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Minnesota Timberwolves
Overall: 79
Title track: 89
Ownership: 74
Coaching: 41
Players: 64
Fan relations: 74
Affordability: 46
Stadium experience: 114
Bang for the buck: 97
Change from last year: +18
It's hard to imagine a worse 27-year start for a franchise. Eight playoff appearances with seven first-round exits; 14 seasons with 30 or fewer wins; 11 coaches; 20 lottery picks, with 10 top-five picks; Kevin McHale and David Kahn; signing decent players to unwarranted, illegal, long-term deals on napkins ... and signing inept players to legal, long-term deals on regular paper. For the better part of the past three decades, to cheer for the Wolves has been to chuckle at -- or disregard -- top-to-bottom, franchise-wide dysfunction. Until now! For the first time in franchise history, there's a new, non-provincial country club in town -- and more young talent on this roster than at any time in the team's history.
What's good
Weirdly, so much. The Wolves improved in five of our eight categories and jumped 18 slots overall, in no small part because of a 30-spot jump in players. Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns has quickly become the most beloved athlete in the Twin Cities -- and perhaps had the greatest Minnesota sports moment of the past year. And oh, he averaged 18 points, 10.5 rebounds, two assists and 1.5 assists per game; only Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Ralph Sampson recorded better rookie-year stat lines. Andrew Wiggins averaged 21.3 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting his last 20 games, Zach LaVine improved after he was mercifully moved to shooting guard after a disastrous run as backup point, and Ricky Rubio, despite his poor shooting, ranked as the fifth-best point guard in Real Plus-Minus. With those players (not even mentioning rookie Kris Dunn!), the Wolves have a deeply promising foursome that has an average age of 22. Plus, the Wolves' price of admission ($37.27) is still well below NBA average.
What's bad
Weirdly, not that much! At least relative to past years (or decades, really). Before Flip Saunders' passing last year, he had put in place a franchise-wide overhaul: loads of young talent, adequate cap space, wily veterans and (some) open-mindedness toward analytics, all of which still exist. But lord almighty, do the Wolves need the Target Center's $130 million renovation, which is scheduled to be completed next summer. After a 111th-place ranking in stadium experience last year, the team ranks 114th this year -- by far the franchise's lowest ranking among the eight categories. But if the Wolves' new $25 million practice facility is any indication, fans have plenty to look forward to.
What's new
Positivity. Hope. A future? It all starts with new coach Tom Thibodeau, who signed a five-year, $40 million deal to lead the organization (his hiring bumped the Wolves an impressive 57 spots in our rankings). He will improve the team's dreadful defense, which ranked 28th last season, and modernize the antiquated offense run under last year's interim coach, Sam Mitchell, who never saw a long 2 he didn't like. (Seriously, last season, the Wolves led the NBA in the percentage of field goal attempts that were long 2s.) The Wolves won 16 games two seasons ago and 29 last season, with the two seasons serving as a microcosm of qualities that define the franchise's history: irrelevance and mediocrity. Sure, the Wolves might still be mediocre this season, but if an 8-7 record in last year's final 15 games is any indication, thanks to Flip's vision and Thibodeau's emphasis on development, this team will be relevant -- and perhaps even contending -- for much longer.
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