A View From The Bench
November 10th, 2004
By Archived Story
It was twenty weeks ago today, Sgt. Garnett lead the Minnesota Timberwolves out of its first-round playoffs jinx only to be eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers one game short of the NBA Finals.
During a chaotic NBA off-season that saw more player movement than a life-or-death game of musical chairs, the mighty Wolves hid under a rock, and begin the 2004-2005 season with the same team that came so close to a championship ring.
It has always been my observation that a healthy Timberwolves roster would have beaten the Lakers and ultimately the Detroit Pistons, so I can only applaud the efforts to keep this team together and make another run.
Can they do it this time around? The answer isn’t easy. It requires an in-depth look at this team in its quest for the precious championship ring. And what better way to do so than in a bit I’d like to call “What Lord of the Rings character am I?”
Kevin Garnett: I’ve been the focal point of this offense since my emergence in the NBA. I finally had the supporting cast to win a few playoff series, and now people are chanting MVP. Now I need to prove my valor by winning the big one and afterwards marry Liv Tyler. What Lord of the Rings character am I? You guessed it: Aragorn.
Wally Szczerbiak and Mark Madsen: We’re a talented duo. One of us is a dreamboat with a deadly accurate shot from far away, while the other is slow, husky and goofy. What Lord of the Rings characters are we? Legolas and Gimley.
Sam Cassell: C’mon, just look at me! What Lord of the Rings character am I? Gollum.
But in all seriousness, these hibernated T-Wolves had the ingredients to win it all last year, and with Shaq out of the Western Conference, the Spurs and injuries are the only major threats at stopping KG and company from taking it to the Finals.
Here are this issue’s Most Valuable Gophers.
Sean Kelly. After finishing last year’s swim season as an All-American in the 200-meter medley relay, the Omaha native has continued to propel the Gopher swim team near the top of the national rankings. On Nov. 2, Kelly was named the Big Ten swimmer of the week after winning two individual events in a meet at Florida. Kelly is a junior here at the University of Minnesota.
Natalie Darwitz. Another junior, this women’s hockey player earned WCHA offensive player of the week honors after her performance against Minnesota State-Mankato. Darwitz finished the weekend with five goals and three assists. This isn’t the first time the rink rat has been at the forefront of the Gopher offense. Despite missing ten games last season with an elbow injury, Darwitz had the second most points (64) and second most goals (27) for the Gophers.
