A-Rod, Lore Trying to Bring KG Home… Among Other Former Timberwolves 

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Former Timberwolf Star Kevin Garnett may return to the Wolves franchise.
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images



It’s hard to assess the value of what Kevin Garnett has brought to the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise, because it’s probably invaluable. Selected out of high school with the 5th overall pick in 1995, KG came with a lot of risk, as the first prep player to be drafted to the NBA in 20 years.

Nearly immediately, Garnett became a problem for Wolves opponents, even making an All-Star team in 1996-97, just his second season in the league. That was also the first year our Minnesota Timberwolves, then just eight years old, ever made the playoffs.

They’d go on to make eight-straight postseason appearances between 1997-2004, a run that culminated in an MVP Trophy for KG, the organization’s first Western Conference Finals appearance and without a doubt one of the greatest teams in franchise history.

That time Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale blew up the bridge back to KG

Eventually, the organizational mismanagement displayed during the KG era, by both owner Glen Taylor and then general manager Kevin McHale, finally caught up with them.

After their ’04-’05 West Finals run, the Wolves let Sam Cassell walk to the Clippers, then undercut Latrell Sprewell during contract negotiations, putting a sudden stop to all the momentum built up over the last decade.

Then, during the 2007 NBA offseason, Minnesota traded KG to Boston, where he, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen would go on to win an NBA Championship their very first year together.

Not only did Taylor and company short change KG’s Timberwolves career, during his first stint in Minnesota, but according to Garnett, Taylor then lied about post-retirement ownership and front office opportunities, when he came back as a trade deadline acquisition in 2014-2015, then finished his career where it ended in 2016-17.

Related: Kevin Garnett a Priority for New Timberwolves Owners

When he pulled the rug, Kevin Garnett went scorched earth, disassociating himself with the NBA organization that raised him, refusing a jersey retirement or pretty much anything to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

New owners committed to bringing Kevin Garnett back, along with other former Minnesota Timberwolves greats

When Glen Taylor finally decided to sell the team, though, whispers of a KG return sounded throughout the state. And now that Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are officially taking over, fans are anxiously awaiting the jersey-hanging ceremony.

And according A-Rod, the new majority owners have it top of mind too. Recently on NBA Radio (SiriusXM), Rodriguez publicly announced an intent to “bring KG home, retire his jersey [and] build a statue outside the Target Center”. 

This is a refreshing feeling, after KG distanced himself from the franchise for the past 10 years. But Lore and A-Rod aren’t stopping their Target Center reunion with Garnett. The former Yankee/Mariners great told SiriusXM that he and Lore are intent on bringing back all sorts of Wolves alumni, as part of their new era plan

“We love KG, and people often ask, ‘how do you bridge the relationship’? Well, we don’t have to bridge anything. We’ve always had a really good relationship with Kevin. I’ve been a huge admirer of his. He was the [Wolves] No. 1 pick in ’95, I was the No. 1 pick in ’93.

The way he went about his business, the chip on his shoulder, the way he represented Minnesota. He’s so important to our fanbase…Look, he’s our Babe Ruth, plain and simple. We don’t have a great deal of history. But the one history we do have, we want to bring it back inside the 10 [yard line].

But not only Kevin Garnett. We have an incredible alumni. I was really jealous when I saw what the Knicks had with all their crew. I mean, that really brings a lot of energy to the fanbase, to the current players. We had that with the Yankees, we want to do that in Minnesota.”

Alex Rodriguez – SiriusXM Radio

During Garnett’s playing days, Glen Taylor lead the Timberwolves into a world of endless nothing. When he did try something, it was usually reckless and backfired.

Like when he went under the table to try and give Joe Smith more money than what league rules allowed, he got caught and the league slapped him with fines and draft restrictions that made life difficult for years to come.

Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore’s beautiful MN Timberwolves vision

Reaching out to alumni, even beyond Kevin Garnett, is a brilliant idea. Back in the day, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a ton of great players and fun personalities that we’ve pretty much never seen again, once they left town.

Guys like Stephon Marbury, Tom Gugliotta, Sam Cassell, Wally Szczerbiak, Terrell Brandon… the list goes on. Much like what we see from the Twins and Vikings, Lore and A-Rod want to bring more members of old Wolves bands back together. Hell, invite Chauncey Billups while you’re at it, too.

Related: Timberwolves Pup Proving He’s Too Good for NBA Summer League

Under Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore’s broader plan to unite the fanbase, and hopefully build a new arena, is it too much to hope the Minnesota Timberwolves will soon be one of the best-run franchises in the entire association? Let’s hope so. But really, it won’t be difficult to do better than Glen Taylor.

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