Al Jefferson and the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Sunday to the New Orleans Hornets, but the injury Jefferson suffered was a far worse blow.

Jefferson, the franchise player, tore the ACL in his right knee in the 101-97 loss. The pop in his knee was felt everywhere in Minnesota, since now the Wolves are in danger of being the Sacramento Kings of the late 90s. 

When Chris Webber of the Kings heard the same pop in his knee, his career was admittedly over. That meant a rapid decline in his performance and the ability of the small-market franchise to make any moves in the free-agent market. The Kings are just about to turn a corner with youth and solid lottery picks almost 10 years later. 

The Timberwolves do not have that luxury right now. After this season, the Wolves will have not made the playoffs for five seasons. If the pop in Jefferson's knee chokes the Timberwolves franchise like Webbers' choked the Kings, the fans across Minnesota are in for a long decade.