It is a sad commentary on the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise that the team could lose 20 more games than it won during the 2012-13 season and still finish with the 12th best record in their 24-year history.
What would have been a disastrous campaign for most franchises was middle-of-the-pack in the Wolves pantheon, and, indeed, a small cause for some optimism, with an optional side order of gallows humor.
Even with the staggering profusion of injuries this season, this was the best-ever Wolves team that didn’t have Kevin Garnett on the roster, in terms of talent, effort and the ability to generate hope — and potential disappointment — in the near future.
Folks who have read me throughout the season know I am bullish on keeping the team intact as much as possible, for the simple reason that the losing and ineptitude cannot continue. I absolutely cherish pro basketball and get into all the games for free, and the relentless incompetence and faux rebuilding efforts over the past nine years have begun to wear even me out.
The fans deserve a playoff team as soon as possible, and, if possible, keeping the core talent is probably the fastest path to the postseason.
But enough of that. If I keep going, I’ll notice all the uncertainty at the top of the ladder — Glen Taylor is looking for new ownership partners who will gradually take over as he retires; President of Basketball Operations David Kahn hasn’t had his expiring contract resolved one way or the other; and coach Rick Adelman will not decide whether to return for another year until he gets a clearer sense of what caused his wife’s seizure disorder and whether she can be effectively treated for it.
First, we need to put this season in the books. For the sake of concision with free-flowing opinion, I’m opting for grades. Sure, it is a cheesy way to run a recap, and more than a little bit arrogant, because who am I to judge? (Answer: A hoops addict who loves a good argument.)
What’s more, the grades are admittedly arbitrary, based on jumbled criteria that include fulfillment of potential, understanding of role and overall engagement in team play, style and character points, and, most heavily, caliber of performance at both ends of the court. Only players ranking among the top 12 in minutes this season are included, in alphabetical order by last name.
Jose “J.J.” Barea
Barea thrived or (more often) failed due to his God complex, an overwhelming and unrealistic appraisal of his own capabilities, that ran amok this season after injuries decimated most of the other Wolves capable of getting their own shot. Barea set career highs in total minutes, points, usage rate (the percentage of offensive plays that directly involve him) and shot frequencies from the field and three-point arc. But his assist-to-turnover ratio was his lowest since 2007-08 and his true shooting percentage, while better than last year, was the third-worst of his seven-year career. His defense, based on being an irritant and trying to draw charges, is problematical, and his desire to argue calls, rather than get back in transition, became more annoying the last two months of the season. His late-game heroics earned the Wolves two or three more victories than they otherwise might have had, but his trying to be the hero hastened many more defeats. C
Chase Budinger
Limited to just 508 minutes (12th on the team) because of a knee injury that kept him out for four months beginning in mid-November, Budinger still demonstrated that he is an excellent fit for Adelman’s offense. He has good size (6-7) for a swingman, moves well without the ball and is ready and able to accept and convert passes into buckets. Is a threat to score from three-point range but can finish at the rim. Had the worst shooting percentage, lowest assists per game and highest turnovers per game of his four-year career, and played abysmal defense to boot, especially after returning from injury. But his style and skills were a near-constant boon to the team’s overall performance when he was on the court. An unrestricted free agent, his future with the Wolves is in doubt, but it would be a blow to lose him. B-
Dante Cunningham
Cunningham is the player that former-Wolf Mark Madsen always wanted to be: a smart, diligent, hard-nosed player who has turned hustle into a viable skill. His active hands and feet on defense create a lot of deflections, steals and discombobulations. Challenged more breakaway dunks than the rest of the team combined. Undersized but game at power forward, he proved surprisingly adept at defending small forwards for short stints this season. On offense, understands he’s a one-trick pony and shoots almost nothing but open midrange jumpers, with reasonable accuracy. Rarely gets to foul line and is a below-average free-throw shooter. Also a below-average rebounder for his position. Seems destined for a 10-year career as a middle-of-the-bench glue guy for an assortment of teams, and each one will get its money’s worth. A-
Mickael Gelabale
A stopgap performer when the team was riddled with injuries to their swingmen in midseason, Gelabale neither embarrassed nor distinguished himself beyond that limited role. His flaw is passivity; he doesn’t look for his own shot or use his size and quickness to maximum advantage on defense. That said, he shot 51.8 percent from the field (albeit only 30.8 from beyond the arc) and was not a huge liability on defense. A reasonably competent scrub. C
Andrei Kirilenko
Was the Wolves’ MVP the first three months of the season and the primary reason the team was 18-17 without Kevin Love or Ricky Rubio for a significant portion of its first 35 games. As advertised, provided veteran leadership, above-average wing defense against the opponent’s best perimeter scorer, and a keen sense of ball movement and distribution. Like Budinger, A.K. has skills that flourish in Adelman’s offense, and set a career-high for field-goal percentage in his 11-year NBA career. Declined noticeably in the second half because of injuries and general wear-and-tear on a 31-year-old body that has played more than 23,000 rugged minutes. Would be wise to pick up his generous $10.2 million option for next season, but should be more valuable next season with more rest (he was second in minutes this year) and a better supporting cast. B+
Kevin Love
Love had a season to forget all the way around. His twice-broken right hand severely affected his shooting touch, and his accuracy from the field, the three-point arc and the free-throw line all plummeted. He did himself no favors by offering up caustic criticism of the front office and putting his long-term commitment to the franchise in doubt in a December interview with Yahoo! Sports. Despite this wretched performance and immature press, Love remains a rebounding machine who knows how to get to the free throw line. The Wolves were 9-9 in the 18 games he played this season. Maintaining a grudge ignores the bedrock value of his presence on the court. When right, he’s one of the 10 best players in the NBA. C-
Nikola Pekovic
Did what he had to do in a contract year — established himself as a top 10 NBA center who excels at pick-and-roll defense (rim protection not so much), low post scoring and offensive rebounding. Led the team in points scored, despite missing 20 games because of myriad injuries, but that absence on the heels of losing 19 games the previous season calls into question his durability. Should be entering his prime at age 27, but checkered injury history and limited shooting range makes long-term contract at $10-$14 million per year a risk. Pek’s popularity with teammates, media and fans and his fit with fellow big Kevin Love will make the Wolves’ decision to match opponents’ contract offer or let him go the most consequential personnel move of the off-season. B
Luke Ridnour
As an ostensible backup point guard who instead led the team in games and minutes played while frequently matching up with shooting guards a head taller and 50 pounds heavier than his 6-2, 173-pound frame, Ridnour gets an A for grit. But it was really tough to watch him get overmatched on defense out on the perimeter every night (he was better doubling down to get ball-strip steals on big men in the paint), which unfortunately is my dominant impression of his season. He remains a solid ball distributor with a sneaky flashy streak that gets obscured by Rubio’s dazzling dishes, and when you need someone to convert free throws at crunch time, Luke is your man. His range doesn’t extend out to the three point line very easily anymore, further limiting his value. B-
Ricky Rubio
Rubio returned from major knee surgery with his nonpareil court vision and stifling on-ball defense intact. His greatest improvement was in leadership: He was a vocal mentor with authority beyond his years, but it was his relentless competitive passion — compelling his teammates to either join the crusade or look like an indifferent schmoe by comparison — that was most impressive. And he is a stone cold delight to watch. His game is far from perfect, however. The plethora of turnovers, some of them needless, can be excused as overcompensation for a shorthanded roster. But his shooting is dreadful — he is now 35.9 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three-point territory — and by his unorthodox fundamentals and flat trajectory, he might be wise to start from scratch in the off-season and reinvent his jumper. I know; he improved slightly as the season went on after not being able to practice while sidelined by his knee. But opponents will play off him and he needs to answer their dares with buckets and dimes. B
Alexey Shved
It remains an open question whether Shved has the desire and the fortitude to stick in the NBA. Once opponents discovered he would shrink and whine after physical contact, he was bullied throughout the second half of the season, lost his confidence, and sulked. His shot selection was terrible — he led the Wolves in three-point attempts but ranked eighth in accuracy (29.5 percent) on a team that finished dead last in three-point percentage. He rarely moved the ball quickly, preferring to survey the court and retard the offense. It’s not hopeless: Shved is 6-6, which makes him a deceptively good ball-handler. Early in the season, he showed the confidence and ability to take and make shots in the clutch. But he needs to bulk up and readjust his attitude, because his body language is unlikeable and the refs notice. D
Greg Stiemsma
Signed as a shot-blocker with concerns about the durability of his feet, he stayed relatively healthy but regressed from his rookie year in Boston (at age 26) the previous season. On a per-minute basis, the blocks were fewer and the turnovers were up. But most troubling, Stiemsma really struggled defending the pick-and-roll (especially compared with Pekovic) and played the pick-and-pop game way too often — 110 of his 278 shots were from 16 feet or beyond, according to basketball-reference — and he made just 39.1 percent of them. Every third game or so, “the Steamer” would turn in a gem, and his physical play annoyed opponents and gave the Wolves an enforcer. And die-hard fans will always remember his leaps off the bench to salute three-pointers and dunks with hand gestures for his teammates. C-
Derrick Williams
D-Will is an improving conundrum. After Love went down the second time and he received a steady diet of starter’s minutes, his confidence allowed his explosive athleticism to come out of the bag — he challenged Rubio for highest number of spectacular plays — and his leaping ability enables him to be a legitimate NBA rebounder, especially on the defensive glass, despite being undersized at 6-8, 241 pounds for a power forward. But there are worrisome signs that Williams won’t round out his game. His defense was better when he was struggling offensively earlier in the season. Once his shot began to fall and his minutes began to rise, he lost his focus and blew assignments on a regular basis. He won’t turn 22 for another month, so there is plenty of time for him to mature into an offensive whirlwind and a reliable defender. At the very least, his raw talent, and what he tapped of it this season, should make him a valuable trade chip. If the Wolves want to package him with one of their first-round picks for, say, Cleveland’s pick higher up in the lottery, well, Minnesota needs a long and talented shooting guard more than they need a power forward backing up Love. C+
Rick Adelman
Becoming only the eighth NBA coach to reach 1,000 victories cinched Adelman’s already impressive Hall of Fame credentials. Watching the drop-off in acumen from the sidelines when he took time off to be with his wife was a sobering reminder of his talent, and so was the consistent effort and palpable moral support put forth by his players this season, proving that he is both well-liked and respected. All that said, Adelman’s refusal to put Gelabale or Budinger instead of Ridnour on taller shooting guards more often was reflective of his stubborn desire for ball-handlers to run his offense. I also think his tough love with Williams earlier in the season was a little too harsh, and Chris Johnson could have used more minutes at both center and power forward in certain matchups. But these are quibbles compared to the stakes involved in Adelman decision about coaching next season. If he leaves, the negative dominos could start falling, which would be depressing carnage. B
David Kahn
Many in the national media decided they didn’t like Kahn very early in his tenure, then mocked him with a mob mentality that I really dislike. So it pains me to note that on the heels of whiffing with lottery picks Jonny Flynn and Wes Johnson — a pair of very injurious decisions for this franchise — Kahn was mostly associated with the acquisition of two players during this active off-season. One was Brandon Roy, who lasted five games on knees that were blatantly not capable of allowing him to be an adequate NBA defender. The other was Shved, the 24-year old rookie who behaved like a teenager. Together, they cost Glen Taylor over $8 million this season. Right now, the primary argument for retaining Kahn is that he will be deferential enough to Adelman on personnel to enhance the chances of Adelman returning. I won’t mock Kahn. But he’s overmatched. D