On March 31, 2004, Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to Shaquille O’neal, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Thirteen NBA seasons have since passed and the Wolves have yet to return to the playoffs — the longest current playoff drought of any NBA team.

These last 13 years have pushed the Timberwolves’ faithful fans to the brink of madness. After over a decade of botched trades and head-scratching draft picks, it appears the Timberwolves organization may finally be getting it right.

In a mere two weeks, Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau morphed a Wolves roster, which stumbled to a 31-51 record last season, into legitimate playoff contenders. Through a series of savvy trades and carefully selected free-agent acquisitions, the Minnesota Timberwolves are finally poised to demand attention from the rest of the league.

For over a decade Tom Thibodeau has been considered one of the sharpest defensive minds in the NBA. When the Timberwolves acquired him as their head coach in April of 2016, many fans thought the Wolves defense would drastically improve right away. This was not the case. Tom Thibodeau’s team defense ranked 26th out of 30 teams last season, proving that no amount of advanced defensive schematics can make up for inadequate players.

After three weeks of offseason activity and roster tinkering, it has become clear that Thib’s focus is to improve the defensive personnel on his roster. Through a series of four offseason moves, Thibodeau has molded his ideal roster — one that is finally capable of stopping the opposition from scoring.

Thib’s First Move: Dump Zach Lavine/Acquire Jimmy Butler

Tom Thibodeau has no interest in a long rebuilding process. This became clear when he packaged Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn and this year’s seventh draft pick, which developed into Lauri Markkanen, to the Chicago Bulls in return for Jimmy Butler and the number 16 pick in this year’s draft, which the Wolves used to select Justin Patton.

Thibodeau fleecing his former team (Chicago Bulls) of their franchise player must feel an awful lot like stealing back your favorite t-shirt from an ex after a messy breakup.

Jimmy Butler is widely regarded as one of the best and most versatile perimeter defenders in the game, thus the immediate impact of adding Butler to the Timberwolves cannot be overstated. Butler ranked 31st in the NBA’s individual defensive player rating last season — No. 14 among perimeter players. Lavine, on the flip side, ended last season with the 181st ranked individual defensive rating. Theoretically, this rating should only go up for Jimmy Butler next season. Sharing the offensive workload with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns should allow Butler to focus even more of his energy on the defensive side of the ball.

That said, the thought of Lavine suiting up for another team brings me no joy. At his best, Lavine is a dynamic scorer and an electric athlete. His shooting stroke is among the purest in the game, and his dazzling dunking theatrics never fail to excite the crowd. The 22-year-old guard shot 39 percent from three-point range last season, which was crucial in creating room for Wiggins’ relentless slashes to the rim and Towns’ low-post game.

Thib’s Second Move: Draft Justin Patton

With the 16th pick in the 2017 draft, the Wolves drafted Justin Patton, a 20-year-old seven-footer out of Creighton University. Patton is a raw, athletic and lanky center who could perhaps address the Wolves’ need for an elite rim protector. Patton will likely never be a player who can get his own shot and score in volume, but that’s not what the Wolves need. Towns, Butler and Wiggins, who all averaged more than 23 points per game last season, are more than capable of shouldering the offensive load for this team. If Patton can block shots, grab rebounds and set good screens, Tom Thibodeau will be extremely pleased with his selection.

Thib’s Third Move: Dump Ricky Rubio/Acquire Jeff Teague

The Ricky Rubio era in Minnesota is officially over. After six rollercoaster seasons in Minnesota, which featured breaktaking passing and abysmal shooting, Rubio has been sent packing for Utah in exchange for a top 14 protected first round pick, meaning if the Wolves have a top 14 pick next year, they will retain the pick.

Rubio has been a consummate professional since coming to Minnesota as a bright-eyed and fresh-faced 20-year-old. While fully embracing “Minnesota nice,” Rubio emerged to some as one of the most likable athletes Minnesota had ever hosted. However, Rubio has no place on this team — a team that needs perimeter shooting so desperately. The Spaniard has a career shooting percentage of 37.5 percent, so while Minnesota will surely miss Ricky’s personality, but it will not miss his shooting.

Veteran point-guard Jeff Teague emerged as Rubio’s replacement. Teague cannot rival Rubio’s flashy playmaking abilities, but he makes up for it with superior athleticism and shooting ability. Throughout his career Teague has shot a respectable 45 percent from the field. The former all-star (2015 selection) is a steady player that will make open shots when they’re available and minimize mistakes. With the talent that surrounds Teague, that’s all the Wolves need.

Thib’s Fourth Move: Acquire Taj Gibson

If Tom Thibodeau could mold his ideal basketball player, it would look a lot like Taj Gibson. He couples a long and strong 6’10” frame with a tough blue-collar mentality and work ethic, ideal for post-defense and rebounding. It remains unclear whether he will start or come off the bench but a couple of thing are for certain; Thibodeau and Gibson are a match made in heaven, and Gibson will see a lot of time on the floor as the Wolves defensive anchor.

For Tom Thibodeau, the easy part is over. He has built his rough and tumbling defensive juggernaut, capable of bullying teams into submission. Now one question lingers. Can this team win in a league that is going smaller by the minute, and putting increased emphasis on three-point shooting? Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have proven that shooting can trump size in basketball and the rest of the league has taken notice and followed their lead. Everyone except Tom Thibodeau, that is. In this upcoming season, Thibs will look to prove that old-school gritty basketball can still succeed in the NBA. Can it? Unfortunately Minnesota fans must wait until November to find out.

Kyle Manderfeld can be reached at mand4052@stthomas.edu.