2004–05 Minnesota Timberwolves season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 16th season competing in the National Basketball Association. After appearing in the Conference Finals the previous season, the Timberwolves played at around .500 for the first half of the season. However, the team began to struggle further into the season, losing six straight games between January and February and slipping below .500. After a 25–26 start, longtime head coach Flip Saunders was fired and replaced with general manager Kevin McHale for the remainder of the season. The Timberwolves improved under McHale's management, but finished the season in  third position in the Northwest Division. With a 44–38 regular season record, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Kevin Garnett led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists, as he was selected for the 2005 NBA All-Star Game. Following the season, Latrell Sprewell retired after turning down a contract extension, Sam Cassell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and McHale was fired as coach. This marked the beginning of over a decade of futility for the Timberwolves. From 2005 to 2018, they failed to make the playoffs.