Kevin Garnett's Rookie Season
June 25, 1995
The Wolves' six-year record (126-366, .250) and failure to ever reach the playoffs indicate the youth movement hasn't worked.
``It's hard to be productive when you're learning,'' Kevin McHale said. ``There are no Magics (former Los Angeles Laker star Johnson) or Larrys (former Boston Celtic star Bird) in this draft.''
Or a player of Shaquille O'Neal's magnitude. It took O'Neal three years before he was able to help Orlando get to the NBA finals. Johnson and Bird, who entered the league in 1979-80, made little impact as rookies. Johnson led the Lakers to a title as a rookie; Bird helped the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
McHale was part of the Johnson-Bird era and knows how difficult it is for first-year players to buck losing traditions. The Wolves need more than one player to do that, which is why they have conducted exhaustive background checks and research on numerous players in case they move down in the draft after a trade.
Even if a trade is not made, McHale's staff is determined to avoid the mistakes that have plagued previous Wolves regimes. Only four of the club's 15 draft picks are still with the team - Rider, Laettner, West and Chris Smith. Five of the team's seven first-round picks have been traded.
Donyell Marshall, the team's No. 1 pick in 1994, didn't finish his first season with the club. He was traded to Golden State in February for Gugliotta.
Five of the team's eight second-round picks were cut. Sherron Mills, a second-round pick in 1993, had such little chance of making the team - a team that finished 19-63 the previous season - that he was advised to play in Europe to improve his game.
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