T-Wolf Talk: When the Minnesota Timberwolves Can Start To Retire Numbers

Right now when you go to a Timberwolves game, you will see Malik Sealy's name hanging from the rafters along with the No. 2 forever gone from the Timberwolves' selection of 101 possible numbers (a player can wear 00 or 0, making No. 1 the third possible number).

Sometime before 2020, the fans in Minnesota would love nothing more to have Garnett 21 placed right next to it. So would Sealy.

Sealy was killed in an car accident on May 20, 2000, driving home from a birthday bash for none other than his best friend, Kevin Garnett. His number was retired soon after.

I think the best way to honor their friendship and contribution to the franchise would be to hang a Garnett banner right next to Sealy's.

Currently, only the Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors do not have any retired numbers. For a few of those teams, that isn't likely to change soon.

But Garnett was a symbol for Minnesota for years and years. 12 years, to be exact.

He was the Big Ticket, KG, MVP, and the face of the Minnesota franchise. And his legacy will go down as such, despite whether his 21 will hang from the Target Center.

But let's say Garnett wins a few more titles in a few more years in Boston. Wouldn't he want to be remembered in what is arguably the best franchise of all time instead of what could be argued as one of the worst?

It's a possibility.

So who do we go to next?

Latrell Sprewell was a great Timberwolf, and would probably want to be remembered as such (not the guy who choked a coach in Golden State), but he wasn't really here long enough to retire a number.

Wally Szczerbiak played here for around nine years, but didn't amount to a whole lot.

Sam Cassell has played for too many teams to pick Minnesota to retire in. 

Mark Madsen was a great contributor without playing, but in that way it's almost too sad to retire his number because of it (despite the fact that no one really wears 35).

Tom Gugliotta would actually be a pretty good candidate to retire here, as he put up his best numbers here, and was remembered by early Timberwolves fans.

Plus I saw him once at a Champps. But he's been gone from the league for almost six years, and gone from Minnesota for almost 13, so it's a little late for him.

So it doesn't really look like anyone from the Wolves' past is doing it anytime soon.

Let's look at the present.

Al's kind of on the trade block. Kahn's given fans his word that he won't be even considered in trades until summer, but summer is not even a year away. It just doesn't look like our franchise player is going to stay our franchise player.

Jonny Flynn is also another player who seems to be a keeper for the Timberwolves. However, he is a rookie, and there are SO many ways we could see him instantly depart. Getting Ricky Rubio. Drafting John Wall. Getting the right trade offer. Doesn't seem right to think that Flynn is ever going to retire a Timberwolf, or even become our franchise guy.

Our newest franchise player looks a little more like Kevin Love, who's averaging around 15.6 PPG and 12.5 RPG, which is extremely impressive. Love is also a player who the administration wants to stay here, the fans want him to stay here, and he wants to stay here. It seems like a perfect match.

So when you are at a Timberwolves game, and you look up at the ceiling to see Sealy's name all alone up there, don't expect another number to come near his any time soon. Unless, of course, you are betting money on Garnett doing it.