Since becoming majority owner of the Timberwolves in 1994, Glen Taylor has been through an up and down relationship with the NBA. He has enjoyed a modicum of success partnered with some of the worst teams in NBA history. Things began to look up when he and his team drafted a skinny high school kid out of Chicago by the name of Kevin Garnett. The forturnes of Taylor’s team went with Garnett.
Three years into Garnett’s tenure with the team they made the playoffs for the first time. They were dropped quickly by the Seattle Supersonics. It seemed as though the best days were ahead of them though. It began a run of eight consecutive trips to the playoffs. The good fortune of good drafting and well designed drafts soon become sour. Tom Gugliotta became hurt and never recovered his All-Star form. Stephon Marbury soon became disenchanted with his team and was shipped to the Nets for Terrell Brandon. Brandon also become an injury liability and never regained his All-Star form. It seemed as though the Timberwolves were cursed in a sort of way.
In 1999 though things began to look up again. They drafted Wall Szcerbiak who would become an All-Star and had their first 50 win season. Again they were taken out in the first round, however. In 2000, however, things came crashing down. The worst tragedy to befall a Minnesota sports team in years happened when Malik Sealy was killed by a drunk driver. It cast a pall over the whole season. Then, Taylor committed his stupidest move as an owner to date. He signed forward Joe Smith to a secret free agent deal. It was later voided by the league and he wasn’t allowed to be on the team. David Stern also took away 5 draft picks away as punishment(one was later reinstated). It seemed as though no matter how far the Wolves got ahead they would take two steps back.
With salary cap issues created by Kevin Garnett’s massive contract and virtually no first round picks the Wolves had little for improvement. Taylor had handcuffed his own team with his boneheaded moves. From 2000-2003 the Wolves did the same they did every year: lose in the first round of the playoffs. They kept trying to surround Garnett with different groups every year to see if the chemistry would work. Alas, it did not. In 2004 finally Taylor and GM Kevin McHale decided to go for broke. They traded for veterans Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. There was finally a great of optimism for this team. They delivered on that promise when they went all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Lakers. Wolves fans finally had something to cheer about. This would be the only taste of success in the playoffs the Wolves would have. Sprewell and Cassell soon became whiners. 2005 broke the streak for consecutive trips to the playoffs and our last trip up until now.
from 2005-2007 we went back to the well, trying to surround Garnett with various spare parts in order to placate his wishes to become a NBA champion. We made odd trades. One was the Wally trade for Ricky Davis and others. Then the Cassell trade for Marko Jaric and others. We kept trading away our first round picks in order to make a team for now. We were mortgaging our future for the present. McHale and Taylor were signing players to ridiculous contracts: Jaric, Mike James, etc. It was putting us in salary cap hell. Garnett’s massive contract still was killing the team. What else could be done? We had traded all of our picks for spare parts that weren’t working. There was only one answer: Trade Garnett. That’s what Taylor did in 2007 for 7 players including Big Al and Bassy.
That was some of our bad history. My point is that overall Taylor has been too meddlesome of an owner. He ruined us several times with terrible trades, illegal moves, and terrible contracts. I appreciate that he saved the Wolves from being moved by Marv and Harv. He kept them in Minnesota. He has made bad hires( read: McHale). I want him to be an owner that sits in the background and lets good executives make the proper moves. Instead he meddles and makes the Wolves worse off. Right now he is allowing McHale to make some moves I feel are good for the team. He allowed them to get younger and brought some great talent. We Have a great shot at a high lottery pick(Rose or Beasley!). I like what he is allowing to happen. However, Taylor opened his mouth again. He said that Garnett tanked it in the last part of 2007. Comments like these do no good. It just looks like sour grapes. Why talk about a player that is no longer on your team? It just brings unwanted attention and spotlight to the team. Let our team grow. Sign some good players. And most of all: shut your mouth and stay out of the way. It will be good for you in the end.
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