While Johnson was head coach, Minnesota failed to make any NCAA Tournaments, settling for one NIT appearance in 2023-24, the only season his Gophers finished with a winning record (19-15).

But you know what would’ve made Ben Johnson’s four years at the U of M even worse? If he wouldn’t have been able to convince Prior Lake’s Dawson Garcia to come home back in 2022, and stay for the rest of his collegiate career, despite continuous large NIL offers elsewhere.

Dawson Garcia signing with Detroit Pistons

Three years later, Dawson Garcia ranks near the top of most career University of Minnesota men’s basketball statistical categories (see below). And on Friday, according to Darren Wolfson (KSTP), the an undrafted Garcia found his next basketball home, agreeing to terms on a contract with the Detroit Pistons, where he will play NBA summer league ball next month.

Told Garcia agreed to a deal with Detroit. He had a good pre-draft workout and visit with the Pistons. All he needs is a chance and he’ll have that. #Gophers https://t.co/4S8fLxAqeN

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 27, 2025

Related: Total Minnesota Gophers MBB RevShare + NIL Budget Revealed for 2025-26

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball program has a relatively star-studded history, some of which has been deleted, due to the late-90s cheating scandal that the Gophers have yet to recover from, 25 years later.

But no matter how messy the Gopher MBB record books are, there’s no doubt Dawson Garcia will go down as one of the all-time greats to play in Dinkytown, even if the team results were never there.

Dawson stayed home for the next three seasons, despite NIL offers each offseason worth double what he was making in Minnesota. As a Golden Gopher, the 6’11” stretch big racked up 1557 points (17.5 PPG), 621 rebounds (7.0 RPG), 171 assists (1.9 APG), 65 steals and 32 blocks.

💥 31 PTS
💥 13-19 FG
💥 6 REB
💥 3 BLK

Dawson Garcia recorded his 5th straight 20+ point game in @GopherMBB's upset over No. 15 Oregon 😤#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/UrspRhvAkt

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 26, 2025

Where does Garcia belong in Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball history

Garcia ended his U of M career as one of the most decorated Gophers of all-time, finishing just outside the top 10 in points, behind guys like Quincy Lewis (1614), Kevin McHale (1704), Sam Jacobson (1709) and Nate Mason (1731).

He finished his career with the highest usage percentage of any Gopher, ever (though that stat leader category at sports-reference is incomplete prior to 2011), higher than Marcus Carr (26.5), Daniel Oturu (26.4) and Rick Rickert (25.5). Garcia also ranks second all time in U of M history in defensive rebounds, behind only Jordan Murphy (890).

After arriving on campus before the 2022-23 season, Garcia became the only constant on Ben Johnson’s roster for the next three years, until he was ultimately fired. He stayed, while everyone else left, taking multiple smaller NIL deals, to do so. For that alone, Dawson Garcia deserves a place in Gopher basketball fan hearts forever.

Now, we will find out if he has what it takes to make it in the league, something few Minnesota Gophers in modern history have done.

But this MN Timberwolves team, when at its best this season, doesn’t get pushed around by anyone. Much of that can be attributed to the additions of Julius Randle and, even more so, Donte DiVincenzo. So when Beasley got hot and started talking about it to former teammates and Target Center fans, the DiVincenzo made it his mission to stem the Malik Beasley momentum.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Detroit Pistons gets heated…

He hit some shots in the 1st quarter, then showed his physicality in the 2nd quarter, battling for rebounds and trying to fight back mentally against the fire Detroit brought to Minneapolis Sunday night. As he tends to do, DiVincenzo also started getting into the heads of Pistons players, starting with five-year veteran Isaiah Stewart.

Full sequence between Isaiah Stewart vs Donte DiVincenzo

Donte screaming Fuck no when Stew shot the ball. pic.twitter.com/iymNgL0c9g

— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) March 30, 2025

That foul was called on DiVincenzo, but gives a great snapshot into what was brewing between Stewart, the Pistons vs Donte and the Minnesota Timberwolves. That becomes important for what happened a little while later.

That’s when Naz Reid was fouled by Pistons rookie Ron Holland II, on his way to the basket. One aggressive finger wag later, and Holland became upset. Once the 2024 No. 5 overall draft pick got hostile, guess who stepped in between him and and Naz Reid?

Malice at Target Center

Of course, it was DiVincenzo, who gave up about a foot in height and 1.5 feet in reach to the younger, more athletic Holland. It didn’t matter though. When push literally came to shove, it was Holland going to the ground with the forearm of DiVincenzo at his neck.

From there, Pistons and Timberwolves coaches and teammates all jumped into the action, which spilled into the first five rows of the cameramen and fans behind the hoop. Eventually, Holland emerged from the pile with what appeared to be a bloody lip. Divincenzo had a 3-inch vertical cut/scratch on the right side of his adams apple.

A fight breaks out between the Pistons and Timberwolves

Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, Pistons HC J. B. Bickerstaff and Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were all ejected pic.twitter.com/TJA3OczOxB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2025

Stephen A Smith wouldn’t last a second with these men. pic.twitter.com/SUHUZ59msy

— Leighton Glodek (@LGlodek) March 31, 2025

When all was said and done, five players — Reid, Divincenzo, Stewart Holland and Marcus Sasser were all tossed. So were MN Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni and Detroit head coach, JB Bickerstaff. In most situations, NBA fights are nonsense and they usually hurt your team.

Related: Timberwolves Planning to Keep Julius Randle and Naz Reid…?

But if there were ever a case where the Minnesota Timberwolves needed a hockey-style melee to turn the tide of a basketball game, it was tonight. Donte Divincenzo sensed it, and he wasn’t afraid to go there. A couple fans and a cameraman got a few signed jerseys out of the deal, and there may be some suspensions on the way too.

Co-owner A-Rod of the ⁦@Timberwolves⁩ doing some good damage control after the melee that ended up stands. pic.twitter.com/Uv8aBOSBb5

— Patrick Mooney (@PatrickMoondog) March 31, 2025

But Donte brought the energy that his team desperately needed tonight. And they responded both before and after his ejection. Will it be enough to will the MN Timberwolves to victory vs a very hungry Pistons team? We’ll find out in the second half.

Here are some of the best tweets reacting to tonight’s events.

Nah look at what Isaiah Stewart did to Donte DiVincenzo 😭💀

CRYING 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/4uTbQvnW1J

— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) March 31, 2025

pic.twitter.com/SsNJDwZzlV

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 31, 2025

“DETROIT! F*ck outta here.”

— Isaiah Stewart was still repping Detroit after getting ejected 🍿

pic.twitter.com/375nieNYYM

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 31, 2025

All this happened because of Isaiah Stewart. Kick his bum ass our the league

— Barflaan Tedoe 🇱🇷 (@The_Barftender) March 31, 2025

The Timberwolves were supposed to head into Round 2 tonight with the 37th overall pick. But not anymore. According to Shams Charania, the Wolves have traded Wendell Moore Jr. plus the 37th pick to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for the 53rd overall pick.

Minnesota is trading Wendell Moore Jr. and the No. 37 pick in today's Day 2 of NBA draft to Detroit, sources say.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024

Why would the Minnesota Timberwolves make this trade?

On the surface, it seems like a very odd move for the Timberwolves. Why trade Moore, who was the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, plus the 37th pick, only to move down 16 spots in the draft? Typically, teams that give up a young player plus an upcoming draft selection end up with the higher pick. Not in this case.

While we’ll let Connelly speak for himself on exactly why this move was made, our initial takeaway is that the Timberwolves did this simply to clear some money off their cap sheet. While Moore is not an expensive player, he is set to have a $2.5 million cap hit this season.

By replacing Wendell Moore Jr.'s $2.537M contract with a veteran minimum contract ($2.1M), the Wolves will save about $450k in salary — which will also save them a couple million in luxury tax payments dependent on how far above the tax they finish the season out at.

But if…

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) June 27, 2024

After that, his cap number would jump to $4.5 million, but only if the Timberwolves (now the Pistons) pick up the team option on Moore’s contract. From how little Moore has contributed to the Wolves over the past two seasons, it’s unlikely that the team would have kept him around at that salary.

Related: Confirmed: Rob Dillingham Will Get Run with Timberwolves Immediately

Trading him now is also a bit of a sign of respect, giving Moore a chance to latch on in a bigger role with a team that doesn’t have several players ahead of him on the depth chart. It’s a classic move that the Timberwolves of old, when they weren’t competitive, would have done, just to take a chance on a player with some untapped potential.

Ultimately, it’s a clean break for the Timberwolves, clearing the path for Jaylen Clark, Josh Minott, and Terrence Shannon Jr. Oddly enough, they move to pick No. 53, which is notably just two selections ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ pick, who are heavily linked to drafting Bronny James. Yet, the Timberwolves reportedly have interest in Bronny too. We’re not saying this is the move, but it’s something to keep an eye on tonight.

Here I sit, watching the Timberwolves play against Detroit, in the second game of a back-to-back. They are currently losing by 22 points, with nine minutes to play in the 4th quarter. This, after last night, when they lost by 23 points to the Indiana Pacers without their only good player, Miles Turner.

Now, I wrote an article before the season started, that talked about the patience we needed to show as a fan base. We have been starved of good basketball for far too long and the anticipation for the season is palpable. Remember, coming together as a basketball team isn’t easy, no matter how good your talent is. Ask all of LeBron’s Big 3 teams (See Here).

However, what has happened the last two nights is absolutely unacceptable. Before Jimmy Butler went out with an illness, prior to yesterday’s game, hopes were high and the Timberwolves looked to be on the rise. They started 2-1 after two last-second victories vs both the Jazz and Thunder. The Twin Cities media was talking about how nice it was to have a team that could finally finish games… Well, you have to be in a game to try and finish it.

The way the Wolves have looked these last two games, I would have taken the team from last year that would at least get big leads, showing us some hope, before blowing those leads down the stretch. At least we could talk about how the talent was there and the growth would come. This team has shown NOTHING from the very tip, since Butler went out.

I’m legitimately embarrassed about what is going on. They are giving up a million points but Towns has the nerve to come on the pregame and talk about how much pride he takes in his defense……. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, FSN even put it on Twitter. That wasn’t nice of them:

.@Timberwolves star @KarlTowns says he enjoys a challenge on defense: “I can’t wait to go out there and be able to guard the best” pic.twitter.com/6HX1fAx4uC

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) October 25, 2017

Does he think we’re stupid? Does he think we don’t watch? Towns might be the worst defensive player in basketball so far this season, and he wants to sit on our TV’s, with a straight face, and talk about how important the defensive end of the floor is to him? THEN SHOW IT.

These are two Eastern Conference NON-PLAYOFF teams the Wolves have played. You have to literally try to miss the playoffs in the East. Teams make the playoffs in that conference by having a -10 W/L ratio. Yet, the Timberwolves are losing to these teams. Wait…. not losing….. GETTING DESTROYED.

We are excited for the talent. We can be patient while they figure things out. We won’t watch you get blown out by garbage teams and use a missing Jimmy Butler as an excuse. We won’t let you lie to us about how important defense is, when you refuse to show it on the floor. Towns can stack the stat-sheet all he wants, but he will never win championships with the type of defense he plays.

This team won’t win any playoff series’ if they bring a bullshit effort to the arena, like they have the last two nights.

Have a little pride in your work.

.@Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau: "I think we're capable of more than that" pic.twitter.com/3kDA2DgVmV

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) October 26, 2017

Eric Strack (Founder/Editor)
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

Stats from NBA.com

Photo from Detroit Free Press

It was a rough night for the Wolves right from the beginning. At the last-minute, we found out Jimmy Butler wouldn’t be playing because of an illness. Without Butler, the Wolves looked outmatched all night, especially on the defensive end.

The Wolves gave up 130 points without Butler on the floor, Tuesday. It was an ugly showing. Guys weren’t in the right place and they were late to rotate. Thibs had to have been beside himself. Indiana shot 67% for damn sakes. That type of defense is unacceptable and so is the effort. Not only did the Timberwolves lack defense, they lacked hustle and energy and the will to win. It was disgusting. Look at these numbers from NBA.com:

Offensively, Wiggins seemed to be the most affected by the lack of Butler’s presence. That might go to show the looks he is getting with the defenses having to pay so much attention to Jimmy. I would’ve expected Wiggins to have another big night, knowing Butler’s offensive capabilities wouldn’t be available. Wiggins finished with just 7 points on 3 of 9 shooting.

Jeff Teague struggled again too. After seeing good progress vs OKC, Teague took two steps back against Indiana. The only run the Wolves had, came in the 2nd quarter. It was led by Tyus Jones. Teague was on the bench. Again, Wolves fans, don’t panic. Teague will be ok. It takes time. I warned everybody about this before the season started. Although we don’t want to panic, we do want to hold this team accountable. The days where they can play like hot garbage, and nobody gets pissed, off are over. With the roster they now have, and the money Taylor has spent, it’s time to win. And, they will. Just give it a little time. I don’t want to hear about Ricky Rubio anymore. Get over it.

Karl Anthony-Towns, although lost at times on defense again, held this team together for most of the game offensively. He finished with 28 points but lacked on the boards, with just 7 rebounds. Unfortunately most of Towns points came early. He got his 25th point with 9:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

It was a frustrating game to watch.

Eric Strack @RealMNSportsFan

Stats: NBA.com
Video: Kenny Chris Dantzler
Photo: AP – Jim Mone

(Will have preview of Wolves vs. Pistons shortly)