Excitement in Twin Cities as Karl-Anthony Towns joins Minnesota Timberwolves as first NBA draft pick
Thousands of long-suffering Minnesota Timberwolves fans filed into Target Centre on Thursday night to see their downtrodden team enjoy a rare moment in the NBA’s driver’s seat.
They came to see their team select Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns with the No 1 overall pick, and they did not go home disappointed.
The Wolves wasted little time on Thursday night, turning in the card almost immediately after the broadcast began to grab the versatile power forward/centre with the first No 1 pick in a franchise history filled mostly with failure. Now, with Towns joining a promising young roster that includes reigning rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, slam dunk champion Zach LaVine and franchise icon Kevin Garnett, there was finally a feeling of optimism in the dusty old arena.
He’s the best player and he’s versatile. He’s got a chance along with Wiggins, with LaVine, with Kevin Garnett, with Ricky Rubio. There’s going to be a lot of excitement
And Towns fanned those flames while speaking to the party on a speakerphone.
“We going to the play-offs!” he roared.
The Wolves haven’t been there in 11 years, the longest-running active drought in the NBA. Next year may be a little ambitious, but the Wolves think they’re closer than they’ve ever been.
“It really was a no-brainer,” president and coach Flip Saunders said of the decision to draft Towns.
For a franchise that has endured so much misery, made so many mistakes and lost so many games over the last decade, landing the No 1 pick and the buildup to Thursday night have served as a giant jolt of much-needed optimism.