With loss after loss for former Niagara Falls high school superstar Jonny Flynn piling up, the Minnesota Timberwolves rookie is eagerly anticipating the end of an embarrassing rookie season. Just a year ago Flynn was playing for Syracuse and making a name for himself in the midst of a history-making, six-overtime Big East Championship.
March 2010 has led Flynn and the Wolves in the total opposite direction with a league-worst 13 game losing streak and a last place standing in the entire Western Conference.
Individually, Flynn is near the top of the rookie class with the 5th highest scoring, 4th highest assists and 3rd best free-throw numbers, but individuals do not make a team and Flynn hasn’t been able to carry the Timberwolves on his own.
After a tough loss on Monday to the Toronto Raptors Flynn told reporters, “We are a young team and we have to find something within to close games out.”
Despite Flynn’s 14 points and six assists the Timberwolves did not find what it took to close the game and lost 106-100, bringing the Wolves record to 14-57.
With 11 games left it seems that Flynn may have already mentally checked out. After Monday’s loss he also told reporters, “We want to win games, we don’t just want to stay with teams. That’s not the goal.”
With another good draw in the NBA draft, the Timberwolves have the potential to bring in more talent to help support the rookie from Western New York, but only time will tell how many more losses Flynn can take.
(Beth Hanigan is a communications and marketing student at the University of Saint Thomas and a sports writing intern for Ticket King. She is covering Jonny Flynn for Buffalo Sports Daily and also has an outstanding Timerwolves blog you can read right here.)
