Former Wolves: Yes, we miss'em

Sure,they had their faults, but Rasho Nesterovic and Terrell Brandon were solid players at positions the Wolves have struggled to adequately fill since.

By Michael Rand, Star Tribune

Last update: July 6, 2009 - 11:54 PM

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Fresh off a two-week vacation, we returned to work Monday to find someone had mysteriously left on our desk old bobbleheads of former Wolves players Terrell Brandon and Rasho Nesterovic.

Once we got over our overwhelming confusion -- OK, we're still not really over it --we started to think about the symbolism of the dolls.

As a pair, Rasho and TB represent -- in retrospect -- perhaps the most maddening era in Timberwolves history. Brandon arrived after Stephon Marbury forced a trade during the 1998-99 season, Nesterovic's rookie year. Brandon's last year with the Wolves (and the NBA) was 2001-02, while Nesterovic left for San Antonio after the 2002-03 season.

Those wasted years were marked by first-round playoff exits, the Joe Smith debacle and plenty of pretty good but not great players (such as Brandon and Nesterovic) surrounding Kevin Garnett -- a point underscored in 2003-04 when, for the only time during the KG era, the Wolves had a healthy, dangerous and veteran Big Three to make a deep playoff run.

As individual players, though, Brandon and Nesterovic represent two things the Wolves really haven't had since they left: multi-year stability at point guard and a 7-foot center who could block a shot and function offensively.

Sure, Brandon was injury-prone, passive and too quick to settle for (an admittedly deadly) 16-foot jumper. But in his two reasonably healthy and full years here, he averaged at least 16.0 points and 7.5 assists a season, while starting and playing all but 15 games. The Wolves followed with functional-yet-short point stints from Chauncey Billups and Troy Hudson, one great year (and a regrettable one) from Sam Cassell and a revolving door featuring Anthony Carter, Marko Jaric, Marcus Banks, Mike James, Randy Foye, Sebastian Telfair and others.

Sure, Nesterovic was sometimes soft and awkward. But in his last season here, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks (the last stat was good for 19th in the league, and he was 12th in the league the following year for the Spurs). Michael Olowokandi, Mark Blount and Co. made nobody forget Rasho. Al Jefferson and Kevin Love are an emerging offensive tandem, but neither is going to grow three inches and patrol the middle.

Indeed, the men representing the two strange bobbleheads in some ways still represent the two biggest holes new boss David Kahn is attempting to fill. Perhaps someday in the distant future we will strangely receive a bobblehead of Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn or a yet-unknown big man and reflect on the return of stability.

MICHAEL RAND

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