, or 390 days exactly, that the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted Utah Jazz during the Wolves' inaugural home game last season.
That night, in front of a crowd of 18,978 spectators from the Target Center, scored what appeared to be the beginning of a new era for a franchise that had suffered from more than a decade of uselessness unprecedented in the NBA. Before the start of the game, Jimmy Butler – for whom the Wolves had traded two players who had recently been selected to the lottery, as well as the rights to another lottery choice, the seventh pick in the draft of 2017 – took the microphone and gave a speech to the Minnesota crowd. His lyrics were lost in the story (or at least I could not find them on YouTube), but I remember it as the kind of motivational motivational speech that we would expect from Butler's share. He was delighted not to lose with the Chicago Bulls and Timberwolves and their long-suffering fans were delighted to have it: A perfect match. The future of the Wolves seemed as promising as it was from the top of the Kevin Garnett Era. Wiggins had just signed a maximum contract. Towns was about to make its first appearance in the All-Star category. Speaking to supporters that night, Butler promised them hard work, dedication and a brand new basketball in Minnesota.
The first night – really throughout this first season – Butler delivered. He scored only 13 points on 5 shots on 14 that first night, but he had five interceptions and that stubborn defense set the tone. They held the Jazz less than 100 points, which the Wolves had not done to any opponent in the last 19 games of the previous season, when they placed 27th in the NBA on defense. And even though there was a surprising amount of defensive problems all season – the Wolves were 25th in the NBA on the defensive – the Wolves led by Butler had a really good season, especially their recent criteria. Despite an anachronistic offense that scored fewer points than the other NBA teams, the Wolves still managed to rank fourth in the NBA's best offensives and beat the worst drought in the playoffs of the franchise, at 14. And it could have – it should have been – even better, if not for a meniscus surgery that kept Butler away for most of the last two months of the season. Remember: the wolves were in third place in a brutal Western conference when Butler was injured.
The Jimmy Butler era, of course, was shorter than anyone could have imagined. Wednesday night against the New Orleans pelicans – one of many NBA teams that have tried and failed to trade for Butler in the last two dramatic months for the Timberwolves – the Wolves have begun a new era. This is not the time of Robert Covington, although Covington was very good in his first game with the Wolves: 13 points, seven rebounds, two interceptions and excellent perimeter defense after 41 minutes. And this is not the time of Dario Saric, although Saric was also good in his debut with the Wolves: nine points, two flights and a big 3 points in 20 minutes of play.
Call it the deferred era of Karl-Anthony Towns (also starring Andrew Wiggins).
This era began a few years ago, when the unique and transcendent cities were ranked No. 1 in the overall standings, but they were slowed down by a full season of Butler's presence – as an undisputed alpha dog in locker room and Dominant star of a team that has never seemed to maximize the offensive potential of Towns. The Wolves were a better team with Butler, but the development of Towns may be losing momentum, as well as that of Wiggins. It did not help this head coach and Tom Thibodeau always seemed more attached to Butler than his two youngest stars.
So, after 48 minutes of really impressive basketball with those Wolves from Butler-less to the more recent air, let's go to conclusions too fast: after a 107-100 victory over the Pelicans, the team officially felt like if it belonged to the modern era. The versatility and switchability of Covington and Saric were on display. Sometimes the ground looked as well spaced as in the cities.
"You have the feeling that you are training against players," said Thibodeau after the match. "I remember last year, playing against them, these guys – I love their mental strength.What they were part of in Philadelphia, they lived very dark days there. have continued to go forward.Even last year., I think they were 25-25 years old, and suddenly, they simply clicked and they took off.And they played an important role in that, being mentally tough in the face of adversity, I like what Covington did, go unshaped and then become the first defense team – that says a lot – Dario, I've been since his international game He plays hard and he plays smart. "
Despite being plagued by big problems, Towns has maximized the space freed up with 25 points. He added 16 rebounds and two shots blocked, including a resounding against Anthony Davis, two minutes from the end. After this block, the cities shouted at his bench: "GIMMEE That (STUFF)!" The bench laughed as the team rushed in transition and Wiggins threw a thunderbolt that ignited the Target Center. He basically planted a foot on Nikola Mirotic's chest and took off (Mirotic was called for foul). At this point, the bench has become wild. Wiggins' 23 points on 4 shots from 9 to 3 points were impressive, but not as impressive as his non-stop aggression on both sides of the ground, which is not really the hallmark of his game. Wiggins went off the hook three flights, including one with four minutes late, when the Timberwolves had completely lost a 21-point lead. Wiggins had just hit a 3 when he stole Wesley Johnson's ball in the middle of the field and was forced into the transition.
The only thing more notable than the energy of the Wolves was the joy with which they played. This has been hard to find all season, especially during their recent road trip from 0 to 5 years old, but also before. When the Bucks wiped out the Timberwolves at home, three weeks ago – Butler played this game, by the way, and it was awful – it was one of the most disastrous environments I've ever had known during a sporting event. But from the pre-game warm-up to Wednesday night's final ring, it was as if the Wolves remembered enjoying basketball again. During the warm-up, Gorgui Dieng teased Jeff Teague about how he could keep him face to face, then he did it successfully. Towns was in Saric's ear throughout the warm-ups – the new Wolves had only one morning ahead of them with their new team – and then, when Saric was wending his way to a bucket in the restricted area, Towns cheerfully congratulated the new one during a break.
"It was fun, it was fun," Wiggins said. "It's fun when all the guys play together – it's not really a new start – we know we've dug a little hole – but when we play well, we're happy."
A fan sitting directly behind Wolf's bench wore a t-shirt with a photo of Towns and Thibodeau, with the words: "I believe in TOM THIBODEAU." The number of people who feel the same has decreased in twinned cities in recent months. Since Butler's trade request went public in September, fans have turned against Thibs. He was booed before every home game this season. Attendance is down – the Timberwolves ranked last in the NBA in terms of average home attendance before Wednesday's game, attracting nearly 3,000 fewer spectators per competition than a year ago. Minnesota fans have taken a quick turn with some degree of fatalism. After all, it's a city of fans marked by Gary Anderson who missed goals and goals from Blair Walsh, Joe Mauer's ill-conceived contracts and Joe Smith's illegal deals. In sports, bad things tend to happen here, usually when things seem to be going well.
Thus, a sample size of a match with players acquired in the Butler trade will probably not change minds any time soon.
But rest.
After the match, in the corridors of the Target Center, Jeff Van Gundy, ESPN announcer, scolded me.
"Do not jump to conclusions – the biggest problem of the media is that they want instant analysis," Van Gundy said. "The good thing about NBA basketball, there are a lot of games, and you can look in. You do not have to guess.You can look and see.They looked good tonight. have played much stronger on the defense.And it's a good start against a very good team. "
And yet, Wednesday night, it was not more than a victory. There was a new feeling around this Timberwolves team. Do they have more talent now than Butler left? No. You never have more talent when you trade a player in the top 15. But could they eventually become a better team, or a more modern NBA team, or at least a team that has a lot of fun more?
"It's fun, play with love and enthusiasm," Towns said after the match, when I asked him if there was a different feeling on the floor tonight.
And it's at least a very good starting point.
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