The Timberwolves resume play on Friday after a week in which they re-signed their invaluable point guard, their coach ran the Western Conference all-star team, one of their former No. 1 picks scored 50 points in the All-Star game and the other conserved his energy for the stretch run.
They hold the first seed in the Western Conference, have a relatively easy stretch of schedule ahead, have won four straight, play their next seven games at home, and are healthier than any NBA team has a right to be in late February.
This long-woebegone franchise is making up for lost decades, and their new deal with point guard Mike Conley is the latest sign that this is not only a different kind of team, but a different kind of organization.