Kevin Garnett will continue his legacy in Minnesota. The Big Ticket agreed to a two-year extension to stay with the Timberwolves, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. Garnett returned to Minnesota in the second half of the 2014-15 season as a result of being traded from the Brooklyn Nets.

Kevin Garnett is now surrounded by a plethora of young talent. He has an opportunity to mentor 2015 number one overall draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns and develop him to be the franchise player of the Timberwolves. Minnesota has been looking for that starpower since Garnett left in 2007 for the Boston Celtics. The Timberwolves have not been in the NBA playoffs since 2004 and currently hold the NBA's longest playoff appearance drought. The team has three number one overall draft picks in Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins unanomously won the Rookie of the Year award last year after averaging 17 points and four rebounds. Zach LaVine and Nikola Pekovic also both have upsides to them as effective forces in the paint.

Minnesota's young talent is strong and the leadership of Kevin Garnett will play a key role in developing the roster into a playoff team. On paper, Minnesota looks like a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. Due to the strong depth and contenders in their current Western Conference, making an apperance in the playoffs as an eighth seed is a difficult task. Teams such as the Suns, Pelicans, and Kings are also in the mix for the last playoff spot in the West. The top seven spots are already solidified by contenders such as the Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Mavericks.

With the loss of Robin Lopez, Wes Matthews, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Nicolas Batum, the Portland Trail Blazers are likely to slip in the Western Conference along with their Northwest Division. The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets have been hanging by the wayside for quite some time now and that will open the door for the Timberwolves to compete against the Oklahoma City Thunder in that division. The competition will always be strong in the Western Conference but due to the lack of strength in the Northwest, Minnesota can be one of the teams in the NBA that makes a steady turnaround after having one of the worst records in the NBA last season.

Garnett is expected to play 15-20 minutes per game, as he will no longer be able to compile heavy minutes.

Photo by Jesse Johnson (USA TODAY Sports)
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About the author
Yuriy  Andriyashchuk
20 and from Atlanta. A die hard Atlanta sports fan(Hawks,Falcons, Braves). Also a University of Nevada-Las Vegas journalism major. Huge fan of southern rap/hip hop.