2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 12th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association.^[1] After the death of Malik Sealy, the Timberwolves scrambled to find a replacement for him, signing free agent Chauncey Billups,^[2][3] a close friend of Kevin Garnett, and signing LaPhonso Ellis during the off-season.^[4][5]

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves were involved in controversy, as their secret free-agent deal signed by Joe Smith was voided by the NBA, who ruled their proper procedure in signing the contract, while stripping their first-round draft picks for the next five seasons and fined the team $3.5 million; Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, and General Manager Kevin McHale were both suspended for one year.^[6][7][8] Smith would later on sign a free-agent deal with the Detroit Pistons.^[9][10][11]

With the addition of Billups and Ellis, the Timberwolves lost four of their first six games of the regular season, but then won 13 of their next 18 games. The team posted an 11-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 32–18 record at the All-Star break.^[12] At mid-season, the team signed free agent Felipe López, who was previously released by the Washington Wizards.^[13] The Timberwolves finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record, and earned the eighth seed in the Western Conference;^[14] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.^[1]

Garnett averaged 22.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, second-year star Wally Szczerbiak averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Terrell Brandon provided the team with 16.0 points, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and Anthony Peeler contributed 10.5 points per game, and led the Timberwolves with 100 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, Billups contributed 9.3 points and 3.4 assists per game, Ellis provided with 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game off the bench, and Rasho Nesterovic averaged 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.^[15]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Garnett was selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team,^[16][17][18] while Szczerbiak was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Sophomores team.^[19] Szczerbiak scored 27 points along with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and made 5 out of 6 three-point field-goal attempts, and was named the Rookie Challenge Game's Most Valuable Player, as the Sophomores defeated the Rookies team, 121–113.^[20][17][21] Garnett finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting with 1 first-place vote,^[22][23] and also finished in second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind Dikembe Mutombo of the Philadelphia 76ers,^[24][23] while Ellis finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.^[25][23]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and Derek Anderson. The Timberwolves lost the first two games to the Spurs on the road at the Alamodome, but managed to win Game 3 at home, 93–84 at the Target Center.^[26] However, the Timberwolves lost Game 4 to the Spurs at home, 97–84, thus losing the series in four games; it was the fifth consecutive year that the Timberwolves lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.^[27][28][29]

The Timberwolves finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 717,371 at the Target Center during the regular season.^[15][30] Following the season, Ellis signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat,^[31][32][33] and Tom Hammonds retired.