2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves season

2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Head coachFlip Saunders
General managerKevin McHale
OwnersGlen Taylor
ArenaTarget Center
Results
Record47–35 (.573)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Midwest)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Spurs 1–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference

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.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
251Igor RakocevicPG/SG Serbia

Roster

2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
PG 5 William Avery 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1979–08–08 Duke
SG 4 Chauncey Billups 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1976–09–25 Colorado
PG 7 Terrell Brandon 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1970–05–20 Oregon
SG 11 Todd Day 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1970–01–07 Arkansas
PF 3 LaPhonso Ellis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–05–05 Notre Dame
PF 21 Kevin Garnett 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1976–05–19 Farragut Academy (IL)
C 22 Dean Garrett 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–11–27 Indiana
PF 20 Tom Hammonds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–03–27 Georgia Tech
PG 13 Felipe López 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1974–12–19 St. John's
SF 42 Sam Mitchell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1963–09–02 Mercer
C 8 Rasho Nesterović 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976–05–30 Slovenia
SG 44 Anthony Peeler 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri
PF 35 Reggie Slater 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1970–08–27 Wyoming
SF 10 Wally Szczerbiak 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 244 lb (111 kg) 1977–03–05 Miami (OH)
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: February 28, 2001

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-San Antonio Spurs 5824.707–33–825–1619–5
x-Utah Jazz 5329.646528–1325–1614–10
x-Dallas Mavericks 5329.646528–1325–1614–10
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 4735.5731130–1117–2411–13
e-Houston Rockets 4537.5491324–1721–2011–13
e-Denver Nuggets 4042.4881829–1211–3013–11
e-Vancouver Grizzlies 2359.2803515–268–332–22
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs5824.707–
2 y-Los Angeles Lakers5626.6832
3 x-Sacramento Kings5527.6713
4 x-Utah Jazz5329.6465
5 x-Dallas Mavericks5329.6465
6 x-Phoenix Suns5131.6227
7 x-Portland Trail Blazers5032.6108
8 x-Minnesota Timberwolves4735.57311
9 e-Houston Rockets4537.54913
10 e-Seattle SuperSonics4438.53714
11 e-Denver Nuggets4042.48818
12 e-Los Angeles Clippers3151.37827
13 e-Vancouver Grizzlies2359.28035
14 e-Golden State Warriors1765.20741
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

2001 playoff game log
First Round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 21 @ San Antonio L 82–87 Kevin Garnett (25) Kevin Garnett (13) Terrell Brandon (8) Alamodome
33,983		 0–1
2 April 23 @ San Antonio L 69–86 Kevin Garnett (18) Kevin Garnett (12) six players tied (2) Alamodome
31,759		 0–2
3 April 28 San Antonio W 93–84 Kevin Garnett (22) Kevin Garnett (8) Terrell Brandon (9) Target Center
17,676		 1–2
4 April 30 San Antonio L 84–97 Wally Szczerbiak (20) Kevin Garnett (15) Terrell Brandon (6) Target Center
16,336		 1–3
2001 schedule

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Wally SzczerbiakSF 82822,85644726059331,14534.85.53.2.7.414.0
LaPhonso EllisPF 8251,94849493677477223.86.01.1.8.99.4
Sam MitchellSF 82498312357261028512.01.5.7.3.13.5
Kevin GarnettPF 81813,2029214011111451,78439.511.45.01.41.822.0
Terrell BrandonPG 78782,821298583161211,25036.23.87.52.1.316.0
Chauncey BillupsSG 77331,790158260511171323.22.13.4.7.19.3
Anthony PeelerSG 75412,126192192911879128.32.62.61.2.210.5
Rasho NesterovićC 73391,23328645256332816.93.9.6.3.94.5
Dean GarrettC 702183121724264917711.93.1.3.4.72.5
Reggie SlaterPF 55166861862618925412.53.4.5.3.24.6
William AveryPG 55046329751341548.4.51.4.2.12.8
Todd DaySG 310345372810713211.11.2.9.3.24.3
Felipe López†PG 23104577434211217019.93.21.5.9.57.4
Sam JacobsonPG 140596430204.2.4.3.2.01.4
Tom HammondsPF 7030410074.3.6.1.0.01.0
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.

Playoffs

Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kevin GarnettPF 441654817468441.312.04.31.01.521.0
Terrell BrandonPG 441531725426138.34.36.31.0.515.3
Wally SzczerbiakSF 441431810535635.84.52.51.3.814.0
Anthony PeelerSG 44137147713434.33.51.81.8.38.5
Rasho NesterovićC 4249123131012.33.0.8.3.82.5
LaPhonso EllisPF 4077140132419.33.5.0.3.86.0
Felipe LópezPG 4055115401713.82.81.31.0.04.3
Reggie SlaterPF 4052140231313.03.5.0.5.83.3
Sam MitchellSF 40507310612.51.8.8.3.01.5
Dean GarrettC 324190111313.73.0.0.3.34.3
Chauncey BillupsSG 3026520038.71.7.7.0.01.0
William AveryPG 2012120176.0.51.0.0.53.5

Awards and records

References

  1. 1 2 "Minnesota Timberwolves". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Timberwolves Sign Billups, Smith". Associated Press. August 28, 2000. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  3. ↑ "NBA Capsule -- Minnesota Timberwolves". United Press International. October 29, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. October 5, 2000. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ Wise, Mike (October 30, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; West Side Story, the Sequel". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  6. ↑ McKinley Jr., James C. (October 26, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; Timberwolves Pay Dearly for Secret Contract". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ Wise, Mike (October 27, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; Timberwolves Might Face Additional Punishment". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  8. ↑ Adande, J.A. (October 28, 2000). "Minnesota Feels Stern's Wrath". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Smith Saga Ends With Pistons Winning". ESPN. Associated Press. November 20, 2000. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  10. ↑ "PRO BASKETBALL; Smith Is Signed and Sealed, and Pistons Look to Deliver". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 21, 2000. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Joe Smith Ends Up Signing with Pistons". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 21, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 8, 2001". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Lopez Latches on with Minnesota". United Press International. February 28, 2001. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ "2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  15. 1 2 "2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ "West Expected to Flex Muscle in NBA All-Star Game Sunday". ESPN. Ticker. February 10, 2001. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  17. 1 2 "2001 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ "2001 NBA All-Star Game: East 111, West 110". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  19. ↑ Liao, Henry (January 15, 2001). "Rookies Game Lineup Known". Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. A22. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  20. ↑ Robbins, Liz (February 11, 2001). "BASKETBALL: ALL-STAR NOTEBOOK; Szczerbiak Schools Rookies". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  21. ↑ "2001 NBA Rising Stars: Sophomores 121, Rookies 113". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  22. ↑ Brown, Clifton (May 16, 2001). "PRO BASKETBALL; 76ers' Fans Called It: Iverson Is Most Valuable Player". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 "2000-01 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Mutombo Named League's Top Defender". ESPN. Associated Press. May 30, 2001. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  25. ↑ "McKie Helped Sixers Win First Division Title Since 1990". ESPN. Associated Press. May 9, 2001. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  26. ↑ "2001 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 3: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves Box Score, April 28, 2001". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  27. ↑ "N.B.A.: PLAYOFF ROUNDUP AND SCHEDULE; San Antonio Clinches". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 1, 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Spurs Handily Pass Their First Test". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 1, 2001. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  29. ↑ "2001 NBA Western Conference First Round: Timberwolves vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  30. ↑ "2000–01 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Report: LaPhonso Ellis Headed for Miami". United Press International. July 27, 2001. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  32. ↑ "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL; Ellis Moves Again, Signing with Heat". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 29, 2001. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  33. ↑ "LaPhonso Ellis Inks 3-Year Deal with Heat". Deseret News. Associated Press. July 29, 2001. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

See also

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