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 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

draftee

Ricky Rubio Ricard Rubio Vives (born 21 October 1990) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rubio became the youngest player ever to play in the Spanish ACB League on 15 October ...

, 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 Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

during a game against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

and was out for the rest of the season. Following the season, Brad Miller retired.

Key dates

* June 23: The

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor ...

took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey * December 26: The Timberwolves begin the regular season with a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Summary

NBA draft 2011

Roster

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. , - bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , December 17 , Milwaukee , , Michael Beasley and Kevin Love(21) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(7) , Target Center 15,013 , 1–0 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 2 , December 21 , @ Milwaukee , , Kevin Love (22) , Kevin Love (16) , Luke Ridnour (6) ,

Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...

, 2-0

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, - bgcolor=#fcc , 1 , December 26 , Oklahoma City , , Michael Beasley (24) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(6) , Target Center
19,406 , 0–1 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 2 , December 27 , @ Milwaukee , , Kevin Love (31) , Kevin Love (20) , José Juan Barea

(4) ,

17,352 , 0–2 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 3 , December 30 , Miami , , Kevin Love (25) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(12) , Target Center
19,356 , 0–3 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 4 , January 1 , Dallas , , Kevin Love (25) , Kevin Love (17) ,

(7) , Target Center
15,115 , 1–3 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 5 , January 2 , San Antonio , , Kevin Love (24) , Kevin Love (15) , Luke Ridnour (9) , Target Center
14,514 , 2–3 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 6 , January 4 , Memphis , , Kevin Love (27) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(10) , Target Center
17,404 , 2–4 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 7 , January 6 , Cleveland , , Kevin Love (29) , Kevin Love (14) , Luke Ridnour (6) , Target Center
16,943 , 2–5 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 8 , January 8 , @ Washington , , Kevin Love (20) , Kevin Love (16) ,

(14) ,

Verizon Center Verizon Center may refer to: * Verizon Center (Mankato, Minnesota), now Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, a multi-purpose arena in Mankato, Minnesota * Verizon Center (Washington, D.C.), now Capital One Arena See also *Verizon Arena, now Sim ...

13,095 , 3–5 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 9 , January 9 , @ Toronto , , Jose Barea (16) , Kevin Love (14) ,

(6) , Air Canada Centre
14,097 , 3–6 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 10 , January 10 , Chicago , , Luke Ridnour (22) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(12) , Target Center
19,356 , 3–7 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 11 , January 13 , @ New Orleans , , Kevin Love (34) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(9) , New Orleans Arena
14,295 , 4–7 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 12 , January 14 , @ Atlanta , , Kevin Love (30) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(12) , Philips Arena
13,135 , 4–8 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 13 , January 16 , Sacramento , , Kevin Love (33) , Kevin Love (11) , Luke Ridnour (9) , Target Center
16,159 , 5–8 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 14 , January 18 , Detroit , , Kevin Love (20) , Kevin Love (17) ,

(8) , Target Center
15,598 , 6–8 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 15 , January 20 , @ L. A. Clippers , , Darko Miličić (22) , Kevin Love (14) , Luke Ridnour

(6) ,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...

19,492 , 7–8 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 16 , January 21 , @ Utah , ,

(17) , Kevin Love
Derrick Williams (8) ,

(11) , EnergySolutions Arena
19,911 , 7–9 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 17 , January 23 , Houston , , Kevin Love (39) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(12) , Target Center
16,924 , 7–10 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 18 , January 25 , @ Dallas , , Kevin Love (31) , Kevin Love (11) ,

(12) , American Airlines Center
20,150 , 8–10 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 19 , January 27 , San Antonio , , Kevin Love

(18) , Kevin Love (16) ,

(10) , Target Center
16,699 , 9–10 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 20 , January 29 , L. A. Lakers , , Kevin Love (33) , Kevin Love (13) ,

(8) , Target Center
17,551 , 9–11 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 21 , January 30 , @ Houston , , Michael Beasley (34) ,

(8) ,

(11) ,

14,264 , 10–11 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 22 , February 1 , Indiana , , Kevin Love (21) , Kevin Love (17) ,

(6) , Target Center
15,017 , 10–12 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 23 , February 3 , @ New Jersey , , Nikola Peković (27) , Nikola Peković (11) ,

(10) , Prudential Center
15,069 , 11–12 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 24 , February 4 , Houston , , Kevin Love (25) , Kevin Love (18) ,

(11) , Target Center
19,356 , 12–12 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 25 , February 7 , Sacramento , , Nikola Peković (23) , Michael Beasley (14) ,

(14) , Target Center
14,073 , 13–12 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 26 , February 8 , @ Memphis , , José Juan Barea (17) , Nikola Peković
Derrick Williams (9) , José Juan Barea (6) , FedEx Forum
13,287 , 13–13 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 27 , February 10 , Dallas , , Kevin Love (32) , Kevin Love (12) ,

(8) , Target Center
17,119 , 13–14 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 28 , February 11 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, , Kevin Love (32) , Kevin Love (21) ,

(8) , Target Center
20,232 , 13–15 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 29 , February 13 , @ Orlando , , Kevin Love (19) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(8) , Amway Center
18,846 , 13–16 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 30 , February 15 , Charlotte , , Kevin Love (30) , Kevin Love (18) , José Juan Barea (8) , Target Center
15,139 , 14–16 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 31 , February 17 , @ Houston , , Kevin Love (33) , Kevin Love (17) ,

(9) , Toyota Center
16,836 , 15–16 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 32 , February 19 , Philadelphia , ,

(22) , Kevin Love (15) ,

(5) , Target Center
18,759 , 16–16 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 33 , February 20 , @ Denver , , Kevin Love (22) , Kevin Love (13) , Luke Ridnour (6) , Pepsi Center
17,263 , 16–17 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 34 , February 22 , Utah , , José Juan Barea (22) , Nikola Peković (12) , Luke Ridnour

(6) , Target Center
18,776 , 17–17 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 35 , February 28 , @ L. A. Clippers , , Michael Beasley
Derrick Williams (27) , Kevin Love

(7) ,

(9) ,

19,243 , 18–17 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 36 , February 29 , @ L. A. Lakers , , Michael Beasley
Martell Webster (14) , Anthony Randolph (9) ,

(9) ,

18,997 , 18–18 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 37 , March 1 , @ Phoenix , , Kevin Love (23) , Kevin Love (10) , Luke Ridnour (8) ,

US Airways Center The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

15,071 , 18–19 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 38 , March 3 , @

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, , Kevin Love (42) , Kevin Love (10) ,

(12) , Rose Garden
20,644 , 19–19 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 39 , March 5 , L. A. Clippers , , Kevin Love (39) , Kevin Love (17) ,

(6) , Target Center
19,509 , 20–19 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 40 , March 7 ,

, , Kevin Love (29) , Kevin Love (16) , José Juan Barea (7) , Target Center
17,118 , 21–19 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 41 , March 9 , L. A. Lakers , , Nikola Peković (25) , Nikola Peković (13) ,

(10) , Target Center
20,164 , 21–20 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 42 , March 10 , New Orleans , , Kevin Love (31) , Kevin Love (16) , Luke Ridnour (10) , Target Center
20,123 , 21–21 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 43 , March 12 , @ Phoenix , , Kevin Love (30) , Nikola Peković
Derrick Williams (8) , Luke Ridnour (9) ,

14,568 , 22–21 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 44 , March 15 , @ Utah , , Gordon Hayward (26) , Kevin Love
Derrick Favors (16) , Luke Ridnour (13) , EnergySolutions Arena
18,053 , 22–22 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 45 , March 16 , @ L. A. Lakers , , Kevin Love (27) , Kevin Love (15) , Luke Ridnour (11) ,

18,997 , 22–23 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 46 , March 18 , @ Sacramento , , Kevin Love (21) , Kevin Love (11) , José Juan Barea (4) , Power Balance Pavilion
15,616 , 22–24 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 47 , March 19 , @ Golden State , , Kevin Love (36) , Kevin Love (16) , José Juan Barea
Luke Ridnour (10) , Oracle Arena
19,596 , 23–24 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 48 , March 21 , @ San Antonio , , José Juan Barea (18) , Kevin Love (12) , José Juan Barea (11) , AT&T Center
18,581 , 23–25 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 49 , March 23 , @ Oklahoma City , , Kevin Love (51) , Kevin Love (14) , José Juan Barea (14) , Chesapeake Energy Arena
18,203 , 23–26 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 50 , March 25 , Denver , , Kevin Love (30) , Kevin Love (21) , Luke Ridnour (6) , Target Center
20,023 , 24–26 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 51 , March 27 , @ Memphis , , Kevin Love (28) , Kevin Love (11) , Luke Ridnour (5) , FedEx Forum
14,769 , 24–27 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 52 , March 28 , @ Charlotte , , Kevin Love (40) , Kevin Love (19) , Luke Ridnour (14) , Time Warner Cable Arena
10,540 , 25–27 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 53 , March 30 , Boston , , Kevin Love (22) , Kevin Love (11) , Luke Ridnour (8) , Target Center
19,356 , 25–28 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 54 , April 1 , @

, , Kevin Love (26) , Kevin Love (9) , Luke Ridnour (6) , Rose Garden
20,359 , 25–29 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 55 , April 2 , @ Sacramento , , Kevin Love (23) , Kevin Love (7) , Brad Miller
Luke Ridnour (6) , Power Balance Pavilion
12,279 , 25–30 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 56 , April 4 , Golden State , , Kevin Love (29) , Kevin Love (12) , José Juan Barea (8) , Target Center
17,161 , 25–31 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 57 , April 7 , @ New Orleans , , Kevin Love (29) , Kevin Love (12) , José Juan Barea (7) , New Orleans Arena
15,520 , 25–32 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 58 , April 9 , Phoenix , , Kevin Love (25) , Kevin Love (13) , José Juan Barea
Malcolm Lee (5) , Target Center
17,274 , 25–33 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 59 , April 11 , @ Denver , , Anthony Randolph (28) , Derrick Williams (8) , José Juan Barea (15) , Pepsi Center
15,823 , 25–34 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 60 , April 12 , L. A. Clippers , , Nikola Peković (17) , Michael Beasley (10) , José Juan Barea (11) , Target Center
16,016 , 25–35 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 61 , April 14 , Oklahoma City , , Michael Beasley (26) , Nikola Peković (13) , José Juan Barea (10) , Target Center
19,552 , 25–36 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 62 , April 16 , @ Indiana , , José Juan Barea (14) , Derrick Williams (10) , José Juan Barea (9) , Bankers Life Fieldhouse
11,845 , 25–37 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 63 , April 17 , Memphis , , José Juan Barea (28) , Nikola Peković (11) , José Juan Barea (8) , Target Center
16,709 , 25–38 , - bgcolor=#cfc , 64 , April 19 , @ Detroit , , Nikola Peković (23) , Anthony Randolph (10) , José Juan Barea (12) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
12,458 , 26–38 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 65 , April 22 , Golden State , , Nikola Peković (19) , Nikola Peković (16) , José Juan Barea (12) , Target Center
15,872 , 26–39 , - bgcolor=#fcc , 66 , April 26 , Denver , , José Juan Barea (20) , Nikola Peković (10) , José Juan Barea (5) , Target Center
14,824 , 26–40

Player statistics

Regular season

, - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 41 , , 11 , , 25.2 , , .400 , , .371 , , .776 , , 2.8 , , 5.7 , , .5 , , .0 , , 11.3 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 47 , , 7 , , 23.1 , , .445 , , .376 , , .642 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , 11.5 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 51 , , 4 , , 19.1 , , .404 , , .324 , , .800 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 65 , , 64 , , 22.6 , , .398 , , .314 , , .706 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .5 , , .7 , , 6.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 19 , , 0 , , 12.8 , , .390 , , .200 , , .824 , , 1.4 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.3 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 55 , , 55 , , style=, 39.0 , , .448 , , .372 , , .824 , , style=, 13.3 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , style=, 26.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 29 , , 23 , , 16.3 , , .454 , , , , .432 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , .9 , , 4.6 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 15 , , 1 , , 9.7 , , .333 , , style=, .467 , , .833 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.3 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 47 , , 35 , , 26.9 , , style=, .564 , , , , .743 , , 7.4 , , .7 , , .6 , , .7 , , 13.9 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 34 , , 5 , , 15.2 , , .470 , , .000 , , .762 , , 3.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , style=, 1.0 , , 7.4 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 53 , , 53 , , 33.0 , , .440 , , .322 , , style=, .891 , , 2.7 , , 4.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 12.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 41 , , 31 , , 34.2 , , .357 , , .340 , , .803 , , 4.2 , , style=, 8.2 , , style=, 2.2 , , .2 , , 10.6 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 51 , , 0 , , 17.3 , , .390 , , .248 , , .745 , , 3.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 4.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , 47 , , 26 , , 24.3 , , .423 , , .339 , , .792 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .7 , , .4 , , 6.9 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , style=, 66 , , 15 , , 21.5 , , .412 , , .268 , , .697 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , .5 , , .5 , , 8.8

Awards and records

was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December – January and earned an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. * Kevin Love earned an All-NBA Second Team selection. * Kevin Love scored a franchise record 51 points in a double overtime loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 23.

All-Star

* Kevin Love participated in his second All-Star game as a reserve for the West in the

2012 NBA All-Star Game The 2012 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 26, 2012, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2011–12 season. It was the 61st edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the Amwa ...

and won the Three-Point Shootout. *

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 and returned on January 29. * On December, Malcolm Lee underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and was out for two months. * Martell Webster had surgery on his back in December and returned to practice with the team in mid-January. * Kevin Love earned a two game suspension after stepping over Luis Scola during a game against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

on February 4. *

tore his ACL during a game against the

on March 9 and missed the remainder of the season.

Transactions

Overview

Trades

Free agents

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. The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 Minnesota Timberwolves season Minnesota Timberwolves seasons Minnesota Timberwolves 2011 in sports in Minnesota 2012 in sports in Minnesota