"Don't let loyalty hurt you!"
We don't know how much that sentence Garnett said after he eliminated James in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010 affected James' decision.
But from 1995 to 2007, he stayed alone in Minnesota for twelve years, leaving his best youth to the city, no doubt.
When he left, the team that was glorified by him collapsed in an instant and began to slowly rebuild. Garnett's words seemed to become a spell.
From 2007-2021, they made only one playoff, one of the worst teams in the league.
They had Love, they had Rubio, and later they had Towns, Wiggins, Lavin, Butler, and so on. But apart from Thibodeau, who brought them to the playoffs once in 2017-18, every year this talented team has brought us disappointment.
But this season they're 27-26, seventh in the West, weighing on the Clippers, Lakers and Trail Blazers.
So the boss of the team, the 2015 champion Towns, finally entered the All-Star again after four years.
What is even more moving is that Wiggins, who left the Golden State, and Lavin, who worked hard in the Bulls, were also selected for the East-West All-Star Team.
"Timberwolves three less", where life does not meet.
Anthony Downs – The Meaning of Perseverance
When he entered the league in 2015, Downs was considered a superstar embryo at the league's façade level.
He has a height of 2.13 meters, an arm span of 2.22 meters, and the flexibility and projection that the new-age big man has.
With 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in the rookie season, it is undoubtedly the best rookie, and it is also considered the best interior line in the league after Thick Brow and Cousins.
At that time, the alphabet brother was in front of him, just a stunned blue with an empty body.
A big man of 2 meters 13 can actually win the All-Star Skills Game.
From the second season (16-17), he contributed steadily 20+10 per year, and only Embiid and Alphabet Brother could do it in the same period.
But compared to the Emperor who returned Philadelphia to the top team in the East, Alphabet Brother is a thousand miles a day, and now with two mvps and a championship + fmvp in hand, Towns and his Timberwolves have been living in the mud.
He has never lacked good players around him, from Lavin and Wiggins to Butler, Edwards, Russell, all of whom have all-star qualifications and talents.
But they just couldn't get good results, so according to the control variable method, all the spearheads were gradually pointed at Downs.
He played more and more outside, shooting 7.9 three-pointers per game (19-20 season) at its most exaggerated, surpassing most of the league's outside line.
He's playing softer and softer, with his top center, the Timberwolves defensively at the bottom of the long league. The 17-18 season struggled to get into the playoffs, and as a result, he was beaten by Capela to find the north.
His stats are also getting less and less valuable, and in recent seasons, he has not had any shot performance, but he has always maintained 20+10, but the league and fans have abandoned him, and he has not been with the All-Star for the past three seasons.
But this season, as Edwards matured, especially with his friend Russell, he became more skilled, and both Towns and the Timberwolves underwent a secret and gratifying change.
They are 15th in the league defensively and 11th in offense, and with their youthful momentum, they desperately press and fight for their opponents. He averaged 14.3 three-pointers per game for the league's third place, 12.2 frontcourt rebounds for the league's third place, fourth steals (8.8), second blocks (5.8), and the first in the league (16.8).
And Towns really played like a leader, a core, a center.
This time, his selection is well deserved.
Andrew Wiggins – from the stars to the ground
Towns, 2015 champion, plus has been an All-Star three times this year,
Wiggins, on the other hand, a year before him, was selected as an All-Star for the first time in a seven-year career.
Even zach Lavin, the younger brother of the three, was selected one step ahead of him last year.
The most talented of the three, he was the latest to meet people's expectations.
He was highly anticipated before he entered the league, and his horrible physical qualities made it possible to set his template as LeBron James, although their style was not a routine at all.
But until this season, he never met expectations and even became a joke.
He's not like Olovo Candi, Kwame Brown, bennett, who is quick to lose, and he doesn't live up to expectations.
He is very skilled and talented, but he seems to be unwilling to do his best, and his health play is unique in the NBA.
He averaged 16.9 points per game in his rookie season and 19.4 points per game in his career, and his highest season was only 23.6 points.
The water fell, and it didn't seem to be completely watered.
But compared to his remarkable talent, he has done too little.
Finally, the 2019 Timberwolves couldn't stand it anymore and exchanged him for the Warriors for Downs' good brother Russell.
But no matter whether the Warriors are at a low ebb, they need him to take on the heavy responsibility,
Or after Curry returned, he returned to the deputy,
He always went up and down for 18 minutes per game, commuting to and from work to the point, with no surprises and no hopes.
But good teams, especially champions, are constantly stimulating and developing the potential of their players.
Gradually, people laughed at the changes in Wiggins.
His spiritual temperament may not be able to become a team like LeBron and Durant in his lifetime, but it does not prevent him from making other contributions to the team, especially when Stephen Curry is around.
He accepted Coach Kerr's instructions and worked harder to defend, pass and shoot goals that weren't difficult for him.
He became the first choice for front-line defense, going against monsters like LeBron, George, durant every game, but it wasn't hard for him.
When Curry is not there, he can also continue the firepower for the team, occasionally showing his terrifying physical talent.
He was only 26 years old, and with such terrible conditions, everything was not difficult for him.
But what is valuable is that although he does not have the fighting spirit and desire of superstars, he also lacks the ego and pride that give the coach a headache.
He is like the "talent super upgrade" of the 2014-16 Warriors Barnes, providing all-round help to the team.
In fact, he is more like Leonard during the 12-14 Spurs.
Third, Zach Lavin - from flying buckle to invincible attacker
Once Lavin, he was a legendary buckler who could compare Dr. J, Jordan, and Carter. Even in my mind, his elegance and skill have surpassed his predecessors, and he can be called the All-Star Dunk Contest GOAT.
But the injury to the cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2017 raised concerns that he would not only be unable to fly, but would no longer be able to gain a foothold in the NBA.
After all, in addition to the dunk contest champions, there are too many "stunt men" who are useless except for dunks.
But behind the remarkable talent, Lavin's diligence and desire, as well as the progress in basketball skills brought to him, have been ignored by many people.
He debuted with the 13th pick in 14 years, and although the Timberwolves were Wiggins' team at the time, he was also able to average 10.1 points per game in his first year.
Later, there was Towns, but whether as a starter or a substitute, he was able to show his progress step by step.
From 2014 to 2017, his scoring data was 10.114.918.2, one step a year, and even became the most reliable outside cannon among the three.
He's been proving to people that he's more than just a buckler.
The Timberwolves traded him for Butler in the 2017-18 season and finally gave him a big enough platform.
The bulls who are rebuilding really need a star with enough skills and fame, and the key is that he is full of desire to make a career.
18-19 season, 23.7 points, the first time in his career reached 20+,
19-20 season, 25.5 points, is already the Eastern Conference first-line scoring thin hand,
Last season, 27.4 points, deservedly an All-Star.
While reaching the top of his personal performances, LaVine wanted more – victory and championship.
He dropped an early contract extension with the team and wanted to see if the Bulls were really willing to build a competitive roster for him.
So Vucevic came, DeRozan came, So did Ball and Caruso, and last offseason, the Bulls were the biggest buyers on the market.
Today, they are in the first place in the East with 32 wins and 18 losses, and Lavin and DeRozan are shining.
Leaving the Timberwolves allowed us to see the real Zach Lavin.