[Old General Record] The first generation of Wolf King: Minnesota’s persistence!

Before the trade deadline in 2015, the Timberwolves made a seemingly unremarkable operation:

They sent the still very young Thaddeus Young to the Nets in exchange for a veteran who was entering his late stages.

If you only look at the surface, it seems like this is another failed transaction, but the value to this veteran is worthy of making Minnesota fans proud. It is not even an exaggeration to say that although his results are average, he will be an irreplaceable spiritual symbol in the history of the Timberwolves.

For Garnett, from leaving in 2007 to returning in 2015, the Timberwolves' record during that period was 187 wins and 460 losses. For seven years, the Wolves were almost cursed on the NBA stage. The distance between them and the playoffs was always out of reach.

Every time a ray of hope occasionally appears, it is quickly extinguished by reality.

On February 25, 2015, the Timberwolves game was going on as usual, and the broadcast camera suddenly captured a fan wearing a retro Wolves jersey.

Then he waved slightly in the audience, and the two children beside him danced excitedly. The broadcast camera seemed to suddenly realize something, and then pointed the camera at the fan again, and then Garnett on the court also looked up at him.

This fan's name is John Sweeney. He has been a frequent visitor to the Target Center since 2003 and is a legend that Minnesota fans talk about.

In 2015, the 50-year-old Sweeney walked to the fan tunnel, then took off his shirt and danced. The big letters on his chest read: "Welcome back KG." For a moment, the entire audience seemed to have returned to the days before 2007, when the first generation of Wolf King was the first generation of wolf kings. All memories were ignited, and the most profound mark in this story was carved.

Back to the beginning of this story, in 1995, the Timberwolves selected a high school student named Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick.

Considering that Minnesota had never won more than 30 games in a single season in the previous seven years, and thanks to the arrival of this young high school student, the city's fortunes seemed to be beginning to be reversed.

"I was lucky to have a veteran like Garnett in my first year in the league. He not only imparted season experience, but was also the biggest pillar of motivation for me."

This was the answer Towns later gave when recalling his time with the first-generation Wolf King.

In the second year after Garnett entered the league, the Timberwolves began to build a championship team around him. Subsequently, the team reached the playoffs for eight consecutive years, and the number of wins each season began to increase to the 50-win echelon. This is an achievement that Wolves fans could not even imagine before his arrival.

More importantly, the emergence of Garnett has changed not only the Timberwolves, but also the innovation and transformation of the alliance.

In that era, big men in the frontcourt could almost only show dominance in the penalty area, but the emergence of Garnett overturned this tradition. As a versatile big man, he can not only show confrontation in the paint area, but also participate in offensive organization from the high elbow area. Thanks to his wide field of vision and rich passing methods, almost no other player except Duncan can compete with him in terms of dominance in the penalty area at the same time.

With his comprehensive skills, defense has become a benchmark mark throughout the era. As one of the few players in NBA history who can defend from position one to position five. Although his body type belongs to the fifth position, his flexibility is better than that of a small forward.

On the personal honor list, he was selected to the All-Defensive Team 12 times and won the Best Defensive Player in the 2007-08 season. These personal achievements are enough to verify his comprehensiveness on both offense and defense. Especially during the Green Army's championship journey, Garnett was the defensive poster board and the direct catalyst that maximized the offensive threat of his teammates.

In comparison, Garnett and Duncan once dominated the inside position in their respective eras, especially when the league was still relying on speed and space to fight against Shaquille O'Neal. The emergence of Garnett just proved that big men can also create threats outside the penalty area.

Borrowed from American media The A question once raised by well-known Ringer writer Jonathan Jaquez:

"If Garnett had joined the Spurs, would he have a higher historical status than he does now?

No one knows the answer to this question, but it does not seem to affect Garnett's historical status. MVP, All-Star, and Best Team, he has almost reached a historical level. The only shortcoming may be a slight lack of championships. But judging from the trajectory of the times, , Garnett's value may be one of the most undervalued players in NBA history.

Looking back at his time in Minnesota, Garnett chose loyalty. He successively partnered with Marbury, Cassell and others to write the short and dazzling fireworks memory of Beidahuang.

In this cold city, few stars are willing to come, but Garnett still chooses to share weal and woe with this city. Just because he knows that as long as he If he gives everything, the whole city will naturally reward him.

But unfortunately, during his time in Minnesota, Garnett was often just a lonely person walking in the snow, but the cold could not extinguish his enthusiasm. He still chose to carry the entire city on his shoulders. Even though there were constant setbacks, he never made excuses for himself. Even though he left in 2007, after completing his pursuit of the championship, his return in 2015 still made up for the biggest regret in his career. some time.

In the story of Garnett's career, the former dancing uncle John Sweeney will still appear in the center of the target. Even if his figure gradually becomes bloated, when he lifts his shirt, the memories of the Timberwolves and Garnett are still worth the excitement of the fans. This is not only the youth of the Wolf King, but also the glorious years that Minnesotans have gone through together.

A former high school student, now he has the halo of Hall of Fame.. Although it will still take some time for his No. 21 jersey to hang high in the arena, the image of Garnett looking up to the sky and screaming has already been deeply engraved in the hearts of every Minnesotan.