Timberwolves finally showing some bite

They started out the season 2-0 and had the look of a promising team, but the Minnesota Timberwolves then lost six of their next seven games and dropped to 3-6. Since then, the Timberwolves have gone 17-10 and have jumped to the seventh seed in the Western Conference. They have also moved to within two games of the Utah Jazz in the loss column for the Northwest Division lead. How are they doing it? They're finally staring to jel, that's how.

On January 26th of last season, Minnesota traded Wally Szczcerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, and a first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, and Justin Reed. Banks has since departed, but the other three remain members of the Wolves. The deal looked even for both sides when it went down, as Szczerbiak was in the middle of the best season of his career and Blount, Banks, and Reed were considered mere scrubs in Boston.

Based on the way the Timberwolves played last season, it would be easy for one to make the assumption that the trade was equal. Why? Because Minnesota went 14-28 after the trade, and Wally was sidelined for a good portion of the season for Boston with knee problems. However, 42 games surely isn't enough for essentially a completely new roster to get used to each other and learn how to play within the scheme, correct? Correct.

The Timberwolves have proven that this season, as Davis and Blount have been Kevin Garnett's right-hand men throughout most of the 2006-2007 season thus far. Davis, who started out slow, has recorded over 20 points in three of his past four games and is averaging 19.3 points per game in the month of January, nearly four points better than his overall average of 15.8. Blount has been the real key to Minnesota's success over the past several weeks, as he has elevated his game higher than even his own parents could have dreamed of. He is averaging 17.5 points per contest this month compared to a career average of eight. He is also tallying 7.3 rebounds a night. Sounds worthy of an All-Star appearance to me.

But, it doesn't end with Davis and Blount. Rookie Randy Foye has stepped his game up in a big way over the past two months, already having a game-winning shot and numerous clutch fourth-quarter performances under his belt. Foye would probably be my choice for Rookie of the Year if the season ended today, and he would be followed closely behind by fellow teammate Craig Smith. Smith has been arguably the biggest surprise of the 2006 draft class and has by far been the Timberwolves' most pleasant surprise. It wasn't known whether Smith would even see the floor this year. Well, he has seen the floor, and he has responded. In the second game of the season, Smith recorded 20 points off 10-of-15 shooting. That's when the Timberwolves knew he was on his way. In only 16.8 minutes a night, Smith is averaging 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and nearly a steal per game. He is also shooting 55.3% from the floor.

But of course, the T'Wolves will only go as far as Garnett takes them, and he is the main reason for their recent surge in the Western Conference standings. KG has posted a double-double in 13 of his past 14 games, including an active streak of 10. He leads the league in double-doubles with 32, and he has also leap-frogged Dwight Howard as the NBA's leader in rebounds per game. In the month of January, Garnett is averaging 26 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.8 blocks a night, leading the Timberwolves to a 7-1 record in 2007. Oh, and he has been shooting 91.1% from the free-throw line in that span.

Imagine how good this team can be if Rashad McCants comes back healthy and ready to go? He would give them the perimeter threat that they have been lacking for most of the year, and he would form a potent backcourt combination with Foye. Also, the emergence of Bracey Wright into the rotation is going to pay dividends for this team in the long run, as he also has a silky smooth outside shot and can play defense.

What's been most impressive about Minnesota over the past several weeks has been their quality wins. They have beaten the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets in Minnesota, and are coming off a victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. If not for Corey Maggette hitting a game-winner for the Los Angeles Clippers against the Timberwolves on January 10th, the Wolves would be winners of eight straight and only one game back of the division in the loss column. You also have to take into account that Minnesota has lost two other games on buzzer-beaters this season, once to the Portland Trail Blazers and once to the New Orleans Hornets. Take those three games away, and the Timberwolves would probably be 23-13 right now. But 20-16 is still very respectable, and I'm sure they'll take it considering they were 18-18 and losers of eight of 13 at this time last season.

The Timberwolves are only a player or two away from being serious title contenders. If the recent rumors of them sending Marko Jaric to Detroit for either Nazr Mohammed or Antonio McDyess are true, then that will obviously give them a huge boost. If they can't get either of those two big men, you can be sure that Minnesota will look elsewhere to stockpile more talent, because the players and the organization can smell a deep playoff run.