Realistically, this team should be next to last in the rankings. Kevin Garnett pretty much makes up a good two-thirds of the team's rating. That's probably the highest any one player has contributed to any one team. Maybe. I'm guessing. Anyway, here's the list:
1. Kevin Garnett (325.7 rating) - #21, Forward
Resume: 1996-2007; 927 Games, 20.5 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 138.4 Win Shares, 2.220 MVP Award Shares (2004 MVP), 3 All-NBA 1st Teams, 3 All-NBA 2nd Teams, 2 All-NBA 3rd Teams, 10 All-Star Selections, 2.7 Conference Finals Win Shares, 2003 All-Star Game MVP, 6 All-Defensive 1st Teams, 2 All-Defensive 2nd Teams
Don't really know what to say about KG other than that resume. One of the game's best. A shame such a good player/career was spent with so many bad teams.
2. Sam Cassell (34.7) - #19, Guard
Resume: 2004-2005; 140 Games, 17.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.4 APG, 15.9 Win Shares, 0.003 MVP Award Shares, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team, 1 All-Star Selection, 1.5 Conference Finals Win Shares
Cassell had a good year in 2004, but I still say he got that All-Star nod due to Garnett's presence.
3. Wally Szczerbiak (31.7) - #10, Forward
Resume: 2000-2006; 438 Games, 15.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 41.0 Win Shares, 1 All-Star Selection, 0.6 Conference Finals Win Shares
Wally had a good year in 2002, but I still say he got that All-Star nod due to Garnett's presence.
4. Sam Mitchell (16.5) - #42, Forward
Resume: 1990-1992, 1996-2002; 757 Games, 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 32.9 Win Shares
If you play enough games with an expansion team, you'll probably be on the top of most of their lists.
5. Tom Gugliotta (16.0) - #24, Forward
Resume: 1995-1998; 231 Games, 18.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 19.0 Win Shares, 0.001 MVP Award Shares, 1 All-Star Selection
This is probably the only Timberwolves All-Star Selection you can't attribute to KG. (Garnett was on the team, but since he was a rookie, and didn't make the All-Star team himself, I'll go ahead and say this was all Gugliotta.)
*6. Terrell Brandon (11.6) - #7, Guard
Resume: 1999-2002; 202 Games, 15.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 8.3 APG, 23.1 Win Shares
Brandon will be suiting up for the Cavs for this thing.
7. Christian Laettner (9.5) - #32, Forward-Center
Resume: 1993-1996; 276 Games, 17.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 19.0 Win Shares
You know, Laettner really didn't have bad numbers or anything to start his career off, but I have to imagine it's tough to follow up that 1992 Duke title and then being in way over your head on the freaking Dream Team that summer leading up to your first pro season. (Although you could argue it helped him... for one season, as his first season was probably his best. Everything was pretty much downhill from there.)
8. Joe Smith (8.8) - #32, Forward
Resume: 1999-2000, 2002-2003; 247 Games, 10.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 17.6 Win Shares
I'm tempted to take a roster spot away from the Wolves for signing Joe Smith to this team, but I think Wolves fans have suffered enough.
9. Anthony Peeler (8.8) - #1/#44, Guard
Resume: 1998-2003; 379 Games, 9.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 17.5 Win Shares
Like I said, the Wolves fans have suffered enough. Which leads me to...
10. Al Jefferson (8.6) - #25, Forward
Resume: 2008-2010; 208 Games, 20.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 17.2 Win Shares
Look at those numbers. And the Timberwolves just traded him. For nothing.
11. Doug West (8.5) - #5, Guard-Forward
Resume: 1990-1998; 609 Games, 10.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 16.9 Win Shares
See the previous Sam Mitchell and Anthony Peeler comments for pertinent details.
12. Fred Hoiberg (7.3) - #32, Guard
Resume: 2004-2005; 155 Games, 6.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 11.3 Win Shares, 1.3 Conference Finals Win Shares
Hoiberg makes the team pretty much entirely because of his playoff performance in 2004 when the Wolves made the conference finals. It also helps that that 2004 team is the only team getting playoff bonus points, since, well, they're the only Timberwolves team to make it that far.
13. Pooh Richardson (7.2) - #24, Guard
Resume: 1990-1992; 246 Games, 15.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.0 APG, 14.4 Win Shares
Pooh Richardson? Yeah, sure, why not? Seems like a good way to close this team out.
Just missing the cut:
14. Rasho Nesterovic (6.9)
15. Trenton Hassell (6.8)
16. Micheal Williams (6.7)
17. Tyrone Corbin (6.2)
18. Dean Garrett (6.0)
Outlook: Ugly. I mean, they're certainly not as bad as the Bobcats. This could be considered an actual team in today's league, and they may win a game in this tournament, but I have my doubts.
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