7. Minnesota Timberwolves
Best finish: Conference finals (one time)
Iconic player(s): Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, Sam Cassell, Stephon Marbury
Championship outlook: Poor
There was a time when it appeared the Minnesota Timberwolves would eventually breakthrough in the Western Conference and possibly win an NBA Championship. However, thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers, that never quite happened. In the last 15 years, the Wolves have been one of the worst franchises in the NBA.
Over that span, the Wolves have only made the playoffs once, in which they lost in the first round. They were on pace to miss the playoffs again before the NBA implemented its hiatus. Even though the Wolves have Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in place, the Wolves aren’t particularly close to contending in the West.
Unless something drastically changes over the next few years, I have a hard time believing that the Wolves are going to end their championship drought in the foreseeable future. It’s a shame because their fans deserve better.