Sure, the Wolves ran -- after leaving the blocks a little late

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Fans cheered as Wayne Ellington (19) ran toward Damien Wilkins, who fell to the ground after his winning basket Wednesday.

The Timberwolves were so enamored with the slogan "See What They Can Do" that they used it for both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. There weren't all that many Minnesotans who came to Target Center to take the challenge in person.

Glen Taylor saw clearly what Kevin McHale's nucleus of players had to offer -- 46 victories and 118 losses in two seasons -- and the owner finally decided to see what an outsider could do.

Taylor hired David Kahn as the team's first executive to carry the title "president" of basketball operations. Kahn set about changing everything, including the slogan.

There was a dramatic unveiling of this on the team's website Wednesday:

"Let our detractors underestimate us. Let them pat us on the head and say, 'My, what big teeth you have.'

"Because our direction is clear. The change is real. And our hope is that as long as we stick to our principles and continue to do things the right way, Wolves fans will stand by us. Or better yet, run with us."

And then came the new catch phrase: "United We Run."

Kahn has been pushing the idea that the Wolves would field a running team since his introductory news conference on May 22. Since then, Kahn has made seven trades and undertaken 23 transactions.

None of these involved the signing of Ricky Rubio, the open-court wizard who might have caused the Twin Cities sporting public to say, "It could be fun to watch these guys go up and down the court."

The failure to get Rubio out of Spain and the relentless roster chaos over five months did not deter Kahn. The new slogan was the bossman's way of saying, "We're going to be a running team, and that's not going to change even if the players don't know one another's names."

On Wednesday, the Wolves opened their 21st season with five returnees on the 14-player roster: Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Brian Cardinal and injured Kevin Love. Backup forward Cardinal and third point guard Jason Hart were the only players in their 30s.

So the change is definitely real, but the direction is unclear.

There are two types of young teams: A) a team that's on the rise; and B) a team that's merely young. For sure, the collection of Wolves that showed up for the first 3 1/2 quarters fit comfortably in Category B.

The Wolves aggressively gave away tickets at Target stores, yet there were rows of empty seats throughout the arena. There was hope that perhaps rookie Jonny Flynn could show his jets, and Brewer would provide offense as he had in exhibitions and Jefferson would devour the Nets on the inside.

Reality was far different for most of the night. Jefferson was called for two quick fouls. Flynn was not flying past Devin Harris or Rafer Alston. Brewer missed his first half-dozen shots and was 1-for-8 at halftime.

Coach Kurt Rambis was asked before the game if he had discovered an acceptable crew of shooters. "I prefer to find makers," Rambis said.

Those were nonexistent in the first half. The Wolves were 14-for-45 (31.1 percent) from the field and trailed 55-43. And the Wolves' interior defense was worse than their shooting.

There was a moment late in the second period when the crowd was asked to inspire the Wolves with a chant of "DEE-fense." As the fans reached the second "DEE," Harris made an uncontested pass inside and Yi Jianlian threw down a dunk.

The blowout continued in the third quarter as the Nets' lead reached 78-64. Brook Lopez, the 7-footer that the Wolves passed on in the 2008 draft, had 27 points (his final total).

The lead was still 87-75 with six minutes remaining. And then Flynn had a steal. And Brewer. And Sasha Pavlovic and Jefferson. There were four steals, a Brewer block and four other Nets turnovers as Lopez and Yi tried to gain position inside.

And Flynn led the Wolves in the other direction at every opportunity. They caught the Nets with 23 seconds left and then won it on Damien Wilkins' short basket a fraction before the buzzer.

United they ran -- even if it was only for the final six minutes -- and the Wolves opened with a 95-93 victory.

Patrick Reusse can be heard 5:30-9 a.m. weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP. • preusse@startribune.com

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