 The Minnesota Timberwolves were the return of a professional basketball franchise to the city that once played host to the Lakers. The Timberwolves were one of the four teams that were added thanks to the popularity boom that the NBA experience in the 1980s with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and (most of all) Michael Jordan. The Timberwolves were not nearly as successful as their predecessors. The team suffered through an 82-game schedule at the Target Center with an unsuccessful attempt to build a team in the image of the Bad Boys of Detroit. The early seasons were marked by failure of players like Christian Laettner to prove him worthy of the number three pick in the 1992 draft and the headaches Isaiah Rider created for the struggling team. Minnesota began to turn things around in 1995 with the drafting of Kevin Garnett. 'The Kid' was the first pro player to come directly out of high school since Moses Malone was selected in 1974. Garnett was paired with Stephon Marbury a year later and the two threatened to become one of the most dangerous duos in the league. Marbury did not feel he was getting enough special attention and the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him away in 1998. The Timberwolves became consistent one and dones in the postseason during the time. Garnett found solid complimentary players in Wally Szczerbiak and Terrell Brandon, but only managed to make it out of the first round once, in 2004. That season Garnett looked to justify his MVP Award and took the team, with complimentary players like Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Troy Hudson, to the Western Conference Finals before exiting the postseason. The Timberwolves took a huge step back, failing to make the playoffs in the next three season. As a result, Garnett was traded to the Celtics for Al Jefferson, the new face of the future for the suddenly rebuilding team.
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