2011–12 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 2011–12 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 23rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In their first season with head coach Rick Adelman, the team finished the lockout-shortened season with a 26–40 record, nine wins above their previous season and finished in 12th place in the Western Conference. This season saw the debut of 2009 draftee Ricky Rubio, who was a contender for the Rookie of the Year Award until he tore his ACL and his lateral collateral ligament after colliding into Kobe Bryant during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers and was out for the rest of the season.^[1][2] Following the season, Brad Miller retired.

2011–12 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Head coach	Rick Adelman
General manager	David Kahn
President	David Kahn
Owner(s)	Glen Taylor
Arena	Target Center
Results
Record	26–40 (.394)
Place	Division: 5th (Northwest) Conference: 12th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports North
Radio	WCCO-AM 830
< 2010–11 2012–13 >

Key dates

• June 23: The 2011 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey^[3]
• December 26: The Timberwolves begin the regular season with a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Summary

NBA draft 2011

Main article: 2011 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	2	Derrick Williams	Small forward / power forward	United States	Arizona
1	20	Donatas Motiejūnas (traded to Houston Rockets)	Power forward / center	Lithuania	Lithuania
1	23	Nikola Mirotić (from Houston Rockets traded to Chicago Bulls)	Power forward	Spain	Spain
1	28	Norris Cole (from Chicago Bulls traded to Miami Heat)	Point guard	United States	Cleveland State
2	31	Bojan Bogdanović (from Miami Heat traded to New Jersey Nets)	Small forward	Croatia	Croatia
2	38	Chandler Parsons (traded back to Houston Rockets for cash)	Power forward	United States	Florida
2	43	Malcolm Lee (from Chicago Bulls)	Shooting guard	United States	UCLA
2	57	Tanguy Ngombo (from Portland Trail Blazers)	Small forward	Qatar	Qatar

Roster

2011–12 Minnesota Timberwolves roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G 11 Barea, José Juan 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1984-06-26 Northeastern F 8 Beasley, Michael 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1989-01-09 Kansas State G 22 Ellington, Wayne 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1987-11-29 North Carolina G/F 4 Johnson, Wesley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1987-07-11 Syracuse G 3 Lee, Malcolm 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1990-05-22 UCLA F/C 42 Love, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1988–09–22 UCLA C 31 Miličić, Darko 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1985-06-20 Serbia C 52 Miller, Brad 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 261 lb (118 kg) 1976-04-12 Purdue C 14 Peković, Nikola 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1986-01-03 Montenegro F 15 Randolph, Anthony 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1989-07-15 LSU G 13 Ridnour, Luke 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1981-02-13 Oregon G 9 Rubio, Ricky 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1990-10-21 Spain F 44 Tolliver, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1985-06-01 Creighton G/F 5 Webster, Martell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1986-12-04 Seattle Prep (WA) F 7 Williams, Derrick 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 241 lb (109 kg) 1991–05–25 Arizona	Head coach Rick Adelman Assistant coach(es) Terry Porter Jack Sikma T. R. Dunn Bill Bayno Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended   Injured

Pre-season

Due to the 2011 NBA lockout negotiations, the programmed pre-season schedule, along with the first two weeks of the regular season were scrapped, and a two-game pre-season was set for each team once the lockout concluded.

2011 pre-season game log
Pre-season: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 December 17 Milwaukee W 117–96 Michael Beasley and Kevin Love(21) Kevin Love (15) Ricky Rubio (7) Target Center 15,013 1–0 2 December 21 @ Milwaukee W 85–84 Kevin Love (22) Kevin Love (16) Luke Ridnour (6) Bradley Center 2-0
2011–12 season schedule

Regular season

Standings

Northwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y-Oklahoma City Thunder	47	19	.712	–	26‍–‍7	21‍–‍12	10–3	66
x-Denver Nuggets	38	28	.576	9.0	20‍–‍13	18‍–‍15	6–7	66
x-Utah Jazz	36	30	.545	11.0	25‍–‍8	11‍–‍22	9–4	66
Portland Trail Blazers	28	38	.424	19.0	20‍–‍13	8‍–‍25	4–10	66
Minnesota Timberwolves	26	40	.394	21.0	13‍–‍20	13‍–‍20	4–9	66

Western Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	c-San Antonio Spurs *	50	16	.758	–	66
2	y-Oklahoma City Thunder *	47	19	.712	3.0	66
3	y-Los Angeles Lakers *	41	25	.621	9.0	66
4	x-Memphis Grizzlies	41	25	.621	9.0	66
5	x-Los Angeles Clippers	40	26	.606	10.0	66
6	x-Denver Nuggets	38	28	.576	12.0	66
7	x-Dallas Mavericks	36	30	.545	14.0	66
8	x-Utah Jazz	36	30	.545	14.0	66
9	Houston Rockets	34	32	.515	16.0	66
10	Phoenix Suns	33	33	.500	17.0	66
11	Portland Trail Blazers	28	38	.424	22.0	66
12	Minnesota Timberwolves	26	40	.394	24.0	66
13	Golden State Warriors	23	43	.348	27.0	66
14	Sacramento Kings	22	44	.333	28.0	66
15	New Orleans Hornets	21	45	.318	29.0	66

Game log

2011–12 game log Total: 26–40 (Home: 13–20; Road: 13–20)
December: 0–3 (home: 0–2; road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 December 26 Oklahoma City L 100–104 Michael Beasley (24) Kevin Love (12) Ricky Rubio (6) Target Center 19,406 0–1 2 December 27 @ Milwaukee L 95–98 Kevin Love (31) Kevin Love (20) José Juan Barea Ricky Rubio (4) Bradley Center 17,352 0–2 3 December 30 Miami L 101–103 Kevin Love (25) Kevin Love (12) Ricky Rubio (12) Target Center 19,356 0–3
January: 10–8 (home: 5–5; road: 5–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 4 January 1 Dallas W 99–82 Kevin Love (25) Kevin Love (17) Ricky Rubio (7) Target Center 15,115 1–3 5 January 2 San Antonio W 106–96 Kevin Love (24) Kevin Love (15) Luke Ridnour (9) Target Center 14,514 2–3 6 January 4 Memphis L 86–90 Kevin Love (27) Kevin Love (14) Ricky Rubio (10) Target Center 17,404 2–4 7 January 6 Cleveland L 87–98 Kevin Love (29) Kevin Love (14) Luke Ridnour (6) Target Center 16,943 2–5 8 January 8 @ Washington W 93–72 Kevin Love (20) Kevin Love (16) Ricky Rubio (14) Verizon Center 13,095 3–5 9 January 9 @ Toronto L 87–97 Jose Barea (16) Kevin Love (14) Ricky Rubio (6) Air Canada Centre 14,097 3–6 10 January 10 Chicago L 100–111 Luke Ridnour (22) Kevin Love (13) Ricky Rubio (12) Target Center 19,356 3–7 11 January 13 @ New Orleans W 87–80 Kevin Love (34) Kevin Love (15) Ricky Rubio (9) New Orleans Arena 14,295 4–7 12 January 14 @ Atlanta L 91–93 Kevin Love (30) Kevin Love (13) Ricky Rubio (12) Philips Arena 13,135 4–8 13 January 16 Sacramento W 99–86 Kevin Love (33) Kevin Love (11) Luke Ridnour (9) Target Center 16,159 5–8 14 January 18 Detroit W 93–85 Kevin Love (20) Kevin Love (17) Ricky Rubio (8) Target Center 15,598 6–8 15 January 20 @ L. A. Clippers W 101–98 Darko Miličić (22) Kevin Love (14) Luke Ridnour Ricky Rubio (6) Staples Center 19,492 7–8 16 January 21 @ Utah L 98–108 Ricky Rubio (17) Kevin Love Derrick Williams (8) Ricky Rubio (11) EnergySolutions Arena 19,911 7–9 17 January 23 Houston L 92–107 Kevin Love (39) Kevin Love (12) Ricky Rubio (12) Target Center 16,924 7–10 18 January 25 @ Dallas W 105–90 Kevin Love (31) Kevin Love (11) Ricky Rubio (12) American Airlines Center 20,150 8–10 19 January 27 San Antonio W 87–79 Kevin Love Ricky Rubio (18) Kevin Love (16) Ricky Rubio (10) Target Center 16,699 9–10 20 January 29 L. A. Lakers L 101–106 Kevin Love (33) Kevin Love (13) Ricky Rubio (8) Target Center 17,551 9–11 21 January 30 @ Houston W 120–108 Michael Beasley (34) Ricky Rubio (8) Ricky Rubio (11) Staples Center 14,264 10–11
February: 8–7 (home: 5–3; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 22 February 1 Indiana L 99–109 Kevin Love (21) Kevin Love (17) Ricky Rubio (6) Target Center 15,017 10–12 23 February 3 @ New Jersey W 108–105 Nikola Peković (27) Nikola Peković (11) Ricky Rubio (10) Prudential Center 15,069 11–12 24 February 4 Houston W 100–91 Kevin Love (25) Kevin Love (18) Ricky Rubio (11) Target Center 19,356 12–12 25 February 7 Sacramento W 86–84 Nikola Peković (23) Michael Beasley (14) Ricky Rubio (14) Target Center 14,073 13–12 26 February 8 @ Memphis L 80–85 José Juan Barea (17) Nikola Peković Derrick Williams (9) José Juan Barea (6) FedEx Forum 13,287 13–13 27 February 10 Dallas L 97–104 Kevin Love (32) Kevin Love (12) Ricky Rubio (8) Target Center 17,119 13–14 28 February 11 New York L 98–100 Kevin Love (32) Kevin Love (21) Ricky Rubio (8) Target Center 20,232 13–15 29 February 13 @ Orlando L 89–102 Kevin Love (19) Kevin Love (15) Ricky Rubio (8) Amway Center 18,846 13–16 30 February 15 Charlotte W 102–90 Kevin Love (30) Kevin Love (18) José Juan Barea (8) Target Center 15,139 14–16 31 February 17 @ Houston W 111–98 Kevin Love (33) Kevin Love (17) Ricky Rubio (9) Toyota Center 16,836 15–16 32 February 19 Philadelphia W 92–91 Ricky Rubio (22) Kevin Love (15) Ricky Rubio (5) Target Center 18,759 16–16 33 February 20 @ Denver L 101–103 (OT) Kevin Love (22) Kevin Love (13) Luke Ridnour (6) Pepsi Center 17,263 16–17 34 February 22 Utah W 100–98 José Juan Barea (22) Nikola Peković (12) Luke Ridnour Ricky Rubio (6) Target Center 18,776 17–17 35 February 28 @ L. A. Clippers W 109–97 Michael Beasley Derrick Williams (27) Kevin Love Ricky Rubio (7) Ricky Rubio (9) Staples Center 19,243 18–17 36 February 29 @ L. A. Lakers L 85–104 Michael Beasley Martell Webster (14) Anthony Randolph (9) Ricky Rubio (9) Staples Center 18,997 18–18
March: 7–10 (home: 3–3; road: 4–7) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 37 March 1 @ Phoenix L 95–104 Kevin Love (23) Kevin Love (10) Luke Ridnour (8) US Airways Center 15,071 18–19 38 March 3 @ Portland W 122–110 Kevin Love (42) Kevin Love (10) Ricky Rubio (12) Rose Garden 20,644 19–19 39 March 5 L. A. Clippers W 95–94 Kevin Love (39) Kevin Love (17) Ricky Rubio (6) Target Center 19,509 20–19 40 March 7 Portland W 106–94 Kevin Love (29) Kevin Love (16) José Juan Barea (7) Target Center 17,118 21–19 41 March 9 L. A. Lakers L 102–105 Nikola Peković (25) Nikola Peković (13) Ricky Rubio (10) Target Center 20,164 21–20 42 March 10 New Orleans L 89–95 Kevin Love (31) Kevin Love (16) Luke Ridnour (10) Target Center 20,123 21–21 43 March 12 @ Phoenix W 127–124 Kevin Love (30) Nikola Peković Derrick Williams (8) Luke Ridnour (9) US Airways Center 14,568 22–21 44 March 15 @ Utah L 105–111 Gordon Hayward (26) Kevin Love Derrick Favors (16) Luke Ridnour (13) EnergySolutions Arena 18,053 22–22 45 March 16 @ L. A. Lakers L 92–97 Kevin Love (27) Kevin Love (15) Luke Ridnour (11) Staples Center 18,997 22–23 46 March 18 @ Sacramento L 99–115 Kevin Love (21) Kevin Love (11) José Juan Barea (4) Power Balance Pavilion 15,616 22–24 47 March 19 @ Golden State W 97–93 Kevin Love (36) Kevin Love (16) José Juan Barea Luke Ridnour (10) Oracle Arena 19,596 23–24 48 March 21 @ San Antonio L 100–116 José Juan Barea (18) Kevin Love (12) José Juan Barea (11) AT&T Center 18,581 23–25 49 March 23 @ Oklahoma City L 140–149 (2OT) Kevin Love (51) Kevin Love (14) José Juan Barea (14) Chesapeake Energy Arena 18,203 23–26 50 March 25 Denver W 117–100 Kevin Love (30) Kevin Love (21) Luke Ridnour (6) Target Center 20,023 24–26 51 March 27 @ Memphis L 86–93 Kevin Love (28) Kevin Love (11) Luke Ridnour (5) FedEx Forum 14,769 24–27 52 March 28 @ Charlotte W 88–83 Kevin Love (40) Kevin Love (19) Luke Ridnour (14) Time Warner Cable Arena 10,540 25–27 53 March 30 Boston L 79–100 Kevin Love (22) Kevin Love (11) Luke Ridnour (8) Target Center 19,356 25–28
April: 1–12 (home: 0–7; road: 1–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 54 April 1 @ Portland L 106–119 Kevin Love (26) Kevin Love (9) Luke Ridnour (6) Rose Garden 20,359 25–29 55 April 2 @ Sacramento L 108–116 Kevin Love (23) Kevin Love (7) Brad Miller Luke Ridnour (6) Power Balance Pavilion 12,279 25–30 56 April 4 Golden State L 94–97 Kevin Love (29) Kevin Love (12) José Juan Barea (8) Target Center 17,161 25–31 57 April 7 @ New Orleans L 90–99 Kevin Love (29) Kevin Love (12) José Juan Barea (7) New Orleans Arena 15,520 25–32 58 April 9 Phoenix L 90–114 Kevin Love (25) Kevin Love (13) José Juan Barea Malcolm Lee (5) Target Center 17,274 25–33 59 April 11 @ Denver L 107–113 Anthony Randolph (28) Derrick Williams (8) José Juan Barea (15) Pepsi Center 15,823 25–34 60 April 12 L. A. Clippers L 82–95 Nikola Peković (17) Michael Beasley (10) José Juan Barea (11) Target Center 16,016 25–35 61 April 14 Oklahoma City L 110–115 Michael Beasley (26) Nikola Peković (13) José Juan Barea (10) Target Center 19,552 25–36 62 April 16 @ Indiana L 88–111 José Juan Barea (14) Derrick Williams (10) José Juan Barea (9) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 11,845 25–37 63 April 17 Memphis L 84–91 José Juan Barea (28) Nikola Peković (11) José Juan Barea (8) Target Center 16,709 25–38 64 April 19 @ Detroit W 91–80 Nikola Peković (23) Anthony Randolph (10) José Juan Barea (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills 12,458 26–38 65 April 22 Golden State L 88–93 Nikola Peković (19) Nikola Peković (16) José Juan Barea (12) Target Center 15,872 26–39 66 April 26 Denver L 102–131 José Juan Barea (20) Nikola Peković (10) José Juan Barea (5) Target Center 14,824 26–40
2011–12 season schedule

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Minnesota Timberwolves statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
José Juan Barea	41	11	25.2	.400	.371	.776	2.8	5.7	.5	.0	11.3
Michael Beasley	47	7	23.1	.445	.376	.642	4.4	1.0	.4	.4	11.5
Wayne Ellington	51	4	19.1	.404	.324	.800	1.9	.6	.5	.2	6.1
Wesley Johnson	65	64	22.6	.398	.314	.706	2.7	.9	.5	.7	6.0
Malcolm Lee	19	0	12.8	.390	.200	.824	1.4	1.6	.4	.2	3.3
Kevin Love	55	55	39.0	.448	.372	.824	13.3	2.0	.9	.5	26.0
Darko Miličić	29	23	16.3	.454		.432	3.3	.6	.3	.9	4.6
Brad Miller	15	1	9.7	.333	.467	.833	1.3	1.6	.3	.1	2.3
Nikola Peković	47	35	26.9	.564		.743	7.4	.7	.6	.7	13.9
Anthony Randolph	34	5	15.2	.470	.000	.762	3.6	.6	.4	1.0	7.4
Luke Ridnour	53	53	33.0	.440	.322	.891	2.7	4.8	1.1	.3	12.1
Ricky Rubio	41	31	34.2	.357	.340	.803	4.2	8.2	2.2	.2	10.6
Anthony Tolliver	51	0	17.3	.390	.248	.745	3.0	.4	.4	.4	4.1
Martell Webster	47	26	24.3	.423	.339	.792	3.6	.9	.7	.4	6.9
Derrick Williams	66	15	21.5	.412	.268	.697	4.7	.6	.5	.5	8.8

Awards and records

• Ricky Rubio was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December – January^[4] and earned an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.^[5]
• Kevin Love earned an All-NBA Second Team selection.^[6]
• Kevin Love scored a franchise record 51 points in a double overtime loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 23.^[7]

All-Star

• Kevin Love participated in his second All-Star game as a reserve for the West in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and won the Three-Point Shootout.
• Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams participated in the Rising Stars Challenge. Williams also participated in the Slam Dunk Contest.

Injuries and disciplinary actions

• Brad Miller underwent surgery on his left knee during the offseason^[8] and returned on January 29.^[9]
• On December, Malcolm Lee underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and was out for two months.^[10]
• Martell Webster had surgery on his back in December^[11] and returned to practice with the team in mid-January.^[12]
• Kevin Love earned a two game suspension after stepping over Luis Scola during a game against the Houston Rockets on February 4.^[13]
• Ricky Rubio tore his ACL during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 9 and missed the remainder of the season.^[1]

Transactions

Main article: List of 2011–12 NBA season transactions

Overview

Players Added Via draft Malcolm Lee Derrick Williams Via free agency José Juan Barea Via trade Brad Miller Robert Vaden (later waived)

Players Lost Via trade Jonny Flynn Lazar Hayward Via free agency Sebastian Telfair

Trades

June 23, 2011	To Minnesota Timberwolves Brad Miller Draft rights to Nikola Mirotić Draft rights to Chandler Parsons Future first round pick	To Houston Rockets Jonny Flynn Draft rights to Donatas Motiejūnas 2012 second round pick
	To Minnesota Timberwolves Draft rights to Norris Cole Draft rights to Malcolm Lee Cash considerations	To Chicago Bulls Draft rights to Nikola Mirotić
	To Minnesota Timberwolves Draft rights to Bojan Bogdanović 2014 second round pick Cash considerations	To Miami Heat Draft rights to Norris Cole
	To Minnesota Timberwolves 2013 second round pick Cash considerations	To New Jersey Nets Draft rights to Bojan Bogdanović
	To Minnesota Timberwolves Cash considerations	To Houston Rockets Draft rights to Chandler Parsons
June 27, 2011	To Minnesota Timberwolves Draft rights to Tanguy Ngombo	To Portland Trail Blazers Future second round pick
December 13, 2011	To Minnesota Timberwolves Robert Vaden 2012 second round pick Future second round pick	To Oklahoma City Thunder Lazar Hayward

Free agents

Additions
Player	Date signed	Former team
José Juan Barea	December 14	Dallas Mavericks

Subtractions
Player	Date signed	New team
Sebastian Telfair	December 9	Phoenix Suns

Many players signed with teams from other leagues due to the 2011 NBA lockout. FIBA allows players under NBA contracts to sign and play for teams from other leagues if the contracts have opt-out clauses that allow the players to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.^[14] The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.^[15]

Played in other leagues during lockout
Player	Date signed	New team	Opt-out clause
Nikola Peković	August 16	KK Partizan (Serbia)	Yes

See also

2011–12 NBA season

References

1. "Ricky Rubio has torn ACL". ESPN. March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
2. "Timberwolves expect Rubio back in 6-9 months". March 23, 2012.
3. . NBA.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
4. . NBA.com. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
5. . NBA.com. May 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
6. . NBA.com. May 24, 2012. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
7. Kevin Love's 51-point night not enough as Wolves fall to Thunder in two OTs, Star Tribune. March 24, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
8. Brad Miller could miss six months after knee surgery, Sporting News. Jun 5, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
9. Brad Miller 2011-12 Game Log, basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
10. Malcolm Lee Injury: Timberwolves Rookie Sidelined For Six Weeks, SB Nation. December 30, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
11. Martell Webster has another back surgery, Star Tribune. December 10, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
12. Martell Webster returns to practice, ESPN.com. January 17, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
13. Wolves' Kevin Love suspended 2 games, ESPN.com. February 7, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
14. "FIBA: NBA stars can play overseas". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 30, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
15. Sun Xiaochen (August 21, 2011). "New rule shuts door on NBA stars". China Daily. from the original on August 30, 2011.