Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves finished 44-38, and missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. One bright spot in otherwise disappointing season for Los Angeles was that forward Bobby Simmons won the 2004-05 NBA Most Improved Player award, after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. Coach Flip Saunders was replaced in midseason by GM Kevin McHale, who took over the team for the rest of the season. The Clippers, while also missing the playoffs, ended with a better record than the Lakers (the first time since 1993) and have great hope for the future, with young rising stars such as Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingston. The team was plagued with contract disputes and the complaining of key players Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Troy Hudson. The Lakers, because of the trade of O'Neal to the Miami Heat, ended the season with a losing record and missed the playoffs. In the 2004-05 season, the Wolves kept the same team from the previous season. The 2004-2005 season, though, was the turning point for the relations between the two franchises.

Kevin Garnett finally earned his first MVP award with 24.2 points per game and 13.9 rebounds per game. With new head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr., the Clippers finished at 28-54, a lot due to inexperience and injuries. They finished as the season as the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 58-24, and beat the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. They, along with Richardson, made of one of the NBA best high-scoring trios, with a combined 58 points per game. During the 2003-04 NBA season, the Timberwolves became the team everyone wanted to beat. In the 2003-04 season, Los Angeles four key players to free agency (Miller, Odom, Olowokandi, and forward Eric Piatkowski--one of the longest-tenured players in Clippers history), while opting to retain Brand and Maggette with long-term contracts. In 2003, the Timberwolves made two stunning offseason moves, trading away forward Joe Smith and injured guard Terrell Brandon in a multi-player deal for Ervin Johnson, Sam Cassell and embattled guard Latrell Sprewell. Head coach Alvin Gentry was replaced by Dennis Johnson midway through the 2002-03 season.

However, the Lakers came back to win the game on the way to winning the series in six games, as the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round for the 7th straight year. However, with poor team chemistry and injuries (several players missed a combined 293 games), the Clippers finished with a very disappointing 27-55 record. After being blown out at home in Game 1 the Timberwolves had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead as they led heading into the 4th quarter of Game 4 in Los Angeles. The 2002 offseason brought more changes, as popular star Miles was traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for point guard Andre Miller, who led the NBA in assists in 2001-02 with 11 per game. Suddenly, with the good point guard they finally needed, along with another playmaking player at small forward with Lamar Odom, one of the league's best power forwards in Elton Brand, an emering center with Michael Olowokandi, and a very good supporting cast off the bench, the Clippers could actually make a serious run for the playoffs. With home court advantage for the first time facing the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers were virtually in the Western Conference playoff race, but a 3-10 finish in the final 13 games caused the Clippers to finish out of the playoffs once again, this time with a 39-43 record, finishing 5 games out of the final playoff position. 2002-2003 seemed to look up for the Wolves. Kevin Garnett had a great season, finishing 2nd in MVP voting while averaging a solid 23.0 ppg and 13.4 rebounds per game as the Timberwolves finish in 3rd place with a 51-31 record. Brand's hard work and accomplishments earned him a spot on the 2002 NBA Western Conference All-Star team, although he was a last-minute replacement for center Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers.

However, in the playoffs the Wolves were eliminated in the first round again by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games in the spring of 2001. At this point of his career, Brand had career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds per games in just two seasons. Despite the trouble the Wolves made the playoffs for the 5th straight season with a 47-35 record. To improve upon the previous season, the Clippers acquired high-scoring and rebounding power forward Elton Brand from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Los Angeles-area native and high-schooler Tyson Chandler. They stripped the T-Wolves of three draft picks, fined them $3.5 million and suspended general manager Kevin McHale for one year. The team became popular among fans with their high-flying style of basketball, and the Clippers did improve a bit with a 31-51 record and led the NBA in bench scoring with 37 points per game. Also in that season, a free agent deal signed by Joe Smith was voided by the NBA, who ruled that the Timberwolves violated proper procedure in signing the contract. Louis with the 3rd overall pick and Quentin Richardson, a guard/forward from DePaul University was taken at the 18th overall spot.

Guard Malik Sealy was killed in a car accident in the summer of 2000. Making more moves, the Clippers two draft picks were childhood friends from Illinois, as they took high schooler Darius Miles from East St. However, in the playoffs the Wolves fell in the first round again losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in 4 games. Reserve forward Derek Strong, along with other players and cash were sent to the Orlando Magic in exchange for second-year forward Corey Maggette and the draft rights to guard Keyon Dooling from the University of Missouri. Led by Kevin Garnett, who averaged 22.9 ppg and 11.8 rebounds per game, the Timberwolves enjoyed their first 50-win season finishing in 3rd place with a solid record of 50-32. The 2000-01 brought changes (as is the recurring theme with the Clippers), however these would be for the better. He had a solid season finishing 3rd on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg. Abdul-Jabbar lasted only lasted about one season on the job.

In 1999, the Timberwolves drafted Wally Szczerbiak. Johnson lasted with the Clippers until the 2002-03 season, when he took over as head coach in the middle of that season. In the playoffs the Timberwolves were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games. The team also hired Hall of Famer and former Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as an assistant coach, to help tutor second-year center Michael Olowokandi, who was the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. The Wolves made the playoffs for the 3rd straight season by finishing in 4th place with a 25-25 record. To help their young players out with their growing games, the team hired former All-Star (and Los Angeles native) Dennis Johnson, won three NBA championships with Seattle (1979) and Boston (1984 and 1986) as an assistant coach. In the 3-team midseason deal that sent Marbury to the New Jersey Nets the Wolves got Terrell Brandon in return. The Clippers finished with a very dismal 15-67 record.

With an already cap heavy payroll the Wolves were forced to let Tom Gugliotta walk away and trade Stephon Marbury fearing both would seek deals similar to Garnett's. It also in that first season at Staples Center that the Clippers drafted highly-touted, but oft-troubled, star forward Lamar Odom from the University of Rhode Island. In 1998, a year after signing Kevin Garnett to an unprecedented 6-year, $126 million contract, the Timberwolves were used as the poster child of irresponsible spending as the NBA endured a 4-month lockout that wiped out the season. Meanwhile, the Clippers struggled, consistently ending with losing records which were significantly worse than the Lakers' record. However, the Wolves dropped Game 4 at home as the Sonics went on to win the series in 5 games. In the following years, the Lakers dominated the NBA with the combination of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, winning three championships. As the series shifted to Minnesota the Timberwolves had an opportunity to pull off the upset as they won Game 3 by a score of 98-90. That season, the Clippers were outshone by their in-city rivals, the Lakers, who won the NBA Championship.

After dropping Game 1 on the road to the Seattle Supersonics in the playoffs the Timberwolves earned their first postseason win in Game 2 winning in Seattle 98-93. However, in 1999, the Clippers and Lakers both started to play in the Staples Center. Despite losing leading scorer Tom Gugliotta for half the season the Timberwolves went on to post their first winning season at 45-37 making the playoffs for the 2nd straight season. From 1994 - 1999, the Clippers played selected home games in the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, sharing the venue with a plethora of other water-themed teams including the Mighty Ducks (ice hockey) and the Splash (soccer). In 1997 Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury established themselves as two of the brightest rising stars in the NBA as Garnett averaged 18.5 ppg while pulling down 9.6 rebounds per game, while Marbury averaged 17.7 ppg, and dished out 8.6 assists per game. In typical Clippers fashion, that team made the playoffs with a losing record (36-46) and were summarily swept in the first round by the eventual Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz, 3 games to none. However, in the playoffs the Timberwolves made a quick exit as they are swept by the Houston Rockets in 3 straight games. The Clippers continued to make frequent roster and coaching changes throughout the next several years, and making their last playoff appearance in 1997.

Gugliotta and Garnett led the Timberwolves in scoring as the team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 40-42. That 1993-94 season proved to one of the worst seasons in Los Angeles NBA history, whereas both the Clippers and Lakers went a combined 60-104 in the regular season, and missed the playoffs entirely. The addition of Marbury had a positive effect on the entire team, as Kevin Garnett and Tom Gugliotta became the first Wolves to be selected to the All-Star team. Brown left the Clippers to join the Indiana Pacers as their head coach, and Bob Weiss was brought in to replace him. In addition the T-Wolves found another star player in the draft as they traded with the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to Stephon Marbury, the 4th overall pick. The Clippers returned to the playoffs again in the 1992-93 season (with a 41-41 regular season record), and again lost in five games in the first round, this time to the Houston Rockets. Garnett went on to average 10.4 ppg in his rookie season as the T-Wolves finished in 5th place with a 26-56 record. Due to the Los Angeles riots that took place in late April 1992, game 4 of their series was moved to the Anaheim Convention Center, and the Clippers won that game.

Also first round pick Donyell Marshall was traded that season for Golden State Warriors' forward Tom Gugliotta, who was earlier traded himself from Washington for Chris Webber The trade paved the way for rookie Kevin Garnett to become the go-to player inside. The Clippers were in eliminated in the first round of the playoff by the Utah Jazz, 3 games to 2. Changes were abound for the Timberwolves as Christian Laettner was traded along with Sean Rooks to the Atlanta Hawks for Andrew Lang and Spud Webb. He replaced head coach Mike Schuler, who at the point of his dismissal, posted a 22-25 record. Brown finished the season with a 23-12 mark, and the overall record for Los Angeles was 45-37. In 1995, the Timberwolves selected Kevin Garnett and Flip Saunders became coach. Midway through the 1991-92 season, the Clippers made yet another coaching change, but this one worked out in their favor. Larry Brown, who was fired by the Spurs weeks before, was hired as the team's head coach in late January 1992. Glen Taylor bought the team and named Kevin McHale general manager. That move, along with the 1987 draft of Ken Norman from the University of Illinois, the 1988 draftings of Kansas University forward Danny Manning and Charles Smith from the University of Pittsburgh, and the 1990 draft of Loy Vaught from the University of Michigan (currently still the franchise's all-time rebound leader), those players formed a nucleus that led the Clipper franchise to a playoff appearance in 1992, the first since 1976, when the team was still in Buffalo.

Over the next several years, the franchise encountered mediocrity and even a near relocation in 1994 before NBA owners rejected the team's move to New Orleans. In the 1989-90 season, Baylor made a trade with the Cavaliers that brought in Ron Harper, a rising star guard, in exchange for forward Danny Ferry (who refused to play for the Clippers) and guard Reggie Williams. They fired their head coach Bill Musselman. That season also brought in Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor as the team's vice president and general manager of basketball operations, a post he currently holds to this day. The next season the team moved into the Target Center and won 29 games. (The Worst? The Philadelphia 76ers went 9-73 in 1973) That particular season was filled with injuries to both Marques Johnson and guard Norm Nixon, who missed most, if not, the whole entire season. Playing in the cavernous Metrodome the expansion Timberwolves drew over 1 million fans including the 3rd largest crowd in NBA history at 49,551 on April 17, 1990 that saw the Timberwolves lose to the Denver Nuggets 99-88 in the final home game of the season. The next seven seasons (1985-92), the Clippers were mired in futility, including a 12-70 record in the 1986-87 season, the third-worst single-season record in NBA history.

The Timberwolves went on to finish with a 22-60 record while finishing in 6th place in the Midwestern Division, as Tony Campbell led the team with 23.2 ppg. The Clippers, under head coach Jim Lynam (and later Don Chaney), and new acquistions Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, and Harvey Catchings (all acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks), finished with a disappointing 31-51 record in the first season in the City of Angels. Just two nights later the Wolves would finally got their first win beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home 125-118 on November 10th. The Clippers were completely out-shadowed by their crosstown counterparts, who were in the midst of the championship run with future Hall of Famers, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. Five days later they would make their home debut at the Metrodome losing to the Chicago Bulls 96-84. In 1984, the Clippers moved to Los Angeles, California, playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena while the Lakers, with a better reputation, continued to play at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, a few miles south. The Timberwolves made their debut on November 3, 1989 losing to the Seattle SuperSonics on the road 106-94. The Clippers' poor play in their final years in San Diego resulted in poor attendance, in which the team would average nearly 4,500 fans per game, and Sterling lobbied the NBA to relocated the team to his native Los Angeles.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a National Basketball Association team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The purchase price was $20 million. Wally Szczerbiak. Sterling. Latrell Sprewell. The 1981-82 season brought more changes to the Clipper franchise as Irv Levin sold the team to Los Angeles-area real estate developer and attorney, Donald T. Michael Olowokandi. Free was to traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Phil Smith.

Mark Madsen. Walton missed the entire season, once again due to chronic foot injuries. Ervin Johnson. Paul Silas replaced Shue the following season, finished with a 36-46 records, once again missing the postseason. Troy Hudson. Free continued his great scoring, again finising second in league scoring, with a 30.2 PPG (Points Per Game). Eddie Griffin. San Diego finished with a 37-45 season, despite the fact that many of their key players missed games due to injuries.

Kevin Garnett. Walton wasn't much of an impact unfortunately, due to missing 68 games because of foot injuries, which he also suffered in his final years in Portland. Ndudi Ebi. The 1979-80 season wasn't much better, as the Clippers began to struggle, but not before they brought in San Diego native, center Bill Walton, who was two years removed from a NBA world championship with the Trail Blazers. Sam Cassell. Free finished second overall in NBA scoring average, with 28.8 per game, while George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs had a 29.6 average. 2 Malik Sealy. Free, who was acquired in the offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Isiah Rider. Randy Smith had another solid season, averaging 20.5 points per game, finishing second behind World B. Terry Porter. It was also in that first season in Southern California that long time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club. Rasho Nesterovic. However, that record wasn't good enough to advance them to the playoffs, finishing only a few games out of the final playoff spot. Sam Mitchell. In the team's first season in San Diego, the Clippers posted a winning record, going 43-39, under new head coach Gene Shue.

Stephon Marbury. They moved to San Diego, California after the 1977-78 season, and became the San Diego Clippers. Christian Laettner. Following what would be the final season in western New York, the NBA owners voted 21-1 to let the Braves relocate. Tom Gugliotta. The deal was brokered by David Stern, an attorney for the NBA, who of course, later became the league's commissioner in 1984. Terrell Brandon. Levin was a California businessman, and wanted to own a NBA team in his native state.

See also Category:Minnesota Timberwolves players. Because of the team's poor play in their final two years (30-52 in 1976-77 and 27-55 in 1977-78), along with rumors of the franchise relocating, John Y. Brown met with the then-owner of the Celtics, Irv Levin and negotiated a deal in which the owners would swap franchises, in which Brown would take control of the Celtics and Levin would get the Braves. Brown renegotiated his lease on Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, to include a clause which if the Braves do not sell at least 4,500 season tickets, the Braves can be let go of their lease and be free to move to another city. A big example of this was when the Braves sent McAdoo to the New York Knicks for players and cash midway through the 1976-77 season. However, a provision in the transaction stipulated that if Brown sold a contract of any Braves players, then the money would go to Synder and the price of purchase would be reduced.

Brown, in turn, sold a percentage of the team to another businessman, Harry Mangurian, who later went to own a portion of the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. Brown later acquired the remaining portion from Synder sometime in the 1976-77 season. Brown, Jr., who had previously owned the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. In the summer of 1976, the team's founding owner Paul Synder intitally sold 50 percent of the franchise to businessman John Y.

The Braves made two more trips to the playoffs in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons, which would be their last in Buffalo. The team finally made their first playoff appearance in 1973-74, where they faced the Boston Celtics and lost in six games in the first round. The Braves' big move of that season was the drafting for forward/center Bob McAdoo, from the University of North Carolina. Jack Ramsay.

The team didn't do much better in the 1972-73 season, as they went 21-61 under new head coach, Dr. Schayes was replaced one game into the season with John McCarty as the team's head coach. Buffalo drafted center Elmore Smith from Kentucky State University, and local favorite Randy Smith, from Buffalo State University. The Braves repeated their 22-60 season in the following 1971-72 season, but did make good acquistions that would make the club better.

Kauffman, who averaged 4.3 points per game the previous year with the Chicago Bulls, led Buffalo in scoring with 20.4 points per game and earned a spot on the 1971 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team. As typical of first-year expansion teams, the Braves finished with a 22-60 record, five games ahead of expansion-mate Cleveland, who finished their season at 15-67. The team's first head coach was Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, the franchise's first star players were Bob Kauffman and Don May, who were acquired in the expansion draft. The Braves, in their eight seasons in Buffalo, played their home games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, sharing the arena with another new franchise, the Sabres of the National Hockey League, who also debuted in 1970.

. They were one of three franchises that joined the NBA in the 1970-71 season, the others were the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Buffalo Braves played their first NBA season in 1970. The Los Angeles Clippers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California.

Norm Nixon. Mel Proctor. Lee Kline. Michael Smith.

Ralph Lawler. Marko Jaric. Chris Wilcox. Bobby Simmons.

Corey Maggette. Shaun Livingston. Kerry Kittles. Chris Kaman.

Elton Brand. Dominique Wilkins. Loy Vaught. Malik Sealy.

Quentin Richardson. Eric Piatkowski. Bo Outlaw. Lamar Odom.

Norm Nixon. Danny Manning. Mark Jackson. Ron Harper.

Free. World B. Randy Smith. Bill Walton.

Bob McAdoo.