Thrown To The Wolves
The Timberwolves struggled early and constantly, beginning the season 1-9. In December 1995 - with the Timberwolves sporting a poor 6-14 record - Phil (Flip) Saunders took over as head coach, replacing Bill Blair. The Timberwolves were not playing much better than the previous year. They were still losing and still blowing leads. Flip entered an already bleak situation. There were players the likes of Christian Laettner, J.R. Rider. I'm so glad they got rid of Laettner in February 1996 - he was a bad influence on everybody. He pulls the team down with him. Here was a guy criticizing his own team when he sucked so much himself. He would tease Garnett for still being a kid, offering to bring back ice cream for KG, or suggesting to have a babysitter for KG while the the older guys enjoyed the night scene. Then he would publically criticize Kevin Garnett. Laettner was a jerk in every sense of the word. People talked about Rider being a negative influence, but KG respected him as a person. Sure he had off-court problems and excess baggage, but Rider really wasn't that bad - plus, he had game.

The Rookie Game
I love All-Star Saturdays - they're so much fun. Jam Sessions, Slam Dunk Contests, Three-point Shootouts, plus all the festivities - and of course, the Rookie Game. KG was invited to play for the West Rookies, and he had a blast that year in San Antonio. He played with a passion, with flair and athleticism. He was laughin' and hollerin' as he ran down the court. The fans loved him, as he soared to some crowd-pleasing jams - including that monster tomahawk on a fastbreak that I've personally watched over and over a zillion times. It was awesome. KG said, laughing, "Flip wouldn't allow none of the stuff I was doing out there tonight, none of it." He scored 8pts, 4reb, 6ast, 2stl. I think the Rookie Game energized KG tremendously. It was definitely great that he was able to enjoy something like that - get to know other players, get some exposure, be a kid, and have some fun.

Just Let Him Play!
Things weren't about to get any easier - at least not in life. On February 26, the day before the Timberwolves played the mighty Bulls in Chicago, KG learned that his Farragut Academy friend Ronnie Fields was involved in a car accident. KG was evidently shaken by the news. In a story published by the St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN), it said, "late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, Timberwolves were headed for their 38th defeat and another loss to the Chicago Bulls. Somewhere in the usual misery for the Wolves, Kevin Garnett found the strength to smile after dunking over Bulls center Luc Longley. Maybe Garnett just wanted to let everyone know he was all right." Yeah, the kid was aw'ight. KG blossomed in the second-half of the season, when he was inserted into the starting lineup. Sam Mitchell - a veteran - went up to Flip and suggested that KG should start instead. Why? Because KG was whoopin' Sam's butt in practice. Garnett was clearly that much better, and he was now ready to make a move and really help the team. Even though Flip was a rookie coach himself, he knew the talent that KG had. So he let KG start. Well, KG started the final 42 games, averaging 14pts, 8.4reb, 2.26blk in 36.6minutes - and shooting 53.5%! He finished the season with 12 double-doubles, ripping a career-high 19reb March 6 against the Sixers, and scoring a career high 33pts on March 27 against the Celtics.

Teen-Wolf
Flip, at one point, called KG the team's inspirational leader, saying "he's the one guy we have with the attitude that we can get this thing done no matter what." Even though the team won only 26 games this year, they had a lot to look forward to. KG was determined to make the Timberwolves a contender: "I come to play, and my desire is to win." For the year, KG averaged a solid 10.4pts, 6.3reb, 1.8ast,1.64blk, 1.08stl in just 28.7 minutes of play. With his stellar rookie campaign, KG was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second team. KG was happy that the season was finally ending. After all the media interviews, people wanting to know what the transition was like for him, and everybody wanting a piece of him, KG said in April 1996, "I'm just ready for it to be over."

Just A Little Change...
The season ended for the Timberwolves April. On May 18, the Timberwolevs organization unveiled the new uniform that the team will be wearing next season. Not only that, a brand spankin' new logo was also unvelied. It was a fresh new look, fitting for the changes that team would be making in the upcoming months. Rider's gone. Flip's here to stay. Timberwolves drafted a kid out of Georgia Tech by the name of Stephon Marbury. All steps in the right direction.